It takes courage to lead a project to success amidst challenges, setbacks and other issues that can totally ruin what was originally the perfect project plan. Courage to face that it always falls to the project manager to determine what went wrong, accept responsibility, and focus on what can be done to find an adequate solution.
Motivate your project team by having them point out the excellent work of their team members rather than themselves. The praise must to be linked to some project activity. Watch how your team starts to appreciate their colleagues work! The end surprise: everyone gets rewarded by a paid project lunch or dinner.
Two drivers of excellence in project management are those of
intention and accountability. They are also vital tenets of powerful leadership
in any role. Many Project Managers are so absorbed and so busy that they are
not fully aware of their own intentions, let alone those they lead.
A common project problem results from project work being started
without a full understanding of the work that needs to be performed. As
a PM, it's your job to make sure appropriate research and information
gathering has been done before development work begins.
Project Portfolio Management (PPM) consists of various methods for analyzing and collectively managing a group of current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics. Projects are thus managed much as investment portfolios would be; by finding the best mix that will result in the greatest return on investment.
In the corporate world, project management is often taken for granted, and it's surprising how much it fails as a result. In the information technology domain, most companies will look to their Operations department (technicians, helpdesk agents, accountants, etc). to get project work done, thinking they are saving the expense of a Project Manager.
When faced with a new team on your project, you should make each person feel like they are a critical cog in the wheel. Meet them individually, reward their successes and recognize achievement whenever you see it. Shout about success!
Another way to improve your daily productivity is to keep a daily checklist. It's a list of top priority, high payoff activities that you need to focus on.
Spending 15 minutes every morning to plan your day will save you a lot more time in improved focus on key To Do's of the day and a better sense of control.
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We
each exist within our own logic bubble,
wherein what we do makes complete sense to us if not everyone else. It contains
our perceptions, values, needs and the experiences of each of us at any given
moment. In order to get a project team to work better together, try
exploring each other's logic bubble.
Documentation is primary to every project, this is
especially the case with supplier and consultant contracts, when even a slight misunderstanding
can mean going over your project budget.
It is important to remember that a verbal contract isn't worth the paper
it's written on.
Never forget to include project team members, even if they are needed later, in all the planning processes of the project. They will then have a better idea of what they are working towards and be more in line with the team and project.
The dream as conceived by PMI many years ago has not yet been achieved. Until project management becomes accepted as a strategic necessity and perceived as the ultimate method to promote teamwork, productivity, and efficiency, the work is not done. And there is nothing more fun than doing that work.
Resistance to change comes from a fear of the unknown or an expectation of loss. Your job as a PM is not to raze over the resistance, but to address the concerns and bring it down to a manageable, acceptable level.
Sometimes it's more cost-effective to
pull the plug on a failing project rather than keep pouring money into it until its completion.
As a Project Manager, consider having a quick meeting with your company's (or client's) finance executive or controller who may be able to provide you and your team with valuable assistance early on in the project management process.
It's a basic fact of life that you can't get along with everyone, or please everyone for that matter. Unfortunately, it’s also a fact that throughout your life, you’ll be in
situations where you simply have to communicate with some of those
people you just can’t stand. Follow these steps to deal with this situation...
Just as a project has a definite end, why don't you create definite breaks throughout the project life, which are used for teams to disconnect from the project itself and reconnect with their life. We call these breaks the weekends or holidays. Remember that it's only a break if you take it.
Giving yourself a break at times when you need to stick to doing the right thing and doing it right, very often contributes to you maintaining your bad habits. If you really want to stop a bad habit, you simply have to start the moment you have a chance to do so.
The Project Charter is the document that brings the project into existence, because it determines how the project will progress, as well as documents structure and milestones for the project. It is the statement of the scope, objectives...
Try not to
run a daily meeting marathon, where you attend Project meetings from 7 am to
7pm. Block out at least two hours a day
to follow up with your team and do real Project work – the kind of work you
usually stay late to do.
Incorporating a one to two hour daily work break into your
project team’s routine is a great way to increase productivity and reduce
interruptions. The optimal time for such
a break is mid-morning, giving workers time to work uninterrupted without
distractions such as meetings, email messages and phone calls.
No project moves forward without its unexpected issues. However, If you
have a weak link that is a project team member, address the issue
immediately. Not saying anything can only result in a major project
risk later on.
Though a Yes man many advance in a company, he/she can’t filter out extraneous tasks the way good leaders can. Thus both they and their project team become overloaded and condemned to do many things, almost all of them badly and none of which are necessarily related to the project.
Changing resources in mid-project is never the best thing.It either causes problems or is happening because there are existing problems.As the PM, you have to make the best of it and always stand up for your project, your project team and your customer to the best of your ability.
As you become more successful in your Project Management career, your actions and projects will begin to affect more and more people within your organization.
Collect your PDUs by attending qualifying events and webinars, such as this one, early in the game. Don't wait until the 3 year cycle comes to an end and you have to scramble to get your PDUs by attending expensive courses or having to recertify as a PMP or PgMP.
Even the best projects go off track. It is always important that you make sure to stick to your commitments and always use the best practices in Project Management. Remember, disciplined and organized Project Managers never fail.
As a Project Manager, it is important to remember the six stages of communication when speaking with anyone : Listen to what is being said, maintain eye contact, repeat what has been said for clarity, use common language (no jargon or acronyms), speak clearly, and use appropriate body language.
In 1895, the Italian Vilfredo Pareto discovered
what is now commonly called the Pareto Principle or the “80/20” rule. Basically 80% of value is contained in only
20% of tasks that will give the most value and return for your time and effort.
Remember this when prioritizing project work.
As a PM, think to target comatose servers to reduce capital
requirements and ultimately increase energy efficiency. Every comatose
commodity server shut down, eliminated by consolidation or physical
virtualization, can recover between $1,500 and $2,500 in CapEx
capacity.
Every person has ideas and opinions that they want to share. Set up
sessions where people can share their ideas and opinions. Project team members will
then see what kind of skill sets other team members have. This helps
people connect to each other and fosters a stronger project team.
When taking on a new project at work, you need to first convey to your management the extent of authority that you need in order to start, run, and effectively terminate your project on time and within budget.
It's easy to have meetings run off topic, especially in a busy work environment. Make sure that your project meetings are not used as an opportunity to socialize.
Did you know that reading one hour per day or listening for at least 30 minutes of an audiobook, you will end up reading about 50 books in the entire year? How many books have you read last year?
Ask yourself a question: when will you start those activities that will lead you to where you want to be in the future? If you aren't starting today, and I mean today, if you are not planning to spend even 5% of your time on that one important thing you have to do towards your goal, you are simply not on your way to your goal.
PM Ideas