Reality check

Theres no denying it makes for great TV viewing. But whats the lasting impact of reality programmes like The Apprentice on the publics perception of project management? James Simons takes a look inside and outside of the project community to find out.

On the face of it, its nothing more than a bit of harmless fun. Each week some of the UKs most dynamic entrepreneurs are put through their paces to discover who will land the coveted role as Lord Sugars apprentice. The tasks, designed to test the skills necessary to survive in the cut-throat world of modern business, are led and organised by the all-important project manager. Stepping into this role is a rite of passage for the aspiring candidates; either bathing in the glory of leading a winning team or falling on their sword as the one most culpable for its failure.

Now in its sixth series, the formula continues to endear itself to the watching public. Larger-than-life characters parade their wares in a heady mix of self-promotion and self-belief (often misplaced and unfounded). Front-runners emerge early on only to fall by the wayside in later episodes. Pantomime-style villains often with skewed views of what it takes to succeed in management offer must-see moments to keep us all royally entertained. And at the end of it all, a worthy winner is anointed, paraded and given licence to grab a share of the fame and fortune that association with the programme brings.

But when the dust settles and the lights go out in the boardroom, what is the wider effect? Some within our profession see no harm in the use of the term project manager. After all, the contestants are running a project, tasks are temporary, have defined success criteria and deliver some kind of benefit. In addition, they display behaviours, particularly on the softer side, i.e. stakeholder management, communication and facilitation, that many project managers would recognise as key to project success.

Others, however, are less sympathetic. Despite the attributes above, they claim there is little in the way of a structured, well-thought-out, clearly defined approach to the task in hand. In fact, when the panic sets in, the headless chicken approach often wins out.

For a relatively young profession, still trying to make its way in the world, this has a number of negative connotations. Not least, the popular view of project managers and project management in general, portrayed on our screens each week. Is this the perception we want to create? Isnt it about time that some real project professionals stood up, rebuked these activities and offered a true insight into the competencies expected and required to run a project in real life?

Of course, there are those who dont equate a game show with the actions of the real world. But then again, Im pretty sure there are those that do. The question is what can we do to control, manipulate or influence the populist view (if anything) and in the grand scheme of things, is all publicity good publicity even when hapless pantomime villain types lay claim to the title of PM?

The employer:

Paul Hilton, associate, Mott MacDonald, which recruits around 100 dedicated project managers to its global operations every year. Of those, 20 are graduates.

Most of our commissions including Programme and Project Management are client-facing so we want candidates with good people skills. Of course, they need to have an excellent grasp of numeric, organisational and problem-solving skills, but people skills and relationships count for an awful lot in our business. A lot of people think the project manager is in charge of everything. They see it as a senior title; not a functioning one with tasks related to it.

The general perception of a project manager is someone who points a finger and dictates what needs to be done. There is no real knowledge or understanding of the skills or learning needed to back that up.

Shows like The Apprentice probably reinforce this image and shape graduate opinion about what the title means.

There are definitely similarities between what happens on screen and in real life on the softer side. The winners tend to excel in good communication, collaboration and facilitation, which, in my experience, is critical.

For the broader profession I think the extra publicity is a good thing. It raises awareness of the title and shows someone taking responsibility for delivery. For engineering, construction and manufacturing its not so good because what you see on screen bears no real relevance to the project managers day-to-day responsibilities.

That said, I wouldnt want us to take a backward step and fight against this sort of thing. I think anyone will be able to see The Apprentice for what it really is, an entertainment show where ratings matter most.

The blogger:

Peter Taylor, aka The Lazy Project Manager, who offers a running commentary on each series of The Apprentice on his blog, which can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com

For the past two years I have talked, lectured, podcasted and blogged about The Apprentice and argued that for all of its faults and misrepresentations about project management, exposing even the term project manager to millions of people can only be a good thing. #

Half of successful communication is that the receiver is open to the message. Without an interest in what you are saying your heartfelt explanation of the wonders of project management will just be white noise to the majority.

I firmly believe that programmes like The Apprentice create a point of discussion for project management rather than, as some suggest, damage project management as a profession. I use every opportunity I can to engage people who would not normally know much about projects and project management but who do watch The Apprentice to explain what we do and how the contestants could have done better in their tasks.

There is a saying that all publicity is good publicity and I think that is true in this case 10 million people each week could learn more about what we do. Surely that has to be a good thing?

Let's take this opportunity to teach people more about project management based on this enormously popular programme.

(What would be excellent one day though is to get a project management expert on the Youre Fired follow-up programme to make comment Talkback Thames, if you are reading this then The Lazy Project Manager is ready, willing and able.)

The publicist:

Carl Courtney, executive chairman of Publicasity, a London-based agency offering advice on all aspects of PR and brand management. www.publicasity.co.uk

The PR business is all about managing and controlling information. Its a powerful function and can be a very effective force for good, but thosewho believe that any sort of publicity is good publicity clearly have never experienced bad publicity! Bad publicity can destroy brands, businesses and careers and often has.

A small negative might be overcome by an apology and contrition, but when its bad (BP-type proportions) then rehabilitation might take years and vast sums of money. In most cases though, turning a negative into a positive can be achieved by wanting to change the situation and planning actions that prove the point to key stakeholders. Integrity is critical half-hearted attempts to turn round bad situations almost always exacerbate the problem.

Opinions are shaped hugely by popular TV programmes. In an age when media feeds off other media even programming can be a headline news event. The Monday discussion around the water cooler about the weekend nearly always includes ...and did you see.... Are the public more discerning than we think? Youd like to think so but the media tells another story!

Case study: The weekend apprentice

It was just like The Apprentice, says winning team leader, Umar Qadir, as he recalls events from last years APM Student Weekend, which not only tested business acumen but teamwork, communication and stakeholder management as well.

Team name: Webtronic

Project manager: Umar Qadir

Brief: Take 100 budget and make 50 profit.

Idea: Website design and hosting

After months of hard work, countless meetings and trial runs it all came down to this one moment. This was the day when it all came together, or conversely all fell apart.

In true BBC Apprentice style, the teams of budding entrepreneurs gathered to pit their wits and showcase their flair for business. The difference this time was that there were sound project management principles to underpin each stage of the project plan.

Winning team leader and project manager on APMs Student Weekend, Umar Qadir, explains: A lot of work took place beforehand preparing the project plan, putting together a Gantt chart for the days activities and getting the right team in place. We then met with the APM judges to discuss our ideas.

Fresh from their Projects Module, the final year students from Salford Business School had every reason to be confident. Many had planned, managed or worked on real-life IT projects via University, and project manager Umar had past experience of leading project teams on projects with real world experience.

On the day each project plan had to be signed off before any official wheeling or dealing could commence. Sensing an opportunity to gain an advantage, Umar chose to miss the evening pleasantries and push on with his own agenda.

I was determined to get a head start so I made the call to stay up late and finalise our project plan. By eight oclock the next morning our plan was approved and we were ready to do business.

This attention to detail was set in motion months earlier. Before embarking on the task the team structure had been agreed and specific roles assigned. Recognising the strengths of the group, Umar was happy to take input on key decisions.

I wouldnt describe my style as autocratic. In fact, it was more bureaucratic early on as everyone was given time to have their say. However, once agreed, I knew what needed to be done and took responsibility for driving it forward.

During the day his leadership credentials were put to the test. Says Umar: There was a point where we couldnt find anybody to sell to and the whole team was demotivated even I admit to feeling the pressure. But I knew we had to snap out of it and look at changing the game plan.

This was a real Plan B moment. The original strategy, which was based on taking up a prime position in the nearby shopping centre, clearly wasnt working, so the decision was made to change tack.

Phone calls were made to local businesses and meetings arranged to demonstrate the product. In preparation, the techies focused on adapting the web templates to suit individual clients, while the communicators set about selling the benefits. This was all part of the strategy to split the team in different roles to achieve maximum results.

Sales soon began to pick up. Small businesses, in particular, were keen to take up the offer and grow their online presence. To meet demand, Umar made the call to change the pricing structure, dropping it from 50 to 30 for some (and raising it to 60 for others).

The change in strategy meant we were dealing with customers on a case-by-case basis. Some required extra training on how to edit and change content, while others wanted to trial the product first before paying in full.

We had worked on alternative strategies as part of our original project plan, so it wasnt a total surprise. However, we were still required to think on our feet, look to mitigate risk and adapt to the changing situation.

Throughout the day project management skills were assessed alongside the teams ability to deliver on the initial brief. Webtronic came out top on both counts making a profit of around 300 and winning high praise from the experienced judging panel.

They concluded: Their fresh idea provided genuine and long-term benefits to local businesses who lacked the knowledge or confidence to take their businesses online.

And now

Although not practising project management in the purest sense, Umar still uses many of the project skills he acquired for his role in EMEA (Europe Middle East & Africa) Pricing for the Intel Corporation (UK). He says the benefits of taking part in events like the Student Weekend proved immensely valuable for everyone involved.

The team learnt new skills with regards to applying the science of project management through theory and successfully putting this into practice by the use of both people skills and task-orientated methods. These types of indispensable benefits can only be gained through practical and real-life events. An enjoyable experience overall which is highly recommended.