Are you a project manager? No? Think again before reading

Saturday Morning 10:30 am:

Boss (Super excited) : We have the product launch on Tuesday. Can I see the launch video you were working on. It has to be a big boom zip zap launch and we need to send the video to all our close customers on Tuesday.

Manoj (Emphatically) : Sure boss, I have been working on it. The content is exactly how you wanted.

Boss (Praying to God that Manoj hasn’t done the exact opposite like always) : Oh that’s superb. When can I see the video?

Manoj (Emphatically) : Soon boss, have just given the content to the creative guy to create a kickass design that you will love.

Boss (Taking a deep breath and remembering the “BE PATIENT” quote she read in the morning whatsapp group) : Oh that’s great Manoj. Can your creative guy send the video to me by End of the Day?

Manoj (Surprised on why is the boss is asking stupid questions) : But boss the creative guy doesn’t work on weekends right!!! And he needs one day to work on it.So we will get it on Tuesday

Boss (Raising her hand to start biting her freshly manicured nails) : But what if we want to change it ?… and how will we send it to the customers ?.. And what if the sales head doesn’t like it? ...And what if the creative guy falls sick on Monday?.. And what if the CEO wants to see it tomorrow?.. And…. And...And….

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If you are into product management, marketing, digital, sales, human resources or any other department that does something.... you must have been in a similar position where you are grappling with meeting the deadline at least a couple of times. 

If you count the number of hours, damaged brain cells, frequency of hypertension due to the stress of delays or even exceeding the budget, I am sure you will have a bunch of similar and much more interesting stories to share. 

Not so interesting when it is happening to you right?

Trust me.. I do understand your pain. 

And this pain got me thinking about the starting point of my career. Now all the middle-class, small town people will empathise with me when I say that I am an ENGINEER. Whoaaa what a shock…. 

But don't worry, I am a fan of the Malcom Gladwell book “Outliers” and I do believe that our origins and experiences make us what we are. So thanks to the engineering degree, I got into a not so surprising job and that was “CODING”. As a fresher computer engineer, I was amazed at how things were so organised. Sometimes too organised for me to fit into the culture entirely and hence my self realisation journey towards doing something different started ..

and of course I did an innovative thing called MBA. 

Anyways... that’s a longer story for another time.

But, mind you guys, my team dreads me because I never forgot the basic principles of project management that I learnt during my coding days and I never stop applying them.

And that’s what I am here to share with you. So long for setting the premise huh!!!

Now let me define a project in simple terms. In fact, why reinvent the wheel, let me go to the big boss Merriam Webster.

A Project is a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end. 

Now that does sound like something all of us do right. So why should the IT guys have all the fun?? Every project that we undertake and is of significance and has an end goal, needs to be managed well. So if Manoj and his boss were following a project plan that laid out “why what when how who” clearly, They could have saved the 20 minutes of painful conversation and also the product launch.

And imagine the horrifying cumulative impact of all these 15 minute conversations on the organisational time and money.

In fact, to put that into perspective, here are a few numbers :

I could go on and on about how much time and money we are losing. But you would get bored and stop reading ahead and we definitely don’t want that :) 

So here are a few simple things you should do to be a project manager even if your business card doesn't say so : 

1. Start with a project charter

The project charter ensures that the team understands what they are doing and why they are doing it. And it addresses one of the toughest tasks of the project ; getting everyone on the same page. 

The project charter covers all the points mentioned in the image on right. Start with this and half the battle is won!

2. Define and communicate the scope clearly

If your expectations are crystal clear, the chances of an ambiguous outcome are very low. And the key to this is efficient communication (Verbal, written and visual). Lay down the scope clearly in front of the team and let them know what is expected of them in simple, neat and clear words. 

Of course the scope sometimes changes during the course of the project. We all have been through such fluctuations. But, again make sure everyone involved knows the changes.

3. Clearly pin point the chosen one

An issue that I see in many corporate activities or projects is not having one owner. Let me run you through a situation again: 

You know your company is launching a new loyalty program. The Sales head calls one digital marketing team member, one distributor communication team member, one technology team member, one sales support team member, one call centre member and discusses the project without highlighting the ONE PERSON who is responsible for getting the results. 

I can assure you, everyone will work on their individual pieces but forget to tie the knots together. And more often than not at least 2 people will be doing the same work and wasting their and the organisation’s precious time.

So never ever make the mistake of not appointing a project owner. 

4. Review review review but in an organised way

How irritated do you feel when the boss follows up with you every 10 minutes. As if magically things must have turned around while they turned their back.

But if everyone knows when to expect the deliverables, life does become much easier. It is easier said than done ;) but worth trying. 

5. Communication is the key

Talk to the team and by team I mean cross functional team and bring them on the same page frequently. And ensure that the communication is not ad hoc. It has to be professional and planned and tracked on specific metrics.

Even if everyone in the team is doing their best individually, they need to know how the project is progressing as a UNIT. Some dynamic teams do follow a daily standing meeting culture. Some maintain a scrum board to track daily activities and break the huge scope into smaller items.

6. Get help don’t reinvent the wheel

I do not expect every team member to become a certified Project Manager. But they should know the basic principles and be able to optimise their work and even peace of mind. Who needs the stress of getting yelled at for duplicate work or errors due to miscommunication. So take help from external specialists to handhold you or work as an extension of your team to manage your project. 

And also there are so many efficient tools available that you can leverage at minimum cost.  Listing some simpler and effective ones here with links : 

Wrike, Asana, Monday, Trello

So why not accept the importance of doing things right and getting things done the first time and start giving importance to the techniques of project management.

Ending with a note from the guru Peter Drucker :

There is nothing worse than doing the wrong thing well.

If you want to share your thoughts or discuss about making your team or your organisation aligned to these principles and do much more please feel free to reach out to me on Linkedln [email protected]

Happy Project Management.