The life cycle of the methodology
Whilst undertaking an assignment for a major government agency, I was shown some materials addressing benefits management. Now we know, benefits management is a challenge for many organisations and, as is often the case, this client had invested heavily in a ‘new’ approach. The materials I was shown had clearly been distilled from acceptable best practice with an extensive series of templates and guides being produced and a ‘responsible’ person appointed. A significant amount of time and money had been invested in this new methodology but there is a problem. It is rubbish! A little unkind perhaps but when reflecting on the effort and cost (in this case paid for by our taxes) this waste makes my blood boil. BUT this is not an unusual occurrence!
A methodology – a way of doing things (be it project, programme, change, benefits management, risk management etc etc) follows a life cycle in all organisations.
Initially pain is felt e.g. a major project failure, or an opportunity is grasped i.e. the appointment of a new director or ‘head of’. A decision is then made to ‘do something about it’ which invariably results in attention focused on the set of current practices or habits and a culprit/target is identified. Work is then commissioned to create the ‘new way’. This involves investment of effort in the development of ‘our method’ often informed by best practice. Alternatively, a vanilla solution is purchased and then customised. A big health warning needs to be made here! Whoever is in charge of this work needs to understand what they are doing and why – otherwise rubbish is created!(as in the case mentioned above) It is then launched, with hugely varying degrees of competence, upon the population in question.
And then what happens is scary! Either the population in question are left to ‘make what they want of it’ or they are encouraged, supported or often forced to use the new method. This is the hard bit and organisations are well advised to spend a lot more time and effort on this part of the life cycle than is typically the case. However, it is worth remembering that people are essentially very bright and conscientious and will make things work despite failings of management. Consequentially, some alteration in working practice invariably happens. In the worst case, the forms and administration change with no positive result to the organisation. In the best case, real value is seen and delivered to the organisation.
After a time, something happens that calls the working practices into question. This can be when the cycle stops and begins again……pain is felt! This can be very soon from the time of launch of the new method. The worst case I’ve seen was when I asked a member of the project management office for a major Police force if they could show me their project method. I got the reply, “Which one, we’ve had five different ones in the last six years?” Even if there is no cataclysmic event that causes these quick turnovers to occur, eventually the method becomes tired or dated and someone takes the opportunity to ‘refresh’ it thus beginning the cycle again.
This method life cycle is very common and is costing organisations fortunes. Ideally, what organisation should try to do is have the method truly adopted and owned by the user population. The methodology can then become organic, i.e. gain a life of its own. This is best illustrated when methods evolve rather than change for new ones. I’ve seen methods get as far as version 6.2!
However, even in the most efficient and clear sighted organisations the methods eventually age and die and the cycle begins again.
The methodology life-cycle does in some strange way mirror a generic project lifecycle e.g. initiate, plan, deliver and close down. To successfully manage the methodology life cycle, we should be carefully considering the following:
- When and why to start a new methodology life cycle? (initiate)
- How to ensure the new methodology is a good and useful one? (plan)
- How can we ensure all users are ‘on board’ and extend the life of the methodology for as long as is productively sensible? (deliver)
- What is the best way to humanely support the end of life for the methodology?(close down)
Some ways are better at doing this than others. Until the next time!
PAshton
Latest posts by PAshton (see all)
- Bulletin – September 2015 - September 16, 2015
- Nick Dobson - September 15, 2015
- CITI introductory video - September 15, 2015