Keeping Projects On Track

Project managers out there look for ways to make big projects run more smoothly with higher impact for the organization and the people involved. Project management spans many different industries, from education to information technology to sales to marketing, but many common features occur in any project involving many actors and processes. Teams these days collaborate across areas of expertise, so it can be helpful to have a project manager to integrate technical knowledge with people skills across the different skill sets represented. Here are some of the best practices to keep projects running smoothly with maximum preservation of knowledge for future iterations.

Managing Interpersonal Conflict. A lot of conflict on teams can be resolved with a “go straight to the source” ethos instilled during onboarding and training. Members of the team should be encouraged to speak one-on-one with the person who rubs them the wrong way. This dialogue should be positive and solution-oriented, emphasizing the mission of the organization and each person’s connection to that mission. In more aggravated cases, team members may need a coach to facilitate dialogue or the intervention of HR professionals, Title IX investigators, etc. An effective manager should know which problems can be solved via face-to-face conversations and which problems require coaching and/or disciplinary action. Keep in mind that incidents that may seem minor can build up over time, leading to a breakdown in team communication.?

Communicating Value. Make sure to communicate “wins” early in the project cycle. Tie the task to subgoals or iterations that can be celebrated when reached. These should be communicated not only within the team but also to the organization as a whole. Your project will succeed when more people become aware of your work and its importance to the mission. This process of celebrating success should be more than just kicking talking points up the chain of command–effective project managers also thank and reward supporting staff and everyone involved in an initiative. Failure to give credit where credit is due can lead to resentment and burnout over time. If you celebrate wins and give credit, team members feel seen and included.

Identifying and Mitigating Risk. In many fields, professionals may feel that they work in a “recession-proof” industry, as is common in insurance, non-profits, and education. There is no such thing as a risk-free enterprise, because we live in an ever-changing world. Risks can come from the political and regulatory environment, from competing and start-up firms, from bad actors and information failures. Organizations should have risk management plans at different levels of the organization, and no one person or cluster of people should be the gatekeepers of sensitive or proprietary information. A common vulnerability lies in having an important store of information lost when one person retires or goes on leave. Managing these risks should be a normal part of doing business, to normalize the process of identifying and mitigating those factors that may derail the success of the organization.?

Working with Multiple Stakeholders. Most big projects, like putting together a conference, releasing a new product, or growing the business, will involve multiple stakeholders inside and outside the organization. Within the organization, people-oriented professionals will need to work alongside technical talent. Information management will need to dovetail seamlessly with peer-to-peer collaboration. So-called “hard” and “soft” skills cannot be separated, as almost everyone in today’s work environments needs some of both. It is the project manager’s job not to tell everyone what to do, but to help people organize themselves into an optimally functioning whole. This will also include either temporarily or permanently involving community collaborators, outside experts, and, of course, customers and clients. Cultivating ownership over the project’s success will lead to better outcomes, and this can be done by crafting and expressing the ethos of the enterprise and the desired outcomes at every stage.?

Prioritizing Research and Development. Research and development could apply to the lab-based creation of advanced materials, but it also applies to the commonplace functioning of every organization. A company or non-profit simply will not survive if it does not innovate and adapt in order to meet the new challenges arising on the horizon. Universities must attract and retain the next generation of students. Social media companies must avoid becoming the dinosaurs of–five years ago. Manufacturers must continually monitor quality and supply chains. If these tasks are not done proactively, they have to be done reactively. A good project manager will help the organization investigate and implement emerging approaches and initiatives.?

Circling Back for Analysis.The product has been launched. The conference has been held. The new recruits are at their desks. The temptation after a project has been completed is to simply move to the next big thing. But this can cause major problems for subsequent iterations or for recurring projects. Make sure to take the time to store important project documents in a secure location. Do a retrospective session to determine what went well and what could be improved. Reach out to participants with formal and informal surveys that can be used for improvement. Make sure that this information can be easily accessed by future planners, so that the initiative can continue even if someone retires or the server crashes. This loops back into risk management (above).

This quick overview of project management best practices serves as a reminder for how to best execute the priorities of an organization. Each member of the team should feel heard and valued as part of the team, and everyone has something to contribute. When these steps are followed carefully, the entire team can celebrate success. The changing societal landscape has plenty of room for organizations that respond to change with agility. Professionals who regularly practice these techniques will succeed over time in a wide variety of business conditions.?

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