Using The Conscious Competence Learning Model

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Training Your Sponsor Using The Conscious
Competence Learning Model PMI Great Lakes
Chapter Spring Symposium Innovate or Adapt? The
Challenge of the New Decade April 27,
2011 Kathy Gister Business Process
Analyst CMMI and ITIL Foundations Certifications,
Six Sigma Green Belt, PM Certification from
Bryant College, RI
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First, some questions

• Why are you attending this session?
• What are your Sponsor-related project problems?
• Is your project Sponsor a good manager?
• Is your project Sponsor a leader, a good leader?
• How many projects is your Sponsor sponsoring
  right now?

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More Questions

• Do you expect your Sponsor will know the project
  management approach you need to use?
• Do you expect the Sponsor to know
• What is the role of the Sponsor in a project?
• What leadership qualities are needed from the
  Sponsor?
• OOPS! Are you the problem?
• Do you feel all this is just common sense?
• How can you help your Sponsor, team, and
  stakeholders improve the whole projects success?

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Session Overview
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for My
Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor? Conclusion
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What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model?

• A Staged Representation of Learning
• Everyone starts at the first level and proceeds
  sequentially
• Cant skip levels
• Applies to all teaching and learning, e.g.
• Dance, Tae Kwon Do, other physical activities
• Process improvement
• Quality management
• Project management ?

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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?

• Origin of model really not known (or claimed) but
  cited by many, for example, references include
• 1940s
• Human Relations in Administration, P. Dubin, 1962
• A Practical Guide for Supervisory Training and
  Development, D.L. Kirkpatrick, 1971
• Gordon Training International, Teacher
  Effectiveness Training Instructor Guide, early
  1970s
• The KM Journey, Judy Payne, Hemdean Consulting,
  2004
• The Conscious Competence Ladder Making learning
  a happier experience MindToolsTM at
  http//www.mindtools.com/

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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
Very early reference, an ancient Oriental proverb

• He who knows not, and knows not that he knows
  not, is a fool shun him,
• He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is
  ignorant teach him,
• He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is
  asleep wake him,
• But he who knows, and knows that he knows, is a
  wise man follow him.

Not quite the sequence or advice of the
Conscious Competence Model, but close!
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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?

• Level of awareness, ability to perform
• Degree of self-esteem of the learner
• Approach for teaching, coaching, consulting
• Please be thinking about your Sponsors

Consciousness Competence
1-4
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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent

• Blissfully unaware (dont know that they
  dont know)
• Self-esteem is high (confidence exceeds ability)
• Teach concepts, high-level, to get them to want
  to learn more
• The process of the project, and related roles and
  responsibilities
• The importance of a projects sponsor
• The criticality of sponsor leadership and
  visibility

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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
Consciousness Competence
2 Conscious Incompetent

• Know that they dont know and are
  motivated to get more knowledge and skill
• Confidence drops as they realize their ability is
  limited so their self-esteem drops below level 1
• Provide examples, more information, safe
  practice, early collaboration, well planned
  events

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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
Consciousness Competence
3 Conscious Competent

• Know what they know consciously
  apply knowledge and skill
• Confidence increases
• Coach, mentor, advise, measure success and
  provide positive feedback to improve performance

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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?
Consciousness Competence
4 Unconscious Competent

• Skills and knowledge become habits
  dont know how anymore just do it assume its
  just common sense
• Confidence and ability peak, can take on more
• Collaborate with peers for continuous improvement

The Sponsor / Project Manager relationship of
your dreams -- !
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What is the Conscious Competence Learning Model?

• Perspectives on the 4th level
• Only when he no longer knows what he is doing
  does the painter do good things, Edward Degas.
• Educators have identified four stages of
  learning any physical skill unconscious
  incompetence, unconscious competence

Stephen Brown, Toward an Effortless Mastery of
the Argentine Tango
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Session Overview
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for My
Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor? Conclusion
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Why Should I Care?

• Concerning certain areas
• I expect you can describe yourself as follows
• Really highly skilled at what you do
• Your self esteem is high
• Can lead by example (unconscious competence)
• What if you continue as you are?

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Why Should I Care?

• How can you help get your team members up to
  speed?
• What level are they?
• What level is your Sponsor?
• What if you want to help/teach others something
  you do instinctively, you dont remember how you
  do it?
• Is it REALLY just common sense?

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Why Should I Care?

• You need to step back
• Become re-conscious of your own competencies
• Articulate what you are doing consciously
  dissect your process, your thought pattern, your
  actions into their parts
• he who knows, and knows
  that he knows,
  is a wise man follow
  him.

Consciousness Competence
4 Unconscious Competent
5 Reflective, Re-conscious Competent
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Why Should I Care?
Another possibility for us on a personal level
Consciousness Competence
4 Unconscious Competent
1 Complacent Out of date? Make silly mistakes.
More like the 1st level than the 4th?
Blissfully unaware. He who knows not, and knows
not that he knows not, is a fool - We must
not become complacent!
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Questions?
Why Should I Care?
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Session Overview
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for My
Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor? Conclusion
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Whats in it for My Project?

• Helps you understand your sponsors,
  stakeholders, even your customers levels of
  awareness
• Can be used to help you gauge their level of self
  esteem and their sensitivity to their lack of
  knowledge
• Can help you understand what kind of training
  is needed for your team, during solution
  implementation, and for your own personal
  development

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Whats in it for My Project?
A staged representation of learning.
Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent
2 Conscious Incompetent
3 Conscious Competent
4 Unconscious Competent
RISKS?
Where would you place your sponsor, your
stakeholders, your team?
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Whats in it for My Project?
Dont forget what you might be asking.

• Asking them to challenge the way theyve always
  done it with new ideas and new approaches.
• Asking them to reassess their competence. Have to
  start over again (level 1, however briefly)?
• Asking them to search for continuous
  improvement.
• These requests may mean that they may see that
  they are blissfully unaware --- a very
  uncomfortable zone.

Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent
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Assumptions About Sponsors Knowledge
Whats in it for My Project?
NOT !

• Good manager, therefore good leader? Hmmm?
• Has a stake in the projects outcome?
• Understands
• The project process?
• The Sponsors role?
• The PMs role?
• The Sponsors connection to key deliverables?
• The criticality of Sponsor leadership to project
  success?
• Do you assume the sponsors understanding is
  CC level 4?

If not, you could have a lot of problems!
OOPS...
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Whats in it for My Project?
Need to gently help your sponsor get through
levels 1 and 2 without realizing what happened
(?) !
Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent
2 Conscious Incompetent
3 Conscious Competent
4 Unconscious Competent
Teaching Styles




Teach new concepts and reasons to care, create
desire to learn more
Provide examples, more information, (safe) guided
practice
Coach, mentor, advise, measure success, provide
feedback
Collaborate with peers, continuous improvement
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Back to Basics Dont Assume
Whats in it for My Project?

• Plan the initial meeting(s) with your Sponsor
• Start with Why Discuss the business case
  objectives, project scope, any known constraints,
  risks. Ensure common understanding, ensure you
  understand the Sponsors vision and Why and
  commitment to the project. (Are you UI? Listen!)
• Identify key measures and success factors with
  the Sponsor. Find the What thats connected to
  the Why.
• Discuss/define and understand how the Sponsor
  views and values the triple constraints in
  relation to the Why.
• or the six constraints?

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Plan the initial meeting(s) with your Sponsor,
continued
Whats in it for My Project?

• Define initial communications plan between
  Sponsor and the PM including level of information
  and frequency identify the best presentation
  format of information for the Sponsors ease of
  understanding
• Plan to outline whats needed in a Project
  Charter why its key to making a project
  progress more efficiently and effectively

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Project Charter Sponsor Input Needed, e.g.
Whats in it for My Project?

1. Project purpose or justification
2. Measurable project objectives and related success
   criteria
3. High level requirements, product characteristics
4. Known constraints and business risks
5. Stakeholders
6. Project Manager Authority Level
7. Project approval requirements
8. Project Charter approvers
9. Project Sponsors approval of the completed
   Charter

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Dont Assume Plan the initial meeting(s),
continued
Whats in it for My Project?

• Outline your project management process to get
  the Sponsor interested, adaptable, and ready to
  innovate when needed. Plan to present, for
  example
• The project management phases including Project
  Monitoring and Controlling
• High-level purpose of each phase
• Key Sponsor characteristics and activities, where
  the Sponsors involvement is critical for project
  success

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Rita Mulcahy, PMP PMP Exam Prep Fifth
Edition(for PMBOK Guide Third Edition), 2005,
pp. 267-268
Whats in it for My Project?

• Dont Assume Plan the initial meeting(s),
  continued
• Role and characteristics of the Sponsor
• A project needs the Sponsor to be visible to the
  team to help ensure success, delivery against the
  projects objectives
• Without having the Sponsor or someone in
  management performing the following functions,
  the project will suffer, wasting time and
  resources.
• Management must serve as a protector of the
  project.

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Whats in it for My Project?

• Through Project Initiation The Sponsor, e.g.
• Has Requirements that must be met
• Is a project stakeholder
• Provides funding
• Provides statement of work
• Provides information for preliminary project
  scope statement
• May dictate milestones
• Issues the Project Charter
• Gives the project manager authority as outlined
  in the Project Charter
• Helps organize work into appropriate projects
• Sets priority between projects
• Determines the priorities between the
  constraint components
• Encourages the finalization of requirements and
  scope by stakeholders
• High-level Sponsor activities
• Ensures project has clearly understood and agreed
  upon scope
• Ensures key stakeholders, support, and advisory
  personnel are identified and engaged

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Planning the initial meeting(s), cont.
Whats in it for My Project?

• Most likely, you will want to skip the details of
  next phases for a meeting later on when you are
  planning the Planning Phase with your Sponsor.
• Consider just focusing on the High-level Sponsor
  activities

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Whats in it for My Project?

• During Project Planning - The Sponsor, e.g.
• Provides the team with time to plan
• May review the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Supplies lists of risks
• Determines the reports needed by management to
  oversee the project
• Provides expert judgment
• Helps evaluate tradeoffs during crashing, fast
  tracking and re-estimating
• Approves the final project management plan
• High-level Sponsor activities
• Ensures project has realistic and complete
  Integrated Project Plan
• Ensures communications, procurement, change, and
  risk are well managed
• Contributes to and supports the Business Case

Can you two draft an elevator speech for the
project yet?
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Whats in it for My Project?

• During Project Execution and Project Monitoring
  and
• Controlling The Sponsor, e.g.
• Approves changes to the Project Charter
• Protects the project from outside influences and
  changes
• Enforces quality policies
• Provides expert judgment
• Helps evaluate tradeoffs during crashing, fast
  tracking and re-estimating
• Resolves conflicts that extend beyond the project
  managers control
• Approves or rejects changes or authorizes someone
  representing him/her to do so (change control
  board)
• May direct that a quality assurance review be
  performed
• Clarifies scope questions
• High-level Sponsor activities
• Monitors project performance
• Ensures issues, change requests, and risks
  receive timely and appropriate response

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Whats in it for My Project?

• During Project Closing The Sponsor, e.g.
• Provides formal acceptance of the deliverables
  (if he is the customer)
• Supports the collection of historical records
  from past projects
• High-level Sponsor activity
• Ensures project makes a smooth transition and
  changes are institutionalized

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Dont Assume Plan the initial meeting(s),
continued
Whats in it for My Project?

• Review and gain agreement on roles and
  responsibilities to be sure you have buy-in on
  the PMs role
• to organize and manage a team of disparate
  players
• to deliver the solution to the business Why
• to ensure that the Sponsors initiative is a
  success
• Last agenda item Next steps
• Plan when to meet again
• Tentative agenda (e.g. review a draft Project
  Charter)

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At the initial meeting with your Sponsor
Listen Set Expectations Collaborate for Project
Success
Whats in it for My Project?

• Is this the right person to be Sponsor?
• Identify how you can influence these factors if
  necessary.
• Can enough of the Sponsors time be dedicated to
  the project? (If not, who will have the
  delegated authority to act for the Sponsor.)
• Does this person have a personal stake in the
  project?
• Can this person deliver the WHY throughout the
  project?

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At the meeting Listen Set Expectations
Collaborate for Project Success
Whats in it for My Project?

• When sharing project process and Sponsor roles
  and responsibilities
• Assess your Sponsors Conscious Competency level
  about a projects Critical Success Factors
• Dont assume your Sponsor is a quick study -
  slow down, plan in enough time to elaborate -
  remember the 4 CC levels and (gently) teach
• Develop a collaborative atmosphere to begin a
  shared mind set on what success means
• Why this project is important for the business
  
• Why the Sponsors involvement is so important
  to project success

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At the meeting, continued Set Expectations
Whats in it for My Project?

• Meeting Wrap-up - Summarize with your Sponsor
• Did you cover all the points that you planned?
• Did you start at Level 1? Inform now review key
  points show whats in the Project Charter and
  roles and responsibilities, quickly move
  Sponsors understanding through Level 2
• Do you need a follow-up meeting to cover the
  project process?
• Did you collaborate and establish agreement on
  (parts of) the Project Charter and any
  constraints, etc.?
• Levels 1? -2? -3? Educate, teach, collaborate,
  or just set the stage for later?
• Did you establish on-going communication approach?

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A Quick OverviewFor Fun !
Whats in it for My Project?
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Vision The Big (Business) Picture
Whats in it for Me?
Your Sponsor
The Project
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Sponsor bored? Not engaged?
Whats in it for Me?

• Whats wrong with this?

Project not a performance goal? No personal
consequences?
Your presentation style is BORING your Sponsor?
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Whats in it for Me?

• Training Models Consider the Whole Team
• Successful leadership occurs when the team
  actually adopts and adapts what theyve learned
  into their daily activities. (The team has a
  shared vision CC level 3 or 4.)
• Sponsors need to create and deliver a message
  that will allow the team to understand what needs
  to happen. (Clark Swain, Sr. V.P., Nimbus
  Partners, a technology consulting company in New
  York as noted in The Charlotte Observer,
  10/17/04)
• ? The ultimate responsibility for the success of
  the project is the Sponsors. It is a
  responsibility which cannot be delegated!

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Team Shared Vision
Whats in it for Me?
Each team member has the same elevator
speech Can function independently because the
vision is internalized.
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Sponsor gt Big Picture Enabler
Whats in it for Me?
Helps maintain commitment of others. Helps
mitigate, manage high-level risks. Helps enable
critical issue resolution. Approves funding,
scope, and scope changes. Knows the
destination and the route. Clears the road
ahead.
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Promotes Leads Shares the Why
Whats in it for Me?
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A Shared Vision / Why Unifies Different Project
Responsibilities!
Whats in it for Me?
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Sponsor Manages? Micro-Manages?
Whats in it for Me?
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Celebrates Leads
Whats in it for Me?
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Team Shared Vision
Whats in it for Me?

• Project Manager keeps teams coordinated with the
  plan
• With more confidence that each piece is created
  with the same end in mind!
• A shared vision helps minimize surprises when
  pieces are integrated.
• A shared vision is engendered through good
  Sponsor leadership!

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PM Plans and Manages the Pieces
Whats in it for Me?
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The Sponsor trusts the PM to share at the level
s/he needs to know.
Whats in it for Me?
The Sponsor helps when help is needed.
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Achieve Big Picture, Business Goals
Whats in it for Me?
Achieve personal goals!
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Celebrate!
Whats in it for Me?
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Session Overview
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for My
Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor? Conclusion
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Whats in it for My Sponsor?

• Achieves business goals
• Achieves personal goals
• Doesnt need to manage / micro manage
• Data provided at the right level for review
• Focuses on providing help when and where needed.
• Brings celebration to achievements.
• Helps ensure lessons learned are passed on

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Whats in it for My Sponsor?
(I repeat) Why Should I Care? Consider what
might happen to your Sponsor.

• Need to challenge what is done effortlessly
  with new ideas and new approaches
• Reassess competence. Start over again
• search for continuous improvement.
• However, this means move back to an
  uncomfortable zone

Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent
Consciousness Competence
2 Conscious Incompetent
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Whats in it for My Sponsor?
What other models have you seen that look like
this? Level of self- Esteem Time
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Whats in it for My Sponsor?

• Change Models
• Psychological reorientation people have to
  experience when significant change occurs
  (William Bridges, 1991)
• Composing endings
• Neutral Zone
• New Beginnings
• Transition is often the loss this is what people
  fight, not necessarily the change itself
• Bereavement

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Whats in it for My Sponsor?
Projects
Time
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Whats in it for My Sponsor?
Visions of continuous monitoring and improvement
at organizational or team levels
Act Plan
Check Do
Demings Cycle
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Whats in it for My Sponsor?

• Other questions you and your Sponsor could
  consider
• What can we do to improve our team?
• What should we do if we get a new team member?
• What should we expect if we experience
  organizational change?
• How can we use the Conscious Competence model
  to improve training for our projects team
  members, stakeholders, customers, end users?

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Session Overview Innovate or Adapt? The
Challenge of the New Decade
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for My
Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor? Conclusion
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In Conclusion

• The Conscious Competence Learning Model is
  another tool we can adapt as we plan involvement
• With our sponsors
• With our co-workers and stakeholders
• It can help us understand people and
  organizations in another way
• To help us succeed with our projects
• To help them succeed in acquiring new skills and
  knowledge as efficiently as possible

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In Conclusion
Conscious Competence Learning Model Innovate or
Adapt? The Challenge of the New Decade

• People learn differently. In spite of that there
  is a progression to learning that is common to us
  all.
•  
• If you dont look at where others are in the four
  levels you may design learning events in a way
  that wont help at all, perhaps resulting in
  disastrous consequences.
• Communicate at the right level to be sure
  recipients can move forward with the information.
  Be consciously competent!
•  

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Innovate or Adapt? The Challenge of the New
Decade More Questions? Comments?
What is the Conscious Competence Learning
Model? Why Should I Care? Whats in it for
My Project? Whats in it for My Sponsor?
Consciousness Competence
1 Unconscious Incompetent
2 Conscious Incompetent
3 Conscious Competent
4 Unconscious Competent
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Thank you, and my best wishes for your success.