Visualisation

Challenge  I've been working as a Project Manager in the last 10 years mainly in the aerospace sector with  a gap in the Insurance sector. I have a background in mechanical engineering, management  and traditional waterfall project management.  Since my role is mainly understanding needs and unite people to generate ideas and concepts  to deliver working solutions, all tools that can potentiate effectiveness and collaboration are  much appreciated!  I have been noticing in the last years that lack of alignment and/or synchronism can be a hurdle  whilst working and managing projects. If highly skilled people are not delivering excellent  results, new tools shall be pursued.    Selection  The course video animations that show a person thinking/saying a "triangle" and the audience  understanding "squares" and "circles" fully represent the obstacle that I often face. Visualisation  tools, when well used, help in enhancing the odds of effective communication on one hand, and  on the other to create engagement and connection between people.  This is key for the projects  I manage.    Application  Words and mathematical formulas are communication tools with “proven record”. Making use of  visualization tools helped me raise the bar in the way I communicate and foster communication.  I discovered visualisation aids through a “kaisen” change programme. The goal behind it was  improving transparency and having a shared vision. This goal was accomplished through  whiteboards with drawings and data, stickers on the floor, Red Amber Green flags, and other  artifacts.  After taking this course I tried to make more use of visualisation tools and in a more conscient  fashion. I used them in different project phases, from initiation phases I invited my colleagues to  use drawings to represent their concepts; during planning I added more diagrams and  powerpoints with photographs to what usually are verbal communications; and in closing one  project I used mindmapping to collect lessons learned by grouping them with colours.    Insight  I experience that using visualization tools have an effect that I can express as accessing more  brain layers, more capacity. Ideas flow faster and most important of all, collective intelligence is  better accessed. Although the tests were reduced, I feel the added value was significant,  especially on the human side.    Approach  After taking this course I feel that I just discovered a whole new toolbox, being visualisation one  of the tools. Before trying other tools, I would appreciate to continue exploring this one, for I feel  that results may get better consolidated after gaining some more experience. It is my belief that  my colleagues engineers and physicists can all benefit from this learning. For people such as  myself, with a strong analytical background, standing up and drawing can be daunting but I am  confident that it is well worth the effort.

