Delegate Without Losing Control

Tom · Mar 23, 2009 · 1 Comment

The old saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” does not always ring true when it comes to project management. It is important to know that you can’t do everything yourself and delegation is an essential part of being an effective project manager.

As a project manager it can be difficult to delegate because you may feel a loss of control and power. After all it is your responsibility to make sure the goals of the project are met. Remember, however, that power must be used appropriately and poor delegation can lead to resistance or even resentment from project members. Maintaining a balance between delegation and control can be very tricky.

First of all, you should use the least amount of power needed to reach the desired outcome. Start out with a small use of power and increase that amount if you feel it isn’t working. It’s also important that you don’t abuse the power you have. Never use power for personal gain especially if you have no authorization to do so.

When delegating duties and power, try giving people a choice but make sure the choices are ones you can live with. For example you could give these two choices: “Would it be possible to do this by tomorrow or do you need until the end of the week?” Don’t however ask: “Do you want to do this?” The answer to that question might not be what you want to hear and it also takes away from the project manager’s power.

Be involved in project members’ tasks, but don’t become over-involved. Frequent checking of progress is important so that you can spot problems early, but too much checking can be interpreted to mean you don’t trust their abilities.

Once you become comfortable using these strategies, you can move on to letting others make decisions and set agendas while you, as project manager, control the environment.

Can You Have Too Many PM Meetings?

Tom · Feb 18, 2009 · 3 Comments

Project management meetings can be a helpful tool to keep all team members on the same page, however, holding too many meetings can actually lead to a decrease in productivity as well as resentment for having to attend meetings when people could be working.

The first question that should be asked when considering a meeting is whether it is really necessary. Meetings held that do little more than get everyone together for a gab session are unnecessary and wasteful, taking away from the work that needs to be completed. On the other hand, when group action is needed to exchange information, deal with conflict, or develop ideas a meeting can be useful. The duty of the project manager is to determine whether the meeting is essential to the project or not.

Some project managers hold status meetings which can be inefficient and eat up loads of time and money. Instead, consider meeting one-on-one with individuals or small teams to get updates on progress. Email can also be an effective tool for measuring the progress of different sectors of the project.

One way to determine whether meetings are becoming detrimental to the project is to estimate the cost per minute of meeting time. Determine how much each member attending the meeting is being paid per hour and break that down into minutes. Multiply that by the number of meeting minutes and decide whether the cost/benefit ratio is worth it. Also keep in mind that negative morale caused by sitting in unnecessary project management meetings can offset any minor accomplishments that might have been made in the meeting.

How to deal with PM Insubordination

Tom · Feb 3, 2009 · 2 Comments

Have you ever had a project management team member deliberately refuse to obey a reasonable order relating to his/her job? Dealing with such behavior can be difficult and if left unchecked can balloon into a problem that reaches other areas of the project.

Once others on the team see such insubordination they become more likely to behave in the same manner which could be the downfall of the entire project. Productivity and morale can drop if the project manager doesn’t act quickly.

Fortunately there are some early warning signs that, if recognized and dealt with immediately, can stop insubordination in its tracks. These signs include:

dishonesty (white lies that escalate into major lies)
incompetence (frequent mistakes and inability to follow directions)
reluctance to change (negativity and overreaction to problems)
lack of dependability (failure to complete assigned duties)
apathy (mentally disconnected from the job)

Once a team member begins exhibiting any or all of these signs, it is important for the project manager to take immediate action. Begin with progressive discipline and give that person every opportunity to improve. Document the process and give continuous feedback, letting them know you want them to improve. Be honest and communicate that you want them on the team, but that their behavior is creating problems that might cause the project to fail.

If progressive discipline doesn’t work, it may be time to ask the team member to look for a different project for the sake of the entire project. So watch closely for the warning signs and address problems before they wreck an otherwise successful project.

PMBOK, 4th edition

Tom · Jan 11, 2009 · 5 Comments

The PMI has released the 4th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, and while the members only-PDF cannot be opened by Mac computers due to an obscure plugin (which was also difficult to install on my Windows computer), this update to the third edition of the PMBOK can be regarded as an important milestone.

Some of the changes focus on removing incoherence between the different chapters, others remove conflicts with other PMI standards. The overall number of processes has been decreased from 44 to 42, and a standard approach for discussing changes and corrective actions etc has been introduced.

As a result of these changes, also the PMBOK glossary has been changed. Somme definitions have been added, others have been removed. In order to provide transparency, we will add the new definitions to our project management glossary but not delete the ones that have been removed from the PMBOK. Instead, we will add to each definition in which PMBOK editions the term has been used. We hope that this accommodates your needs.

Identifying and Dealing with Project Management Burnout

Tom · Jan 4, 2009 · 2 Comments

Is your job as a project manager making you feel angry, frustrated or that you just don’t care anymore? If so, you might be experiencing burnout. Some of the signs and symptoms of burnout include:

inability to concentrate
feeling everything is wrong and nothing is working out
emotional exhaustion
feeling trapped and/or powerless
irritability and frustration

It is important to note that burnout is not the same as stress. Stress usually involves “too much”. There are too many pressures or physical and psychological demands. Though burnout can be caused by stress it is about “not enough”. It means feeling empty with no motivation and being beyond the point of caring.

Burnout most often affects the top performers in an organization, such as a project manager. People who strive to be better and achieve success often drive themselves into burnout because they are unable to recognize the signs of stress, adapt their behavior or change their attitudes.

A project manager who is experiencing burnout might shut down or become apathetic. Some might even become self-destructive or strike out at co-workers without thinking. Silly mistakes occur because of the inability to think clearly. Ultimately, the burnout can cause the shirking of responsibility or the tendency to take the path of least resistance.

If you’re a project manager who has noticed burnout symptoms, create a list of of things that are improving and identify areas in need of improvement or attention. Also, identify areas of stagnation because that is most likely the cause of the burnout. Sometimes just identifying the problem can help lead to fixing it.

If you’re still feeling on the verge of burnout you might also try requesting a transfer, asking for new duties or maybe even taking some time off.