You read that right.

GMO as in Genetically Modified Organism which is defined as an organism where genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering.  I want to hire a superhero Agile Project Manager who has the best traits of all of the Project Managers that I’ve ever worked with!  Since I can’t afford the time to go through the hit or miss process of pouring through tons of resumes,…and I absolutely won’t use a head hunter (don’t even think of trying to get in touch with me)…I want science to create one based on my specifications.  Why not?  It’s 2015.

I want a GMO Agile PM Superhero!

So here are her top ten traits:

1. Passionate – I’d say first and foremost, she has a passion filled personality.  This is primarily expressed by her enthusiastic, and unwavering, commitment to delivering the project goal.  Her infectious passion can’t be contained and all of the following traits are constantly being marinated in it as well.
2. Futurist – She visualizes and embraces the future.  While she always has the long view, she knows that the journey won’t be linear and creates many “mini-futures” to make sure she’s on track and if not, leaves herself and the team ample opportunity to make course corrections.
3. Avid Learner – She lives to learn.  Her “I know it all so you better listen to me” gene has been totally extinguished.  Like a great hunter of learning situations, she is deliberate in flushing out the ducks on a project simply to be able to present new learning opportunities for her and her team.
4. Resilient – She never takes things personally and handles criticism well. It’s all about the goal and getting better at attaining it.  She lives by Nietzsche’s belief that “that which does not kill us makes us stronger”.  She also is a fan of Voltaire’s “perfect is the enemy of the good”.  She knows how to navigate between the two.
5. Healthy Senses – While her eyesight is bolstered by bifocals due to her being of a “certain age”, she can see things that are off the charts, be they near or far.  Her olfactory sense is quite acute and can pick up the most diluted of project smells on breeze-less days. .  Her powers of hearing can pick up the faintest sounds of discontent.
6. Meticulous – She is constantly looking at her watch and is never at a loss to tell you about the time, place and scope of the next iteration review.  The iteration plan is always up to date and resources are always  accounted for.  Meetings are always run efficiently and effectively.  Her i’s are always dotted and t’s are always crossed.  She makes no speling or grammatical mistake.
7. Paranoid – Not the fashionista, she always wears the proverbial belt and suspenders – always has backup plans. Never gets painted into a corner.  She is a skeptic of people’s words and measures progress exclusively by the demonstrable deliverables they produce.
8. Multilingual –   She is a great communicator (both written and verbal).  She can speak the language of the business, the technology and all of the roles of the members of the team.  Regardless of rank or gender, politics or cultural background, she can relate and converse.  She also loves eCommerce which is the unifying language in Corevist and amongst our clients.
9. Servant Mentality – She never bosses people around.  Yet somehow, she never fails to help them to deliver on their individual objectives, and the project’s overall goal.
10. Great Negotiator – This is probably the most important tool in her toolbox because it’s used every single day in a multitude of ways.  She is always wrestling with the forces of the Agile Triangle as Jim Highsmith has coined them: Value, Quality and Constraints (Scope,Time, Budget).  She confronts conflict and always makes sure that we’re left with a win-win result.  The Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation’s entire curriculum is encoded into the fabric of her being.

Our GMO Agile PM Superhero can be seen planning optimistically, managing skeptically and adjusting ruthlessly on a daily basis.  That is what she was engineered to do.

I’ll take delivery as soon as possible.

Sam