Your consulting project is facing a conflict. How can you ensure it doesn't derail the project?

Before we identify the source, I think we need to check if there is a gap in expectations. Are the expectations written out? Are roles written out? Was this formally planned with detail? Can you go back to a formally written out document to refer back to?

Healthy teams have conflict all the time. It's not the existence of conflict that is the issue; it is how the team works with it that matters. Also, let's make a distinction between conflict and disagreement. It is completely ok to disagree, in fact, that is usually is what sharpens the solutions and improves the effectiveness. Real conflict comes from not being clear enough or granular enough about the scope, expectations, roles, constraints, etc. If there are conflicting concerns, that is a signal that these things need more attention. The silver lining of a conflict is that it will probably uncover a lot more things that were skipped or not covered deep enough. The sooner you see this, the better you can address the rest of the iceberg.

Every human being has different opinions, way of thinking because of living in different areas, cultures or family traditions. The most important thing is, to eliminate any differences to handle those kind of issues wisely with stress management skills to find the main reason of conflicts, to keep moving forward as a team after listening to the all parts.?Those?conflicts?can be sparked by a lot of different circumstances and stressors, but it’s important?to know how to quickly and effectively resolve issues?while we are protecting the project itself from any?negative situation. When any group of people are put together to work for a project or to achieve their goals a language of consensus is the best way to move on to get the best results.

Communication is also an important aspect of consultancy, you should be a good listener and write every point discussed in meeting.This will be your input to the next action items. If you have a team then communicate them properly and ask them to come up with points discussed with you.Try to match client requirements with the team understanding. Communication should be transparent and clear to achieve the goal.

The role of the consultant in this case is to foster collaboration within client stakeholders and to be impartial / unbiased for the conflict resolution. If the project has already entered into a conflict, its vital to only propose potential solutions that are relevant to ensure that the project does not derail due to proposing irrelevant ideas. It's also important in the role of the consultant to help accomodate expectatios, as resolutions may include win-win scenarios, but will generally imply compromise from the involved parties.

It's utmost important to foster collaboration with an open mindset and culture engaging professionals with a wide array of skills or diverse backgrounds and relying upon or leveraging from them as subject matter experts leaving aside egos and emotions before the overarching strategic objectives, having clarity about the rationale of the trade-offs, and prioritizing correctly where to put the efforts or investments.

When documenting agreements made make sure to put a positive spin on it! Show how the changes will be beneficial to all parties involved. With showing the changes AND the benefits the parties involved will see this as a solution rather than a slight towards them because they were in the wrong.

It is very important to make the solution or the process of conflict resolution ( like meetings, action items, responsibilities, deliverables,, etc) are documented and shared with all involved. There should be a cadence to review the resolution and solution progress and review the items that leads to conflict. This brings credibility to the resolutions since people involved will infer that the solutions are actionable and it is being implemented as agreed

I do agree on this but has to be done in a thoughtful and careful manner. I’ve been in a situation where the person I spoke to take notes of everything I say and rather than it being a supplementary to the meeting, might have made the situation better if it was explained why notes where taken… but instead it made the whole situation awkward and uncomfortable. Something in it just tells me that the trust isn’t there. On the other hand, if the situation was carefully explained and everyone involved listening intently… even if the agreement was documented afterward… everyone leaves the table with the sense that everyone is acting in good faith.

I’ve found that setting very clear and measurable expectations are key for this stage. Just having a touch point will not be enough if you can’t measure progress. Having items be measurable ensures that monitoring is towards a specific goal but also to ensure that all stakeholders know if that goal is on or off track (to adjust if needed)

People will often shy away from difficult situations. Having the meeting and setting actions in place often will make people feel like they have faced and solved the issue. In many instances if you don't follow up nothing will actually change. The hardest part is getting people to meet the commitments that they have made and a weekly or daily cadence of follow up is important - or both, in a daily stand up and a weekly project status meeting. Help people be accountable for their commitments.

Sometimes the "autopsy" of the engagement or issue, is more beneficial than the overall outcome. Often people are quick to move on, but taking a minute for everyone to reflect, discuss, and add insight with a new perspective can produce opportunities to improve the process, system, and outcome for the future. One specific thing to examine is to look for places where steps can be reduced, or need to be added to further reduce friction. You and the team have already invested the time and energy, don't be afraid to improve.

As long as we are dealing with people, it is vital that we must keep an open mind and be in the attitude of learning. Life experiences help in this process as we navigate the complexity of human behaviour.

Project derailment can often be attributed to either a) a breakdown in communication b) a failure to understand mutually agreed success criteria Clear communication on progress, expectations, assumptions and potential risks is critical. It is also never too late to define success criteria for each milestone. People feel this must be done at the beginning of the project, this can be revised or defined at any point. An agile workforce recognizes this that milestones and goals may change but it is how you listen and adapt that makes the difference.

In conflict situations, utilizing emotional intelligence and self-reflection is crucial. As an experienced executive manager, I firmly believe that self-management in conflict is a key competency. By maintaining composure and approaching conflicts mindfully, we can objectively assess and address them constructively. This not only facilitates sustainable conflict resolution but also fosters a positive work culture that places individuals at the forefront. Conflicts represent opportunities for personal growth when handled appropriately.