Investments required to make remote project management work

I can see some subtle changes when it comes to managing work, especially in the technology domain on a daily basis. We are re-defining service levels, focus on robust incident and problem management, enabling organizations to work remotely planning for the unknown future.

I was curious to understand the impact of these changes on project management and the first thing that I did was, googled for "remote project management". Came across two articles from CIO, one in 2015 and one in 2020. Just before 5 years, remote project management was not for the "faint-hearted" and in 2020, there are 8 expert tips for remote project management. We have come a long way. Not only, we have assumed that we would be able to manage projects remotely but there are expert tips out there on how to do it.

First, let us establish as to why remote working may become a norm, especially in the technology projects. Look at some of the recent news items. It is all pointing towards discussion around this topic. In India alone, 90% of the 4.36 million software company employees are working from home. Large organizations like TCS, Tech Mahindra with hundreds of thousands of employees have already created future visions on the amount of people working from offices.

So, before you get all excited about working from home and enjoying the personal life benefits that it offers apart from reduced road congestion and pressure on public transports, I believe there are some things which organizations will have to do to enable remote project management.

Invest in technology to support each and every aspect of project management

Solutions which can enable proper project management remotely are required in the first place. If the enterprise PMOs are not thinking of these, then this is the right time to think about these solutions. Some of the solutions that I could think of are:

• A centralized project scheduling and reporting software to manage schedules and identify inter-dependencies between the projects
• Proper financial management and reporting tools. Move away from make shift arrangements and excels to ensure accurate budgeting, forecasting and reporting of actual
• A risk management software that identifies major risks and encourages people to put actionable risk mitigation plans
• A centralized contract management solution to manage all the contracts and strict reporting on vendor, partner, supplier performance
• A resource management application to ensure that all resources, roles, skill sets are highlighted and availability of the resources for cross utilization across the projects
• Collaboration tools that can enable all project teams to use the same centralized system to share notes, documents, manage requirements, conduct meetings, etc.
• Invest in hardware to enable remote working - Laptops, VPN (For security), providing corporate internet

Invest in policies and procedures to ensure a structured remote working environment

A structured approach needs to be taken when it comes to remote project management. Defined policies around working hours, availability and key performance KPIs need to be created across all the project delivery staff. There should be a blue print which all the new project delivery staff to be handed over on the tools , policies and procedures and the expected outcomes from an organization perspective.

This effort shows the commitment the organization in ensuring that the remote working is taken seriously and that it cares for the well-being of it's employees. The employees get confidence that they are working for an organization which truly believes in the concepts of remote working and that it can be as productive as working onsite.

Invest in the remote working culture

It is not only the project delivery staff but the organization as a whole which need to embrace the concept of remote working. A sense check would say that not all employees are willing to work from home and hence investments are required on training employees on not only how to work remotely but instill the importance of using the provided tools religiously.

More than the project delivery teams, the management staff needs to be engaged and be on board with getting used to giving approvals in a remote steering committee on important decisions related to projects.

Remote stakeholder management with virtual coffees need to be encouraged so employees can build rapport with important stakeholders associated with their projects.

To keep employees motivated and connected, conduct virtual social gatherings, have open communication channels, plan to monitor employee efficiency, etc. I have listed some of the ideas but I am sure you would get the gist.

Technology, policies and procedures and culture are the key ones that comes to the top of the mind for successful transition to remote project management. Are there any other initiatives that the organizations need to invest in? If so, please comment.