The project is not only the scope, budget and time. It is primarily the people, it is intangible and elusive "something" in the form of emotion between them, their experiences, prejudices, motivation, social and personal skills. It's a project chemistry - invisible, but which influences. This is psychology in the project.

1. IT project psychology
or a man in the project
SELECTED MECHANISMS AND RIGHTS RULING THE PROJECT
Karolina Jarocka | 18/11/2014, Cracow

2. Agenda
1. What is the project?
2. What is the project
psychology?
3. Communications – case
study
4. Creativity
5. Emotions
6. Summary

3. What is the project?
 According to definition…
… project is an organized sequences
of human actions (…)
 Different points of project view

4. Project definition
Project is:
 An organized sequences of human actions,
 aimed at achieving the intended result,
 contained in a defined period of time with the beginning and the end,
 implemented mostly as a team,
 using a finite amount of resources,
or in the project management projects are:
 temporary,
 unique,
 complex.

5. Different points of project view
PM’s point of view Programmer’s point of view Client’s point of view
• Team
• Client
• Project Board
• Goal
• Specifications, mock-ups
• Schedule
• WBS, RBS
• Project chart
• Daily project report
• Communication plan
• Budget
• Risks
• Changes
• Contracts
• ….
• PM
• Team Leader
• Specifications, mock-ups
• Backend
• Frontend
• Data base
• Developer Team
• Tasks
• Deadlines
• Changes
• Technology
• Classes, objects
• Algorithms
• Tests, errors
• …..
• Project Board
• PM
• Contracts
• Business process
• Specifications, mock-ups
• Schedule
• Deadline
• Bugs
• Frontend(pixels)
• Usability
• ….

6. What is the project psychology?
Project psychology – mechanisms that
govern human behavior in the project:
 Competence
 Personality traits
 Energy / synergy team
 Interactions / relationships:
 Me – team
 Me – client
That what takes place between me and the
environment (interactions), as well as in me.

7. Psychology and efficiency
 Efficiency – relationship between efforts (inputs) and effects
(outputs)
 Communications + creativity + EQ + appropriate assignment of roles
= effective team

8. Communication…
… is not about speaking, it consists in hitting the interlocutor.

9. Communication – case study
 Problems in projects
 Why does it happen?
 What can we do?

10. Problems in projects
 3 main problems:
 Delays
 Overspend
 Application incompatible with the requirements
scope
budgettime
quality

11. Why does it happen?
 Incomplete documentation, many white spots, imprecise requirements
of the client-side
 The time for programming spent for arrangements
 Too optimistic planning
 The underestimation of the time by PM / TL
 The underestimation of project cost on sales phase
 Lack of key resources
 Delays by the customer in delivery of key materials
 The specificity of cooperation with the client, for example lack of
client’s commitment
 Changes
 New technologies

12. What can we do?

13. Creativity…
… arises where there are obstacles.

14. Creativity
 „Creativity comes from a conflict of
ideas” /Donatella Versace/
 Creativity is teh ability to change the
point of view
 Avoid, automate, design, develop,
invent

15. Emotions…
… are there, where are people, their relations and expectations.

16. Emotions
 Emotions as reaction to emotions
 Emotions as impulse for decisions
 Emotions as a source of motivation

17. Emotions
 EQ – Emotional Intelligence
 Relations with oneself
 Relations with others
 Relation to the tasks, challenges
and activities

18. Summary
Communications
Creativity
Emotions
 Weigh the words, listen carefully – the
words have a power
 Remember that you are talking to the
other, not to yourself
 Search for solutions, not problems
 Think like a dreamer, abandon doubts
 Skillfully expresses emotions, prevailing over
them - the emotions are the message
without words
 Do not make permanent decisions under
the influence of momentary emotions

19. Thank you for your attention
Karolina Jarocka
IT Project Manager
Mobile: + 48 693 715 809
E-mail: karolina.jarocka@gmail.com
LinkedIn: Karolina Jarocka