| |
Select any of the links below for information on successful
project management and leadership:
The Five Processes of Project Management
Project management isn't one process, but rather it is made up of five processes,
within which are different tasks, behaviors and skills. As a project leader
or member, you need to be familiar with all five processes:
Project initiation. Before any work is done, a process needs to be
selected worth doing and then the final vision and, more specifically, goals
developed for the project.
Project planning process. The work that needs to be completed has
to be defined. Likewise, the resources required to complete the project
needs to be determined. The team also has to devise a timetable for completion
of the project and agree on a budget for the project.
Project executing process. This is the implementation stage, and
the key here is that the group stays focused on the vision and goals set
earlier.
Project controlling process. Controls the means measuring progress
against the objectives by taking action to ensure that deviations from the
plan do not adversely affect the end results of the project.
Project closure. Final process, it involves both celebration (hopefully)
and reflection. Both are critical. Team members' contribution to the project
needs to be acknowledged. And members need to review the project process
and evaluate the outcome, as well as means by which it was achieved to learn
from the project experience.
Return to Menu.
Being the Best Project Leader You Can Be
A successful project leader is both an effective leader, inspirational and
focused, able to command follower ship from the team members, and a good
manager, with strong meeting management and administrative skills so the
project is completed on time and within budget.
What traits should you bring to the project?
Enthusiasm for the project. A project leader needs to believe in
the purpose of the project. The leader’s enthusiasm permeates to other members
of the group, making it easier to keep the team motivated and involved.
Mastery of change management. Throughout the span of a project, there
will be necessary changes -- in vision as well as actions toward achieving
the final vision. An effective project leader is able to adapt quickly to
such changes.
Tolerance toward ambiguity. Roles may change. Likewise, expectations.
The project leader and members must feel comfortable within this climate
and able to complete the project despite the muddiness of roles, responsibilities,
and too often objectives.
Team building and negotiating skills. Critical to the success of
the project is the ability to make the group into a team and, when necessary,
cope with conflict within the team over means and ends. The leader must
build coalitions among the various stakeholders in a project -- from management
sponsors to team members.
A customer oriented focus. It is imperative that the leader keeps
the needs of the customer or client -- internal or external -- foremost
in the minds of the project group. After all, the ultimate measure of the
project’s success is the customer’s satisfaction with the project.
Adherence to business issues. We're talking about adherence to the
timetable and budget set early in the project’s management.
Return to Menu.
First Time Project Leader
If this is your first experience as a project leader, the experts advise
you to start small. Select a project of limited scope, limited time and
limited impact on your organization. For instance, the project should take
fewer than 12 weeks, the team be made up of four or fewer members, and the
project have a positive impact if it’s successful -- but won't severely
hurt the business if it fails.
Return to Menu.
Good Project Goals
You have probably heard this before, but good goals, whether for projects
or other purposes, should have these traits:
Be specific. They should be written so anyone can clearly understand
the team’s mission.
Be realistic. Goals must be possible or at least within the realm
of possibility. If the objective given doesn't meet this criterion, you
should speak with your sponsor. Agree to a preliminary objective, followed
by another goal, followed by still another. Each met goal is end result
of a mini project, leading to completion of the complete project.
Be time-sensitive. Projects must have a definite finite time or they
won't be completed. Needless to say, just as the goals must be realistic,
the timetable must also be possible. Projects with unrealistic short dates
blow up like an overloaded fuse.
Be measurable. You must be able to measure not only project success,
but also progress toward project success at each meeting. Don't just set
up a final deadline. Have interim deadlines tied to specific actions to
track project effort.
Be agreed upon. Not only must these goals be acceptable to the sponsor
or customer (internal or external), but also to members of the team. If
there is no team consensus with the goals, then the project will face a
bumpy road--indeed, the group may never get to where it is going.
Be responsible for achieving the goals. The leader may be responsible
for the overall success of the project, but others may be responsible for
pieces of the goals. Responsibility must be clearly defined. All members
of the team must know when and what they must do to contribute to the project’s
success.
Return to Menu.
Document, Document, Document Your Project
During the first project team meeting, it’s important to put some specifics
in writing:
The project’s mission. You don't have to go into detail. Here you
need not only to define the project’s objective, but also the relevance
of its success to the business.
The scope statement. Here you get into greater detail, defining what
the project won't do as well as what it will do. When the project is a subproject
of a larger project, the relationship needs to be clarified.
The project deliverables. Another term for deliverables is outcomes.
Intermediate outcomes should be identified, as well as the final results.
That includes status reports, meetings with the sponsor(s), and other management
issues related to the project’s completion.
The goals and objectives. This section defines the criteria for success.
Not only will the on-time and within-budget criteria be specified, all the
other goals that were derived for the project should be listed.
The costs and timetable. Not only should you give the numbers, but
explain how they were determined. While these numbers aren't set in stone,
they should be as realistic as your team can estimate at the early stage
of the project.
The chain of command. Yes, you'll want a project organization chart
that delineates who is in charge, the role or responsibility of each team
member and even the sponsor. This is important since project management
often crosses organizational boundaries, and without clear indication of
reporting relationships conflicts may arise over decision-making authority
and the like that can derail the project.
The communication plan. This section reflects agreement on the times
and dates of project team meetings, communication with those outside the
team (including communication with the sponsor), and responsibility for
minutes and other written documents.
Return to Menu.
Ten Questions About Employee Training Needs
Sometimes employee poor performance isn't a matter of attitude. Rather,
it is due to a need for further training. Here are ten questions to help
determine the source of a performance problem:
1. What is the gap between desired and actual
performance?
2. In discussing the nature of the problem with the employee, is there
evidence of an attitudinal problem?
3. Does the employee appear motivated, but also appear to lack technical
skills or other talents to do the work well?
4. Can you close the gap through supervisory attention, or will special
training be needed?
5. If the situation requires training, what is the nature of that training?
6. Do you have the internal capability to provide the training? If so,
who will do it and when?
7. If not, and you choose to go outside, what sources are available?
8. What performance results should you expect from the training?
9. What is the cost of the training?
10. Can you translate the performance results into financial benefits
to your organization? If so, what are they?
The last question may be most important to get an
OK for the training from the bean counters.
Return to Menu.
|
|
|
