How do you ensure project evaluation is diverse and inclusive?

From my exprience OPINION diversity is important for Projects to hear different perspectives from different functions/stakeholders. This enriches from different angles further steps and results planned. But I also agree that this is not gender or age based, rather different skills and competences.

Diversity and Inclusion is the least of my concerns, if any. My concern is to employ the best people with the best talents and work habits for the task regardless of race, creed, color, sex, or sexual preferences. We need get away from using diversity and inclusion as guidelines as soon as possible.

In my view, creating an inclusive culture is the first and foremost aspect that an organisation needs to focus upon. An inclusive culture is where humans are fundamentally respected as humans irrespective of their level in the organization, age, gender, caste, creed, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity etc. Such a culture would attract and retain diverse set of talent into the organization, where such talent can and will give their best. From the neuroscience perspective also, diverse talent at the workplace will contribute both to cognitive (rational thinking and decision making) and affective (emotional bonding and camaraderie) advantages. That’s how organisations thrive in terms of their business growth in a sustainable manner!

Projects are to be evaluated with project objectives in perspective. To be truthful, diversity and inclusion may be more relevant at hiring, but for delivery of projects or development of products, it is an unnecessary distraction. Keep away these topics to get entangled with everything

I am one of the biggest advocates of diversity and inclusion. In today's fast paced world, a divergent view and perspective is extremely important to keep the competitive spirits high. Stale ideas 💡 and the traditional ways of doing can take you only thus far and will bring redundancy over time. People from different walks of life bring their culture, values, and distinctive thought process which is of immense value when put together and moved into action to achieve a specific goal.

I may be going against the grain here, but diversity and inclusion should not ONLY mean what you think it does. You MUST be the leader and encourage your client to ALSO not only listen to but embrace diversity OF THOUGHT. If you only accept the answers or feedback you seek, then why bother? Be sure to foster a culture of diversity of thought. Allow the team to challenge what is being presented and run the internal diagnostics per department to determine where blinders may be conditioning the team, rather than embracing a more strategic way to get to the desired outcome.

Diversity and inclusion is a necessary pursuit for organizations of any size for many different reasons. You want a diverse workforce to give you a better chance at bringing in different thoughts, backgrounds, and experiences into the workplace to influence decision making. You want an inclusive workplace to afford those diverse voices the psychological safety to share their thoughts and opinions. There's a quote, "When two people in business agree all the time, one of them is unnecessary" (that's been attributed to a few different folks) that resonates here as well. If you recruit with D&I in mind but don't reinforce it from the top down, then you run the risk of losing out on all the benefits it can bring your business.

Lo más importante y la prioridad debe ser traer a cada proyecto al mejor talento. La diversidad e inclusión implica que los puntos de vista y las experiencias propias sean aún más enriquecedoras…. Si todos somos iguales y pensamos lo mismo, ¿habrán ideas distintas que sumar? De eso se trata siempre: de sumar ⭐️

A well-structured team focused on diversity and inclusion has a capable manager with a strategic vision. Being open to new learning and business models will benefit the project as a whole, meeting the demands in terms of deadline and quality.

By incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences, evaluations are more likely to address the needs and concerns of various groups. This diversity in viewpoints can lead to more robust, well-rounded, and credible findings, as it reduces the risk of bias that might occur when only a limited set of perspectives are considered.

Adopting D&I in evaluation starts with the organization. The implementation of D&I in the workplace is an integral step towards implementing an inclusive and equitable evaluation. In fact, it is challenging to implement equitable evaluation without organizational adoption and buy-in, as it requires explicit leadership support and the right organizational setting. DEI is not a quick fix; rather it is a continuous commitment to achieve equitable results.

Assessing the current state of diversity and inclusion in project evaluation is a critical step that requires both introspection and a keen understanding of the broader context. This assessment is not just about gathering demographic data or checking representation boxes. It's a deeper inquiry into the dynamics of participation, power, and voice within the project. By asking these questions, we begin to uncover not only who is at the table but also who has the power to speak and be heard. It's about understanding how the project's design and implementation might inadvertently marginalize certain groups or perspectives, and how the evaluation methods themselves could reinforce or challenge these dynamics.

Assessing the existing landscape of diversity and inclusion is crucial before embedding these values in project evaluation. Asking fundamental questions about stakeholders' roles, participation, and viewpoints is essential. Finally, understanding how the project and evaluation context influences diversity and inclusion, delving into potential opportunities and challenges. Through this approach, we explore the diverse characteristics, identities, and assumptions among stakeholders, beneficiaries, and evaluators, ensuring a thorough and inclusive evaluation process.

To assess the current state of diversity and inclusion, examine demographics, review policies and practices, evaluate organizational culture, gather feedback through surveys, and monitor key indicators like retention and satisfaction. Regular assessments ensure ongoing progress and adaptation to promote inclusivity effectively.

Project evaluation should be based on achievements of the objectives. In order to achieve the objectives the team has to work cohesively. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DE&I), or whatever term we use, are all inclusive if team work is up to the mark and objectives are achieved. DE&I are bare minimum behaviours that are required for an Organisation to be considered as an Agile organisation.

Moreso than just strategies, D&I for project evaluation should be built into programs and embedded in workflow. If you have the money, hire a D&I product consultant who lives and breathes this expertise.

It's important for individual people to understand the practical things they can do to recognise and compensate for their own bias and help others to the do the same. For example, well run meetings ensuring that ideas are listened to and there is no interupting. Encouraging different people to take the lead on projects, presentations or to apply for promotions etc. It's not all about big strategies.

The complexity of any project is amplified by the diversity aspects of the people involved in it. This diversity simultaneously makes the project more difficult and enriches the output. This reality must be embraced and the right mindset adopted to ensure the team members and stakeholders all feel included to optimise the uptake and success of any project. Tools to manage the difficulty element such as stakeholder engagement mapping, empathy mapping, mapping out moments that matter (and others) have to be employed with sensitivity and deep listening, especially where diverse cultures may be at play.

This is the biggest challenge. The necessary and sufficient conditions (according to me) are: 1) Openness and acceptability 2) Basic level of maturity and intellectual capability 3) Sense of equality among them. 4) No favouritism or biasing.

I currently see a lot of focus on efficiency and savings in my industry and the cost pressure is high everywhere. There is also a lot of uncertainty for the coming months and years. Many companies are therefore in crisis mode. I see this as a major threat to the holistic view in project planning. In my experience, crisis mode often brings back old patterns that actually need to be overcome. I assume that diversity and inclusion are therefore often less emphasised. Even if it would be beneficial in the long term. There is a risk that no new perspectives and therefore no new solutions will emerge.

Learning is not always from senior to junior. It is 360 degrees. People are coming from different backgrounds, and experiences. Perspectives matters. Keep your inner voice calm while you are hearing a voice on some subject, and just listen. Learning will come after when you will be asking questions to clarify. (not to object) Also, do not try to prove something right or wrong. Just share your perspective also and discuss in what extend you can value total view. Smart people always listen, no matter who is talking.

Benefits assessment post project implementation from wider users is important, and that needs to feed back into future appraisal decisions. If a project has been designed in an echo chamber to suit a narrow segment of society (and it needs to be suited to a wider segment) the appraisal criteria and team clearly need attention.

Aprender e inovar constantemente em inclusão e diversidade é vital em um mundo em transformação. Adaptar-se a mudanças sociais, promover inovação pela diversidade de pensamento, e preparar para um futuro global são essenciais. Isso envolve desafiar o status quo, construir empatia e compreender as diferenças, essencial para sociedades justas e coesas. A melhoria contínua nessas áreas assegura igualdade e valorização de todas as contribuições, moldando um ambiente inclusivo e inovador.

To ensure project evaluation is inclusive and diverse, prioritize ongoing learning about diverse perspectives, engage in regular training on cultural sensitivity, and actively seek feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders. Regularly update evaluation criteria to reflect inclusivity and diversity considerations.

The rules for diversity are changing because society is changing at an accelerated pace, activated by the long change of behavior we all experienced during the lockdown. This means we are at an inflection point for rethinking about equity and inclusion in the context of AI, current macroeconomic changes such as what is termed ‘techno-feudalism, and the potential impact of 2024 elections on society!

If you are a leader learn to listen to the quiet voices in the room. Teach your leaders how to do that and invite opinions from a variety of standpoints. Learn how to foster a culture that thrives on feedback and train managers on how to work with conflict to create innovation and a healthy culture.

Ensure the project evaluators themselves are diverse and inclusive. It is essential that evaluators from diverse backgrounds and skill sets are supported and given opportunities to provide technical analysis.

Remember that likely the company running the project exists for one reason: shareholder value. Whatever interventions leaders use to implement more equitable processes for project evaluation, they must ensure that the intervention addresses profitability and shareholder value. Yes, it's the right thing to do, but beyond that, we have to remember why these entities exist in the first place.

Here are few aspects that can be considered: 1) Diversity and inclusion brings different and better experiences to have fundamental impact on the project evaluation. 2) Objectivity of project evaluation gets benefitted with D&I skills. 3) D&I is an opportunity to demonstrate right mix of talent and knowledge. 4) D&I brings an atmosphere of creativity, encouragement and positive bonding.

diversity starts at the bottom of the hierarchy. If you never had a balance of gender, race, ethnicity, or anything else at the entry levels, it is dangerous to say the least to try and impose Rules at the top. Of course, there is no balance of this traits at board and c -levels, since there has been not enough diversity in the levels that lead to the top in the past. if you really want to see diversity and ation of the true talent of people, we should work harder at the bottom of the pyramid.