Tips for Prospective PMPs - Edition 8

Welcome to the 8th edition of Tips for Prospective PMPs. This newsletter provides tips, advice, and lessons for those project managers pursuing the PMP?.

Included in this edition is an article on conflict management for project managers, an article on negotiation, and access to 5 practice questions and mini lessons.

Article 1: Conflict Management for Project Managers

Albert Einstein said: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

As a project manager, you will experience conflict on your projects. Successful project managers understand that conflict on projects is unavoidable but proactively manage conflict for improved outcomes and stronger relationships.

Seven Guidelines

Consider these seven guidelines for managing conflict on projects:

#1 Address the conflict before it becomes a problem or project-stopping issue.

Get to know your stakeholders early and understand their motivations and needs. An experienced project manager anticipates conflict or disagreements before they occur.

For example, a project owner may ask for an aggressive project completion date which may create conflicts with the resource managers. In this situation, the project manager may initiate a collaborative work session to agree on a target completion.

#2 Establish open communications with your stakeholders.

Many disagreements may be resolved with a brief conversation. Establish ground rules for communication with your team members and your stakeholders.

#3 Respect the other party's positions.

Understand the “why” of their positions. Use active listening and empathy to better understand and respect their points of view.

#4 Focus on the issues, not the people.

Dig deep to find the issue and work to resolve the issue. If you focus on the people, you may not only not resolve the conflict, but you may worsen it.

#5 Focus forward, not on the past.

The past is history. What can you do to move forward? Focusing forward provides opportunities for enhanced project performance and stronger relationships.

#6 Collaborate on resolutions and alternatives.

As a project manager, you are not alone, nor do you have all the answers. Leverage the experiences and perspectives of your team members and stakeholders.

#7 Assess the situation to determine the appropriate resolution.

Consider the five conflict resolution methods:

• Withdraw or avoid: not every conflict needs immediate action or resolution.
• Smooth or accommodate: the conflict is temporarily addressed but requires more attention to resolve the root cause of the conflict.
• Compromise or reconcile: sometimes referred to as “lose/lose” because both sides are willing to give up something to move forward.
• Force or direct: some conflicts may require a dictated approach. For example, a leader may have to force a plan of action in an emergency. Another example may be when a legal expert decides to prevent legal issues.
• Collaborate or problem-solve: preferred when the best resolution comes through discussion and collaboration. The downside to this approach is that it often takes an investment of time. While the collaborative approach is preferred, it may not be the best approach for certain situations.

Take-away

For prospective PMPs. understand how to manage conflict on a project and know the five conflict resolution methods.

Conflict on projects may be unavoidable but effective project managers can learn to proactively manage conflict for stronger relationships and successful outcomes.

Article 2: Negotiate to Motivate

As project managers, when we negotiate, we should negotiate to motivate. We negotiate to achieve the best outcomes for the parties involved.

Peter Drucker said that “the right decision grows out of the clash and conflict of divergent opinions and out of the serious consideration of competing alternatives.”

Opportunities to Negotiate

As project managers, we have many opportunities to negotiate. We negotiate project objectives, scope, schedule, budget, resources, stakeholder interests, and contract terms, to name just a few.

Tips for Negotiating

Consider the following tips when negotiating:

• Separate the people from the problem. Focus on the problem, not the people causing the problem.
• Focus on interests, not positions. Empathize. Work to understand the other party’s “why.”
• Generate options for mutual benefit before choosing one. Use objective criteria to determine the best outcome.
• Develop your Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). This term was developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury (“Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In”). ?This is your best alternative if the negotiation fails. You should strive to understand the BATNA of the other party in the negotiation.
• Apply your active listening skills. Listen to understand. Listen to embrace perspectives. Listen to learn perspectives, background, pain, obstacles, challenges, and opportunities.

Leverage

As a project manager, consider the leverage you bring to the negotiation:

• Knowledge of project objectives. Savvy project managers have the benefit of knowing the "why" for the project. The project manager has invested time, thought, and conversations in clarifying the project objectives.
• Knowledge of key milestones and the schedule, along with the reasoning for the project timeline. A project manager understands the impact decisions will have on the schedule.
• Knowledge of the project budget and funding limits. How will the agreements impact the budget or funding?
• Knowledge of project scope, supporting assumptions, and project constraints.
• Knowledge of stakeholder interests. A project manager should know the impacts agreements may have on other stakeholder interests.
• Knowledge of the cost of delay. Will the agreement introduce a delay to the project? If so, what is the cost of that delay? This can be, and should be quantified.
• Access to executives and key decision makers.
• Leadership influence over team members.
• Stakeholder relationships. Establishing relationships with stakeholders positions the project manager to negotiate with power.
• Organizational support. The project manager is (or should be) established and trusted within the organization. The project manager should be able to draw on executive support when needed.
• Access to process assets such as historical information, processes, best practices, and procedures.

Summary

As you engage in negotiations, aim for “win-win” outcomes.

Consider the leverage you bring to the negotiation table.

Remember to negotiate to motivate, to motivate for better outcomes, to negotiate for stronger relationships, and to negotiate for continuous success.

Your project will benefit, your stakeholders will appreciate it, and you...well, you just might feel...great!

Article 3: Five Practice Questions and Mini-Lessons

Question 31: Estimating

Question 32: Agile Estimating

Question 33: Cost of Quality

Question 34: The 100% Rule

Question 35: Product Backlog

Eddie Merla, PMI-ACP, PMP

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