Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
PROJECT: A temporary endeavor with a start and finish undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Most clients say that between 60 and 80 percent of their time at work is project based.
Project management is the work of the twenty-first century. This means that everyone is a project manager. Project management is no longer just about managing a process. It's also about leading people—twenty-first-century people. This is a significant paradigm shift. It's about tapping into the potential of the people on the team, then engaging with and inspiring them to offer their best to the project.
Help you manage projects and lead people in this century—people who are knowledge workers, who bring their minds to the job, who are volunteers you can't and won't be able to control. (They probably don't work for you anyway, right?)
Why projects fail.
lack of commitment/support
unrealistic timelines
too many competing priorities
unclear outcomes/expectations
unrealistic resources
people pulled away from the project
politics/legislation
lack of a “big picture'' for the team
poor planning
lack of leadership
changing standards
lack of or mismanaged budget
Too many people call your project a success if all you've done is meet the deadline and the budget. But did you meet or exceed expectations, the first measure of success? Did you achieve your business outcomes? … And did you truly optimize resources, the second measure of success?
MANAGE PROJECTS, LEAD PEOPLE
The true formula for winning at projects is PEOPLE + PROCESS = SUCCESS.
We've narrowed down PMI's robust process to the essentials and added our own insights about what makes projects successful.
Initiate
Plan
Execute
Monitor and Control
Close
Managing the process with excellence is important, but being a good leader is essential.
As an unofficial project manager, you often lack the formal authority to tell anyone what to do.
Informal authority comes from the character and capabilities of a leader.
Four Foundational Behaviors
Demonstrate respect
Listen first
Clarify expectations
Practice accountability
Showing respect does not mean becoming a doormat.
You can hold people accountable while being respectful by talking straight with them.
Straight talk is a form of respect,
Generally, though, if you respect others, they'll respect you,
LISTEN FIRST
It's crucial to resist that temptation to talk more than listen. Failure to listen can lead to strained relationships, decreased productivity, missed learning opportunities, and damaging errors in judgment.
When people come to you with complaints, problems, or requests for changes, let them talk first.
Listening first is inextricably tied to demonstrating respect.
No one person can possibly have all the answers all of the time.
If you are truly interested in building a high-performance team, get to know them. Ask them to be honest about their feelings. Ask them to be honest about what truly motivates and inspires them.
The key principle at work here is empathy. Work hard at understanding where they're coming from. Don't be the one who doesn't care what they say. Don't be the one who panics when they have a problem. Instead, let them keep talking!
Let team members grow; don't take all the responsibility for solving everything on yourself.
CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS
Get everyone "on the same page"
Informal authority means constantly and consistently clarifying both the specific and the overall expectations for your team members.
Feeling like you're making a contribution is what makes you excited and confident.
Clearly communicate how each person's role contributes to the whole.
The cause of almost all relationship difficulties is rooted in conflicting or ambiguous expectations around roles and goals."
Accountability as a project leader means that you are a model of excellence.
You must hold the entire team accountable to the standards you have set up.
The first three behaviors—demonstrating respect, listening first, and clarifying expectations—are essential to maintaining accountability.
Good project managers admit mistakes; that's why you so rarely meet a good project manager.
