Project Management, A Forgotten Perspective
Effective project managers know how to get the job done, and get it done right. Success comes not only from wise selection of the team members and utilization of the best project management software tools; effective managers know how to lead, and how to encourage project team members to do their best. This includes clearly setting and communicating project goals, providing proper training and/or equipment, as well as other necessary items and expertise. Effective project management also requires constant re-evaluation of your performance as the project leader. The most effective form of leadership is by example. If your team members see that you strive to live up to the high standards you require from the project team, they will inevitably be more productive. Set Attainable goals. Project managers should clearly define the objectives of the assignment and then see that each stage of the project plan has reasonable milestones that mark the accomplishment of the included tasks. All project team members should be aware of the project goals, and understand what his or her part is in accomplishing these goals. Break the project down into sections that allow members to see real progress being made at each stage. Provide Training & Equipment. Project Team members should be chosen for roles according to their areas of expertise. However, if training is required, the project manager should make sure it is adequately provided. Additionally, being available for questions and feedback is extremely important. The manager should foster an environment in which project team members feel comfortable asking for help if needed. It is also vital that the project manager provide the project management software tools or equipment that may be needed that will expedite the project and effectively assist the project team in meeting the project goals & time lines. Web-based project management software will enable the team members to collaborate from any location and will instill accountability. The project management software should be simple, keeping project management the focus unlike some "everything but the kitchen sink" solutions. Monitor Budgets & Time lines. Effective project management requires attention to monetary and time constraints. Project management software can help managers track progress and understand where they are within the outlined budget. Managing risk and proactive containment of problems that arise are important aspects of keeping cost and time where they need to be. Evaluate Your Performance. The most effective project managers will continually review their own performance throughout the project. They ask themselves whether or not they are listening to the concerns of team members, and they explore the atmosphere they've created for the project and it's team members. A mature, upbeat attitude with a diplomatic skill set can assist a project manager in being viewed as approachable by the project team members. Additionally, it helps the morale of the members, and encourages them to complete their work with alacrity. Resisting the inherent urge to offer critical feedback and offering constructive feedback instead will help your team do the best job possible. Praise should be specific and sincere, and needed improvements should be tactfully pointed out to team members in private. Communication is fundamental to accomplish project tasks successfully. Nearly every key listed above has to do with effective and positive communication. When a project manager remembers to purposely inject the human element into their project management leadership the odds of a successful culmination are high.
Copyright 2005, Remedysoft, Inc Remedysoft Inc. focuses on bridging the gap between form and function. Stellar looks and optimum functionality are mandatory in our opinion. We offer solutions in marketing & design, web site development, web hosting, project management software and group membership software.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Crisis of Modernity
Since the beginning of the industrial era our world has been facing what some historians call an ongoing "crisis of modernity". As fast as we adjust to new circumstances, the circumstances change again, and, the rate of change seems to be multiplying exponentially. Of all the demands imposed by twenty first century leadership, perhaps the toughest is the ability to not only manage change but to instigate it, control it and to be it's master. Dealing with the ever increasing rate of change may be the leader's most potentially overwhelming task. Today's Change Agent is an agressive forward thinker.
6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives
These factors where determined by interviews with and books from very successful people. Factors which eminently successful people considered essential were collected and classified. They were gathered from talks with big men, from personal letters, from printed interviews, and from books? the end result being ideas of thirty-one of the most successful people of our country.
Managing Motivation
"Without the chance to meaningfully participate in steering one's own destiny, without the opportunity to gain the sincere respect of one's own peers, without an honest stake in making the community more successful through one's own work and ideas, employability can quickly decay into generic training programs or bogus choices..." --"Beyond Empowerment: Building a Company of Citizens" by Brook Manville, Josiah Ober, page 52, Harvard Business Review January 2003.
Employers - Protect Yourself from Custody Battles that Hold Your Company Hostage
Child custody? How'd that get to be an employer's concern?
Firing Someone Without Resentment
Firing, sacking, letting go or terminating people is unpleasant. There are ways to minimise resentment, but why bother? Because most legal action and unpleasantness stems from dissatisfaction/resentment about the way things were handled - about how rather than what happened. Dismissal can be unfair because of the reason, or the way it was done, so you need to be extremely careful. In the law regarding employer-employee relationships, fairness is key. You must be fair, and be seen to be fair. But fairness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder - after being terminated, very few people have clear vision!
Lone Rangers Suffer without Tonto
A lone ranger is someone who prefers working in solitude or isolation. Sometimes life circumstances can call for us to adopt this attitude. When it comes to marketing our business, however, adopting this mentality can prevent you from achieving the success that you desire.
Objects in the Mirror are Further Than They Appear
Definition From http://www.merriamwebster.com -- "Virtual: - being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted."
25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank
Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or a senior executive? Where do you look and how do you get the word out? There are many ways to find the right people besides placing want ads.
Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals
The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals for the meeting.
Properly done, goals have five S M A R T characteristics. They are:
Assertive Communication - 6 Tips For Effective Use
Assertive communication is the ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. It recognises our rights whilst still respecting the rights of others. It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions without judging or blaming other people. And it allows us to constructively confront and find a mutually satisfying solution where conflict exists.
Change Management: Getting Everyone on Board the Change Train
How do you get everyone on board the change train that is gaining speed and heading out of the station? How do you get your people to, not only go through the motions, but also actually "buy into" the changes that are necessary? People's resistance to change is not entirely irrational; it stems from good and understandable concerns. Here are the six most common reasons people resist change and tactics to convert this resistance to commitment.
Creativity Management and Behaviour
What behaviour maximises the chances of thinking of great ideas? What behaviour maximises the ability to nurture ideas until they begin to reveal their potential?
One Bad Apple
One Bad Apple
I know what you are thinking but no, I am not doing a
tribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Although I will admit that their hit song from the 70's keeps rolling around in my mind as I type this. While the Jackson Five might have believed that "One bad apple can't spoil the whole
bunch" I don't think that they were responsible for getting high quality production results from their bunch. The fact is, in business one bad apple can make your life and the life of the people who work for you, pretty miserable, reduce production from your organization, and even cost you good employees.
The "one bad apple" that I'm referring to of course, is that one bad employee in your department who drags everyone down with them. I'm not talking about the employee who is temporarily struggling with their productivity. A lot of employees go through that problem from time to time. With training and coaching, these
are potentially very productive employees. And I'm not talking about that the employee who is going through some personal problems and is struggling to keep their business and personal lives separate. This is also a temporary situation that usually rectifies itself relatively quickly. Instead I'm talking about the
employee who seems to have made it their personal mission in life to be unhappy, and to ensure that everyone else around them is just as unhappy as they are.
These "bad apples" come in various shapes and sizes, all kinds of different backgrounds, and all different levels of experience.
You have the:
· Information hog - who hides key information about their tasks and projects
· Martyr - whose assignments are always more difficult than any else
· Bully - who intimidates all those around them
· Professional Devils Advocate - who never met a concept that they actually liked, but they will gladly take credit for any concept that actually works
· Company/Management Haters - who spend all of their free time telling anyone who will listen (and many that won't) how bad and evil the Company and Management Team really is
· Slacker - who never really seems to do anything, but is always telling everyone how busy and overworked they are
Generally speaking, it's not hard to tell if you have a bad apple in your group. They do tend to stand out. They wear their misery with pride. All kinds of bad things happen to them routinely, but the problems are never their fault. And anyone who is nearby (and some who aren't so nearby) will hear about it. The problem is not that they are miserable. The problem is that they make everyone
else miserable as well. Sometimes it's pretty blatant. They actively incite or intimidate those around them so that no one has a comfortable working environment. They get their power by sucking the life out of people around them and they know exactly how to do that.
As a leader, your team looks for you to lead and to remove obstacles that can keep them from being productive. This bad apple is an obstacle and how effectively you deal with them is a barometer that your staff will measure you by. The place to start is with Performance Management and measuring their productivity. But don't limit Performance Management to production only. Remember that all members of the team are responsible for soft skills as well
as hard skills and that an employee who produces acceptable numbers but doesn't share information, or bullies those around them is still a Performance Management problem. Manage the soft skills the same you manage the hard skills, with detailed Performance Plans. Remember, even if they play key role in your department one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, for everyone. Work closely with your HR representative to ensure that you are in compliance with both company policy and federal law, but you must remove them.
And speaking of HR reps, take a minute to think about yours. A good HR rep is worth their weight in gold. A good HR rep will help you in identifying problem employees when the issues go beyond straight production. They will also work with you to ensure that you are working the issues both legally and that your conclusions are based on fact and not emotion. A good HR rep is also a boon for the employees, because they will work with the employees to improve their performance by identifying problems before they become severe. If you are one of the lucky ones that have been blessed with a good HR rep, then take the time to thank them for their work. Being an HR rep is a thankless job, and never more so than when they are doing the right things by being actively involved in
resolving problems.
How to get an Audiences Attention
A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an organization basically has just another "point-by-point" presentation. But suppose that he mounts the podium and begins to speak. Suddenly, a phone on the lectern rings. He ignores it at first, trying to continue. Finally he gives up, excuses himself and answers it. It is an engineer (off-stage voice) with a series of questions relating to the organization and the lecture topic. Although the presenter protests that this is "highly irregular," the offstage voice indicates that the issues are pressing and must be answered on the spot (while visual support flashes on the screen). Humor meaningful to the audience may be injected, such as, "Why aren't you at the meeting?" The lecture time is up, the presentation time has been used, and the presenter complains he "never got a chance to talk to the audience." But the audience members have received the information that the trainer had come to share with them, and in an attention-getting way.
How to Make the Best of it - Take Your Weather with You
I once worked in a place where there were three lines of words, placed just before employees went from backshop to front of shop. These said:-Smile!Remember - you represent your CompanyDelight your customers.
I realised I had choices right here.
Drafting an Employee Manual Sample Outline
One of the hardest things I had discovered running my company was drafting an Employee Manual. Also added to the stress was the fact that if you made a mistake someone could sue you and you might lose all your hard work and money that you had earned thru blood, sweat and tears as an entrepreneur. You will need an employee manual for your company to protect yourself; but where do you start?
Rapid Culture Change is Possible
Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success possible.
Knowledge Mapping
This module focuses on the basics of Knowledge Mapping, its importance, principles, and methodologies.
Increasing Employee Retention Through Employee Engagement
You've seen it happen many times. An organization that provides top wages and benefits loses a great employee to a competitor for no apparent reason. Of course, some employee turnover is to be expected, but if your company is truly engaging your employees, there is no good reason for the unexpected loss of quality staff members. Many companies already know that wages and benefits are important to employees, but compensation alone is not enough to keep the highly skilled, motivated and experienced workforce your business needs to excel.
Innovation Management ? the power of decision makers
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
|
