Project managers often have the difficult job of dealing
with projects having inter-team disputes, being over budget and missing deadlines.
However being able to avoid problems and potential pitfalls before they even
arise is something that can put the better project managers head and shoulders
above the rest.
A recent article by CIO
Magazine has pinpointed key areas and scenarios that may arise for project
managers and how best to deal with them. The key elements that are prevalent are
communication and proactivity. By keeping a stream of communication between
manager and team helps to check in on progress in order to make sure problems
aren’t a surprise and can keep the team focused and happy. By building a good
relationship with the team will create trust and increase productivity, as
workers are more likely to put in more effort for a manager they trust and enjoy
working with.
Communication with higher management is also key for keeping
a strong team; by being pro-active and making sure you know if a key member of
your team could be taken away for something else could be the key to keeping
them. A good project manager will be able to show facts and data that can back
up the need for the member which can be the way to keep them. By showing in
data form that without a certain member a project could potentially go over the
deadline day or the time and effort to train a new member could push the budget
up past the quota creates a much stronger case for keeping the team intact. If
the communication with higher management is there it can give time to gather
evidence instead of arguing a case with nothing to back up the claims.
The proactivity of pre-empting issues like that can be
useful for other potential project setbacks. Communicating with the team and
making sure they understand their specific roles and setting a number of mini
deadlines will keep the project on track. Setting specific roles for each
member keeps the team from potentially overlapping and doing the same thing
twice which is inefficient. By setting early smaller deadlines can mean if
there are problems along the way they can be dealt with quickly to make sure
they overall deadline is kept to.
The final point on communication is that sometimes members
may be in different countries or time zones and have difficulty accessing each
other’s work. However new technology such as EMC Syncplicity allow members to
be able to collaborate easily to share their work with each other to make sure
the project keeps flowing.
The project manager is not just there to set schedules and
crack the whip; they are there to keep the team together and on course by creating
an atmosphere of trust and keeping good inter-team communication. Pro-activity
is also critical for anticipating and averting potential difficulties that may
arise in the project. These assets are paramount for a project manager to
succeed and move forward in their company and gain the trust of peers and
management.
About the Author:
Harry Kempe, a marketing intern at IIR USA, who works on various aspects of the
industry including social media, marketing analysis and media. He is a recent
graduate of Newcastle University who previously worked for EMAP Ltd. and WGSN as
a marketing assistant on events such as the World Architecture Festival, World
Retail Congress and Global Fashion Awards. He can be reached at hkempe@IIRUSA.com.
