Project Management Knowledge

Simply explained by a PMI-certified Project Manager

Archives for December 2010

Can You Delegate Stakeholder Management?

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As a busy project manager, the more tasks you can delegate to skilled subordinates, the better job you can do handling the responsibilities that are left on your plate. However, there are some project management functions that don’t lend themselves to delegation. That’s not always because someone else can’t do them. Occasionally, it’s because of the perception it would create if you don’t put in the “face time” in certain aspects of the job. In general, stakeholder management is one of the areas where you have to visibly take charge. Otherwise, you may be perceived as:

  • A poor communicator
  • Someone who doesn’t want to take responsibility
  • Unavailable or unapproachable

In U.S. culture in particular, companies may be expected to have an “open door” policy that makes managers accessible. It is particularly important for stakeholders outside the company to have a consistent point of contact with someone who is viewed as being able to get things done. Clients, vendors, lenders, and partner organizations need to know that their concerns about a project are being taken seriously.

PMs Shouldn’t Shield Themselves Too Much

Excessive use of “gate keeping” that prevents stakeholders from communicating with a project manager directly may cause unnecessary escalation of issues that might otherwise have been easy to resolve. What type of access stakeholders will have to the project manager should be decided as part of communications planning. For example, all mid to high level stakeholders may need to be provided direct contact information (email address and phone numbers) for the project manager. That way, they can bypass perceived red tape in the process of resolving issues.

Having a policy in place of responding to stakeholders within 24 business hours is a good practice in project management. This doesn’t mean the problem has to be resolved immediately; but a discussion should be initiated as soon as possible to avoid delays in the project schedule. The responsibility for actually fixing a problem can certainly be delegated as long as accountability is maintained. An action-item log should be created to document and manage the resolution of issues. This permits the project manager to:

  • Clarify the issue with a focus on the solution
  • Assign the responsibility for resolution to a team member
  • Set a target date for closure
  • Follow up to ensure the issue is resolved

Internal, Low Level Stakeholders

Managing communication with internal, low level stakeholders often requires a slightly different approach. There may be situations when stepping in to fix a problem actually undermines the authority of your direct reports. Generally, it helps team cohesion for team members to resolve non-critical issues on their own. Overdependence on leadership in project management can negatively affect both productivity and worker satisfaction. So, team members should be encouraged to take responsibility for fixing problems within the scope of their authority and ability (without breaking any company rules).

This type of internal delegation works best when team members all have a good grasp of the “big picture” and the critical objectives of the project as a whole. That way, they can rely on common sense in differentiating between an easily fixable problem and a crisis. Team members should always document any issue and the steps they take to resolve it so this information is available later if needed. The communication management plan should identify a chain of command for who will handle any problems that escalate beyond the ability of lower level staff to resolve.

Project Management Tips For Joint Ventures

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Project management is chaotic enough when you are the sole manager in charge. If you are participating in a joint venture with one or more partner organizations, things can get really complex. There’s more to creating a successful outcome than simply defining who does what within the scope of the project (although that’s an important first step). You also have to determine how the work will get done and how problems will be addressed.

Communication and Documentation

For many projects, it’s helpful for all participants to use the same platform. Project management software that permits remote access to authorized users from multiple organizations may be a helpful tool for ensuring all parties have access to the same information. An ideal solution is one that permits collaboration while restricting data access to those who “need to know” within the hierarchy of each organization.

One area where having everyone use the same software can be particularly beneficial is in reporting. If you have two or three project managers who each have a different idea of what’s going on with the schedule and cost, this makes effective communication about necessary course corrections difficult. When there is greater transparency, accuracy, and conformity in the reporting process among partner organizations, this promotes accountability.

Quality Control

Maintaining a high level of quality in a joint venture is particularly challenging if the project is designed in such a way that each party can pass the buck for getting things fixed. Organizations can hold very different ideas about of what constitutes an acceptable level of quality assurance. Company ‘A’ might think spot checking components on a finished product is all that’s required. Such an organization may have no real strategy in place for what to do if they find a problem other than going back to the drawing board. Company ‘B’ could have a full QA department that incorporates quality planning into the project from the outset including detailed analyses and an action plan for making required adjustments along the way to ensure quality targets are met.

Such a disparity in methodology can lead to conflict. If company B is “downstream” from company A, company B may be stuck trying to fix a problem company A didn’t catch (or risk having scheduled work significantly delayed). If company B does its portion of the work first and company A subsequently fails to deliver on their end, the client organization may blame both parties equally. To avoid these pitfalls, the party with the best track record for quality management practices should have some input regarding what will be considered acceptable QC for all parties.

Wrap Up Session

The project management teams from all organizations involved should (if possible) be part of the post-project session to capture lessons learned. The knowledge that can be gleaned from the successes and failures of a joint venture is particularly valuable since it involves so many variables that simply aren’t a factor in simpler projects.

The Role Of Expert Consultants In Project Management

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Successful project management is always a team effort. However, sometimes this team isn’t all in house. For larger and more complex projects, it is not unusual for even an experienced project manager to require outside assistance to help with the planning  process or to perform some of the work. When is a specialist worth the extra expense?

The Need is Temporary

In some cases, the expert knowledge required is only needed for the project at hand. For example, a project for a large telemarketing organization might be to implement a new suite of software applications for call routing, billing, customer service, etc. The necessary IT leadership resources for such an ambitious project are unlikely to be available on staff. The current IT personnel may be generalists or might have been hired mainly for their familiarity with troubleshooting the existing system.

Creating a full time position to fill this gap can cost much more in terms of total compensation than hiring a consulting firm. An added advantage of sourcing an expert to collaborate with existing team members is that the firm can share responsibility for ensuring a successful project outcome.

The Issue is Complicated

Project management planning is only as good as the information it is based on. In some situations, contracting with an expert to collect data that will be used in scope planning and scheduling makes sense. This might be the case when industry-wide information on a specific topic is needed. An outside consultant with lots of industry networking connections may have a better chance of compiling accurate statistics and other information for use in planning than someone on your staff.

Risk identification is an example of such an area of expertise. A ‘blind spot’ in risk planning can lead to disaster. This type of mistake is particularly likely when historical information is low (e.g. when the current project has little in common with previous projects). A third party risk assessor who does not have a financial stake in any risk protection coverage purchased may be able to offer more accurate insights and strategies.

Potential Problems with Hiring Consultants

There are a number of potential pitfalls to consider before investing in an outside knowledge expert. First, this can represent a significant expense. With a tight budget, it can be difficult to justify hiring a consultant for the planning phase when (in the minds of some stakeholders) no visible work is produced. They may question why you need to pay for advice since you are the project management expert and “should already know all this stuff”. Let the consulting firm share the burden of making the case that their services are necessary and valuable.

Second, bringing in an expert may create friction with your team members. This is especially true if someone on staff feels that they are being passed over in favor of an outsider. A consultant should not be hired unless and until you have fully explored the resources available in house. Acknowledge each team member’s expertise in their field and reward their contributions. Also, make it clear that the role of an adviser is to help out – but that your team will be taking the credit for a job well done.

Top 7 Project Management Productivity Tips

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In project management, results are what really matter. You didn’t get into this field because you want to go to work and just “look busy” for 8 hours. You crave efficiency and productivity. Here are 7 tips to help you do achieve that.

1. Prioritize and Take Action

Only work on what’s most important. This may seem intuitive. But it’s actually really easy to get into the habit of taking care of minor tasks first to “get them out of the way” so you can focus on the critical stuff. If you have ten tasks to accomplish today, evaluate how each one should be weighted for importance. You might find that 8 of them are nonessential but you could get them all done today if you work hard. The other 2 are essential but it would take all day just to address those two items. Getting 80% of the items on your list ticked off may look good on paper. It doesn’t mean you’re actually being productive. Put the most vital tasks at the top of your list and address those first.

2. Revisit Goal Setting Daily

Physically putting your goals in writing each day is one way to reinforce both the why and the how of your productivity in project management. Be specific and include both work and general life goals on your list. This is separate from your daily “to do” list. So, focus on your top 3-5 long term objectives. For example

  • Take the lead on the next major multi-million dollar project at my company
  • Pay off my house mortgage by 2017 (5 years ahead of schedule)
  • Learn to speak Italian in preparation for my vacation next summer
  • Put $5000 extra dollars in my child’s education fund over the next 12 months

This practice allows you to take a step back and determine whether your daily activities are taking you closer to or further away from your goals. Visualizing what you expect your future to look like is also a powerful motivator to keep you working.

3. Get Your R & R

Rest and Recreation should be interspersed with your work schedule – not reserved for the weekends. After you have completed the critical tasks on your list, take a break.  Use this time to exercise, eat a gourmet meal complete with freshly harvested vegetables, listen to music, or engage in any other activities that feed your mind, body, or soul. Taking a time out reduces stress and self-care pays off in better focus and enjoyment while you are working.

4. R & R Revisited

This time it’s about Rewards and Recognition. Tie your true productivity (the completion of tasks that actually matter) to some type of prize. In project management, you know how to reward and praise your team when they deliver results. Do the same for yourself. No one is so “mature” or self motivated that they don’t need positive reinforcement.

5. Do What You Hate

Ideally, your career should be something you love.  But there are always going to be some tasks within your job description that you absolutely loathe. If you put these off, the rest of your work may slow down to a crawl as you try to avoid the inevitable. Anxiety doesn’t lessen the longer you put off an unpleasant task – it just gets worse. So, do the things you dislike early in the day to relieve yourself of that burden.

6. Reinforce Your Boundaries

Refuse to take on other people’s work. There are two kinds of coworkers who ask you to do work for them. The people in the first group are really swamped and need to learn better time and task management skills. The people in the second group are just lazy. Neither one of these issues are yours to resolve. The best thing you can do is set an example of what good productivity looks like by getting your work done.

7. Stop Juggling

If you need to get several things accomplished in short period of time, schedule an allotted number of minutes for each task. Then focus completely on the task at hand for each segment of time. This will prevent you from making the errors that typically come with multitasking.