I wanted to bang my head on my desk. The roster database was a mess: missing addresses, phone numbers that needed updating, old email addresses that bounced. The list went on. I needed to figure out who would be returning and get the contracts signed.

I did decide that I could speed up the process by creating a PDF document that would accept electronic signatures. That way I wouldn't have to wait for contracts in the mail. My challenge was getting updated emails and getting musicians to buy in. Those who weren't as tech‐savvy were resistant, even though, to me, the process seemed simple. I needed to call those from whom I could not get a contract back right away, and at least get a verbal commitment that they would be returning.

I was kicking myself that I hadn't started the process sooner. I could have talked to the musicians and gotten some contracts signed at the last concert. The problem was that I had to wait for the final raise amounts and structure my rates.

First‐chair players received more money than the rest of their section. Those who played more than one instrument, such as the flute/piccolo player, also got a higher rate. It seemed like a simple process, but it wasn't. Mileage was also a factor. If someone lived more than 50 miles away, they got a pay bump to cover gas. Some of the specialty instruments, like the bass clarinet, only played a couple of concerts per season but often demanded higher pay.

I decided to put it all in a spreadsheet, which was a better system than torn sheets of notebook paper and a stack of old contracts. I had to take time and streamline the entire system. Only once it was in a spreadsheet could I begin to see the gaps we needed to fill for the next season.

“Hey, Susan, this is Jerry from the symphony,” I said on the phone. “Listen, I'm calling about next season. I need a harp for at least four of the concerts.”

“What are the dates?” asked Susan.

I rattled off the dates of the rehearsals and performances.

“I will have a conflict with the December date. I'm playing in Roanoke,” she replied.

That wasn't good news. That was a big concert with the choir, and there was a big part for the harp.

“Is there anyone you can recommend?” I asked. I didn't have any harp subs on my list.

“Perhaps Sandra can do it, but that's a bad time of year. We usually book Christmastime concerts a year in advance.”

That was something to note, but the schedule hadn't been decided until March, so I couldn't have booked people sooner.

“Do you by chance have her number?” I asked.

Susan gave it to me.

“Do you mind if I email you the contract? You don't have to mail it; you can just sign it online,” I said. I held my breath.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” she said. “Is that new this year?”

“Yes, I'm trying it out. I've had mixed reviews,” I admitted.

“Well, you're in charge of the musicians now,” she replied. “You just need to tell them that is the new policy. They might resist, but they'll figure it out. They don't want to be without work.”

“Thanks,” I said, and we ended the call.

I moved on to my next call. “Sandra,” I said timidly. I hated cold calls. “This is Jerry from the symphony. I got your number from Susan Or. She said you might be able to play a concert we have in December.” I gave her the dates.

“I can do all of those dates except the second rehearsal. I have a church gig on that night. Will that work?”

I had a decision to make. Harps were not easy to find, and Susan had told me that December was particularly bad. I could continue to try to find someone, but I had no list to go on. I would have to continue to ask other musicians, and I didn't think that was the best use of my time.

“Do you mind if I call you back?” I asked.

“No, that's fine. Talk to you soon,” said Sandra.

The next call I dreaded.

“Maestro Fernando, this is Jerry,” I began. “I am having difficulty finding a harpist who can do all of the dates for the December concert. I have one person, but she can't do the second rehearsal.”

“Is she any good?” asked Fernando.

“Well … I don't know. Susan Or recommended her, so I assume that she is,” I stuttered.

“But you don't personally know?” he asked.

“Well, no.”

“Who else did you call?” asked Fernando.

My stomach was twisting.

“I … I don't have any sub‐harp players on the list I was given,” I murmured. “Susan said most harp players book out a year in advance.”

“Come on, Jerry. You have to do better than this,” spat Fernando. “See if you can find a sub for that rehearsal. That person better be good … real good, because that is a difficult piece.”

I had to commit and stand by it.

“I trust Susan, and Sandra, the woman I called, was familiar with the piece and had played it before.”

“You need to build a solid sub‐list this year, Jerry. I am counting on you for that. Maybe we can pick some up during auditions in a couple of weeks.”

“Yes, about that,” I said. Even though I knew he would resist it, I had to remind him of my idea and now was as good a time as any. “As I mentioned to you before, I want to change auditions to blind auditions.”

“Why?” snapped Fernando.

“Some of the musicians have complained and feel the process isn't fair. And many other symphonies have adopted blind auditions.”

“We aren't other symphonies,” Fernando barked back.

“I understand. But they are right. You have tasked me with filling the seats with the best musicians. This is a great way to do that because you would be basing your decision on how they play, rather than what they look like or who they are.”

There was a long pause on the other side, and I was afraid he had hung up on me.

“We can try it out this year. But I still get the last say on who I pick. Even if the committee likes one player and I don't, I make the final call, capeesh?”

“Yes, Maestro.”

“Is there anything else? I am busy scoring today.”

“Nope, that was it. Thank you.”

I hung up the phone quickly and felt like I might throw up.

* * *

“Jerry,” yelled Laura across the house. “I need my big suitcase.”

I had been working for hours calling and emailing people. I supposed looking through closets would break the monotony a bit.

“I'll look up here,” I yelled back.

I began going through the closets and came up with nothing. The last one was a utility closet off the laundry room. I opened it, and I gasped.

“Laura,” I yelled out the door, “I need you to come upstairs a minute.”

While I waited, I began opening boxes. A lot of boxes. They were filled with clothes, gadgets, and all manner of kitchen appliances. Stamped on each box was a familiar smile logo.

“Yes?” said Laura with her hands on her hips.

“Laura, can you explain this … all this? Most of this stuff hasn't even been opened.”

“Jerry, you know I normally buy the kids' Christmas gifts early, especially when I find bargains. Also, I purchased some items for the volunteer banquet, along with a few new outfits for my trip,” said Laura.

“And … and … how did you purchase all this stuff?” I asked.

“I used our credit and debit cards, of course,” she replied simply.

“Laura … we can't afford all this,” I said. “You are now going on a weekend in Vegas with your friends.”

“It's a bachelorette weekend for Tiana and I needed some new clothes.”

“Yeah, I know,” I replied.

“And you already said it wasn't going to be a problem.”

“Yeah, but that was because I thought we both understood our budget and the spending would be reasonable. Instead, you've bought a great deal of things and hidden it all without one word about the total costs. I don't know if any future purchases or trips can be made,” I replied.

“I wasn't hiding it. It's in plain sight. If you were home more often and helped out with the laundry, you would have seen it and it wouldn't be an issue,” replied Laura.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“You have that new job as personnel manager, and so I didn't think it would matter.”

“I'm not a millionaire all of a sudden. Sure, we have a better, more stable income, but that doesn't mean we won a lottery. We have to send some of this back.”

“Hmph,” pouted Laura. “Well, I definitely need the clothing for this weekend. If you insist the other stuff goes back, then you can do all the returns.”

“Me? When am I going to have time to do all of that? I'm playing this weekend, and I have to finish finding musicians.”

“Well, I can't. I'm not going to be here. Oh, you need to add to your list that you need to talk to Linda. I found a note from the school in her backpack. Apparently, her grades are slipping, and we need to talk to the teacher.”

I was punched in the gut. Linda had always been a straight‐A student. But lately she had been moodier and was staying at her friend's house a lot.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“Where do you think?”

“She needs to stay home this weekend,” I said.

“That's on you; I won't be here. I've already spoken with her about her grades and spending so much time visiting her friend. She isn't listening to me.”

“Okay, then I'll talk to her about her grades and tell her that she can't stay at her friend's house this weekend.”

Laura reached under the last pile of boxes and pulled out her suitcase.

“Great. I found my suitcase,” she said, as she left the room.

* * *

Linda sat across the table. Her hot chocolate was becoming cold.

“Are you going to say anything?” I asked.

“What do you want me to say? I'm grounded. I get it. It's like I'm a toddler or something,” Linda snapped.

“No one said you were a toddler.”

“Yeah, then why do I have cocoa in front of me? That is not exactly a drink for a teen.”

“I thought you loved hot chocolate,” I replied.

“Yeah, when I was eight.”

This wasn't going well, and we were losing focus fast.

“I wanted to talk to you about your grades. We found a note that said you were making Ds and even failing a couple of classes.”

“You didn't find anything,” Linda retorted. “Mom was snooping in my stuff, like she always does. Maybe I should start leaving an empty beer can or a pill bottle.”

“Linda! Come on, let's be reasonable,” I said.

“Reasonable? Even police need a warrant to perform a search. Besides, why should you care? You never cared what I did before.”

That hurt. A lot. I loved my family, and they came before anything. I cared more about them than they could ever fathom.

“I do care,” I replied. “That's why I wanted to talk to you. To find out what's going on. You were always a great student, and this is so unlike you.”

“Why should I care about an education? Mom has a degree. She just sits at home all day and spends your money. Seems like a great job with benefits.”

Another stab.

“This isn't about your mom,” I said, trying to keep focus. “This is about you.”

“Of course it's about Mom and you.” Tears began running down her face. “You guys are fighting all the time, and no one seems to care if I'm even here anymore, so why should I care about school?”

I walked over to the other side of the table to hug Linda. At first she resisted, and then the sobbing began and she fell into my embrace.

“Oh, honey, I am so sorry. Of course, you matter. And yes, your mom and I are running through a rough patch right now.”

“A rough patch? You know Mom has been looking up divorce laws online. She wants to know how much money she should expect for alimony.”

The third stab hurt the worst, and it was a direct hit to my heart.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“Mom isn't the only snoop. I looked at her browser history. She doesn't do a very good job at hiding what she's doing.”

“You know it isn't right to spy on your mom.”

“And it isn't right how she's treating you, Dad. And you just sit by and let her do it.” More tears welled up in her eyes.

“Honey, I will talk to your mom. You guys mean the world to me, and this is a wake‐up call. Maybe Mom and I need to go to counseling.”

“Really?” said Linda in a surprised tone. “Do you think she'll go?”

“That's for me to worry about. I can't ignore the grades, so you need to be grounded for the weekend, and I expect a better report starting next week. Do you understand?”

I was trying to be the tough dad, but at the moment it felt like pushing a boulder uphill. I worried every second that the boulder would roll back and crush me.

“Yes, Dad. I've been so worried that you and Mom were breaking up. That's why I've been away so much. I just can't deal with it.”

“Then your mom and I need to fix it. Besides, I'd like to have you around. We can cook together and maybe watch some movies with your brother.”

“I get to pick the movies,” Linda insisted.

“Okay, but they have to be appropriate for your brother.”

“Deal,” replied Linda with a smile I hadn't seen in months. “Oh, and Dad. Hot chocolate … really?”

“I thought you loved it. What do you like to drink now?”

“I don't know, a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred.”

“Not on your life, Linda Bond.”

We both broke up with laughter.

* * *

“How was your week?” asked Dr. Richardson.

“Don't ask,” I replied with a weak chuckle. We were at our regular spot, and it was unusually empty. There was a game going on, and this was a college hangout, so it made sense.

“Did you get your roster filled?”

“Yes and no. I'm still struggling to find musicians. We have auditions coming up, and we've put up announcements everywhere, so I hope we have a good turnout.”

“Oh, how did Fernando take the news about your new way of doing auditions?” Dr. Richardson asked.

“Poorly, but he will allow it.”

“Do you believe this new way of doing things is good for the orchestra?”

“Yes, I do. We need the best musicians, and we don't need to play favorites or pick a player because of how they look. Doing blind auditions not only helps put the best musicians in the right seats, but it also promotes more inclusion.”

“Creating a new project isn't always easy,” replied Dr. Richardson. “You've done an excellent job of identifying a need for your symphony. It's not always easy to get buy‐in. That takes time. How will you know your idea is a success?”

“Well, we should sound better, and I hope the responses of the audience reflect that.”

“That's a key point – eliciting and paying attention to the feedback of your customers, and in this case your audience. Do you have a way to capture those responses?”

“We usually send out a survey at the end of the year.”

“Does that seem often enough?” Dr. Richardson asked.

“Perhaps not,” I mused. “I'll have to think about that.”

Dr. Richardson had another stack of papers. I had been taking the papers home and putting them in a growing notebook. The instruction was invaluable, and after reviewing what he said and the resources he had given me and reading the articles, I was beginning to become more confident with the project management process.

I looked at the first page as Dr. Richardson continued to speak. (See Figure 4.1.)

“We're going to dive a little deeper now in the process, so stop me if I'm going too fast.”

I had my notebook and pen ready. “Gotcha.”

“As you can see from the chart, which I've created based on the Standard for Portfolio Management from the Project Management Institute, there are five knowledge areas, which are strategic management, governance, performance management, communication management, and risk management. There are also three process types, which are defining processes, aligning processes, and authoring and controlling processes. The sixteen processes provide a framework for the core elements that make up project portfolio management.

“And as you can see from the chart, going from left to right, we have the names of the processes in the process groups. Then we have the three process types, and you can see that under the defining process, which is kind of like your planning area. You have more processes there for each of those areas, especially in the first section there for developing a portfolio strategic plan, developing the portfolio charter, and defining their portfolio roadmap.”

“Okay, I follow,” I responded.

“Great. And then you go into the aligning processes. And this is all about calibration and executing on the portfolio. And then the authoring and controlling processes. These are all about giving authority to start components of a portfolio, which is launching a project or launching a program or approving additional operational work, and then providing reports and oversight of the overall portfolio. Think about how that relates to your auditions.”

“Okay, that makes sense.”

“So let's talk about strategic planning and the portfolio. Strategic planning sets the context within which the portfolio management operates by addressing the following four questions. Are the programs and projects in our portfolio necessary in the context of our strategic objectives? In the case of the auditions, you have clearly demonstrated that they are. Think about: Is your portfolio, together with your operational work, sufficient to achieve the strategic objectives? Is the overall level of risk acceptable, and is the portfolio of initiatives achievable? And is the portfolio affordable, and if not, which initiatives should be killed or rescheduled?”

“So if my plan for the auditions doesn't work or is a disaster, I should be ready to pull the plug and move on.”

“Yes, but you need to allow it the space to work. Just because one or two people don't like your new idea doesn't mean it's a bad one. So let me add a little context to this with some background. I worked for an international law firm where I implemented a portfolio management solution, and initially when they brought me in, I had to kind of shore up the project management processes because they really didn't have a lot of framework and structure around their projects. I went through and laid out all the things we needed to do to have great project management and started teaching the project managers through lunch‐and‐learns, not unlike what we're doing here.”

“Oh, so there is a method to your madness,” I joked.

“Of course! Well, once we started really being able to execute a lot of projects, we had to then look at the portfolio because initially they were using a lot of spreadsheets. We began to leverage the portfolio tool, and as we were going through the process, it became clear that we needed to go through this exercise of working with the CIO and the managing partners of the law firm to look at the strategic plan and then aligning projects into certain categories and areas and also understanding our portfolio mix. Basically, we're mapping apples to apples and oranges to oranges and bananas to bananas when we are deciding what's going to be in the portfolio and what's not going to be in the portfolio.”

“So I need to begin matching up projects and putting them together in categories.”

“Precisely. Why reinvent the wheel? Much of what you're doing overlaps and so if you have projects that are together, you can kill many birds with one stone. You can overlap your auditions with your new payroll system, and you can roll out your plans for getting music to the musicians by explaining your process up front.”

“That's brilliant.”

“It was an amazing exercise to watch this international law firm, which was in five countries and 14 offices, go from no processes to having these processes and being able to see the integration of the managing partners developing the strategic plan of where the law firm needed to be and the execution of that through the portfolio. We were able to close the gaps. I worked very closely with the enterprise architect within the group so that when he developed the current architecture and then the target architecture, that gap between them became the roadmap in which the portfolio led. It was an amazing exercise. I got a lot of great insights from it, and I wanted to pass that on to you as we talk about this concept of strategic planning and the portfolio, because they are totally integrated and intertwined.

“I've really been enjoying the articles that you recommended,” I admitted. “They take a little time to get through, but they make total sense when I review our notes.”

“I'm so glad to hear that. Once you have a strategic plan and a selection of portfolio components, projects, programs, and sub‐portfolios that you're going to manage, you can get into operational strategy and the portfolio. Peter Drucker says management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. So strategic goals have to be defined before project selection. That's strategic planning. A clear set of strategic goals is critical to selecting and mapping projects that will create value and move the organization forward toward its desired capabilities to achieve its strategic goals and objectives. You've been doing an excellent job of that.”

“You think so?” I asked.

“Absolutely. They picked the right person for the job. You are using your instincts and are doing a great job,” replied Dr. Richardson.

“I feel lost a lot.”

“Give yourself time. Value creation is primarily a result of one or two of those projects that generate the desired benefit needed to fulfill the targeted objective. And strategic alignment should produce an aligned outcome and greater efficiency within the organization. Once the portfolio is selected, you then have to look at the organizational strategy and how you get into the day‐to‐day operations of the organization. You have already begun that. Now start to focus on things along the lines we're talking about: maintaining the alignment, allocating financial resources, allocating the human resources, allocating material resources, and tracking the operational performance and the organization's performance, as well as managing the organizational risk. And think about the risk to the symphony at the organizational level, not just at the project level.”

“I'm trying to do that, but I think I'm going to hit resistance,” I replied.

“You will, and that is totally normal. But if you've done all the work, you won't get as much resistance as you think you will because they will see that these projects will improve not only the symphony but the entire organization.”

Dr. Richardson pointed at another paper in my packet. (See Figure 4.2.)

“One of my favorite topics to teach is about the corpus callosum, which is a large bundle of fibers connecting the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Each hemisphere controls the movement of the opposite side of the body and can also specialize in performing specific cognitive and perceptual functions. It enables information to move between hemispheres and is therefore a very important integrative structure. Think of project portfolio management as the corpus callosum of your symphony. The same way the corpus callosum links the two halves of the brain to align your vision with your action, the portfolio management processes link an organization's vision, mission, and strategic objective with the companies, agencies, and organization's actions.”

“Okay, I can visualize it.”

“The corpus callosum allows for information to go back and forth between the halves. Have you ever seen someone who's really good at art or visual activities as well as mathematics? They have a well‐integrated and robust corpus callosum, which means information goes back and forth between the two hemispheres. If someone's corpus callosum is damaged, they'll have a lot of challenges and issues and probably will be in a place where they can't take care of themselves because, while they might have a vision for what they think they want to do, they can't communicate with the other part of their brain to actually carry it out.”

“That makes sense,” I said.

“If we have a portfolio measure process that's working, then we can have a strategic plan that we visualize where we want the organization to go, and then we're able to work through project portfolio management to execute on that strategy. If we have a damaged project portfolio management process, like a damaged corpus callosum, then we may have a vision for where we want the organization to go, but we don't have the capability to actually deliver on that.”

“I like that visual,” I said.

“Remember that story about the Vermont Teddy Bear Company?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Let me tell you a little more. Bob was the CIO. His career path prepared him for the various challenges he would eventually face at Vermont Teddy Bear. During his career, he was a database administrator, a web developer, an enterprise content management specialist, a CRM admin, a business intelligence consultant, a software developer, and a supply chain management support member. And in his first year as CIO, he lost five of the twelve IT staff, and a few of them had institutional knowledge of the IT environment that had not been documented during their tenure. Bob needed to quickly develop an IT architectural document that captured the current IT environment and model of their IT infrastructure. If you were Bob, what processes would you put into place first? Just think about it; you don't have to answer me right now.”

“Got it,” I scratched down some notes.

“Well, that should keep you busy this week,” commented Dr. Richardson.

“It should, and again I can't thank you enough.”

“It's my pleasure. Keep up the great work!”

Dr. Richardson's Tips

• Strategic planning sets the context within which the portfolio management operates by addressing the following four questions:
  • Are the programs and projects in our portfolio necessary in the context of our strategic objectives?
  • Is your portfolio, together with your operational work, sufficient to achieve the strategic objectives?
  • Is the overall level of risk acceptable, and is the portfolio of initiatives achievable?
  • Is the portfolio affordable, and if not, which initiatives should be killed or rescheduled?”
• One of my favorite topics to teach is the corpus callosum, which is the part of the brain that connects the right and left hemispheres. Think of project portfolio management as the corpus callosum of your symphony. In the same way that the corpus callosum links the two halves of the brain to align your vision with your action, the portfolio management processes link an organization's vision, mission, and strategic objective with the companies, agencies, and organization's actions.