Over the summer I have been spotlighting a couple of different leadership practices each week on Tuesday and Wednesday posts. From delegating to presentation skills, 1-1s to mentoring. Today's leadership practice brings us into the area of project management. Even if we do't have formal responsibility or training in this area, chances are we are leading and supporting projects of all sizes on a regular basis.
In my former world of work as a Program Manager a large part of my work revolved around project, and program management. From large scale regional educational projects, to infrastructure, much of my leadership experience and time was spent managing projects. In the last 13 years since starting Potentials Realized, projects have once again shown up on my dashboard.
Several things to keep in mind when working with any project:
What's the state of your triple constraint. In the world of PM we hopefully bring "projects in" in terms of budget, scope and quality, like we hope. Together these make a triangle and if one changes, the notion is that the others will to. Consider this: budget needs to be reduced by 20% due to a reallocation of funds to a new emerging priority within the business. What can you do? Maybe you need to reduce scope - or what's covered in this "phase" of the project, or maybe you need to change the quality - i.e. instead of using certain hard-copy materials you need to go to a digital version.
Know your people - One of the central tenets of my work is around teamwork. Projects are usually only as successful as the team effort. Knowing your team's skills and strengths and being able to leverage these are key in any project context. In most projects it is not only important for the team leader to know the team, but also have the team members know each other - their strengths and abilities.
Focus on Building a Team - Whether your project is six months or two weeks, teamwork can also take on enhanced importance in projects. Given that team member A may be relying more on Team member B than on you, helping team members get to know each other, clarifying roles and how roles are connected is an important start-up activity.
Skills in communication, influence, relationship building, listening, EI are all skills of significance for ALL Team members to have in the world of projects. What can you do to help your team further develop these skills, or lead themselves with best practice.
Ongoing evaluation and feedback is key - In the sometimes shorter cycles of the project management world, ongoing evaluation and feedback is key. Whether it's formal weekly status meetings, or more informal daily check-ins, remaining connected to the iterative and fast paced context is critical for successful projects.
A whole professional body of resources is available through the Project Management Institute
What is going to help you bring in your next project to a successful close?
Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer
In my former world of work as a Program Manager a large part of my work revolved around project, and program management. From large scale regional educational projects, to infrastructure, much of my leadership experience and time was spent managing projects. In the last 13 years since starting Potentials Realized, projects have once again shown up on my dashboard.
Several things to keep in mind when working with any project:
What's the state of your triple constraint. In the world of PM we hopefully bring "projects in" in terms of budget, scope and quality, like we hope. Together these make a triangle and if one changes, the notion is that the others will to. Consider this: budget needs to be reduced by 20% due to a reallocation of funds to a new emerging priority within the business. What can you do? Maybe you need to reduce scope - or what's covered in this "phase" of the project, or maybe you need to change the quality - i.e. instead of using certain hard-copy materials you need to go to a digital version.
Know your people - One of the central tenets of my work is around teamwork. Projects are usually only as successful as the team effort. Knowing your team's skills and strengths and being able to leverage these are key in any project context. In most projects it is not only important for the team leader to know the team, but also have the team members know each other - their strengths and abilities.
Focus on Building a Team - Whether your project is six months or two weeks, teamwork can also take on enhanced importance in projects. Given that team member A may be relying more on Team member B than on you, helping team members get to know each other, clarifying roles and how roles are connected is an important start-up activity.
Skills in communication, influence, relationship building, listening, EI are all skills of significance for ALL Team members to have in the world of projects. What can you do to help your team further develop these skills, or lead themselves with best practice.
Ongoing evaluation and feedback is key - In the sometimes shorter cycles of the project management world, ongoing evaluation and feedback is key. Whether it's formal weekly status meetings, or more informal daily check-ins, remaining connected to the iterative and fast paced context is critical for successful projects.
A whole professional body of resources is available through the Project Management Institute
What is going to help you bring in your next project to a successful close?
Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326
For more tips on jazzing up your next conference call, virtual team meeting, or webinar check out my newest book - Effective Virtual Conversations - covers dozens of tips and best practices for making virtual presentations and other events even more effective and engaging! Order an autographed copy here.
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats.
Follow us on Twitter @Teams365
Phone: (416)996-8326
For more tips on jazzing up your next conference call, virtual team meeting, or webinar check out my newest book - Effective Virtual Conversations - covers dozens of tips and best practices for making virtual presentations and other events even more effective and engaging! Order an autographed copy here.
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