Unfortunately there are some projects you work on that end up having lots of stakeholders who all want a piece of the action. While this is useful and you can delegate tasks and responsibilities to active team members who are keen to support, there are some times when you need to tighten the control of the tasks and project, and ensure that the communication remains strong and via the correct channels.
Working with a project team can sometimes be a struggle, especially if some team members are not on board with the overall project and goal.
It can be difficult to get them on-side and working as effectively as possible and this could be down to a number of reasons.
Here are my top 5 tips to ensure your project team is happy and full of beans!
The UK’s most widely used Project Management methodology and framework; PRINCE2, is getting an update for 2009.
The name will remain the same but there are some clear enhancements and changes to the method.
PRINCE2 has previously gone through two major changes – in 2002 and 2005. The new changes are based around creating a simpler and clearer model that, evidence has shown, will contribute to the delivery of successful projects.
The new 2009 PRINCE2 will provide a more streamlined, simpler and more customisable method to be applied to projects. Clear clarification on roles and responsibilities is enforced and the language of the new methodology is easier to understand, ensuring project managers have a better set of tools with which to deliver projects on time, within budget and to the correct quality criteria.
I’ve worked with a few in my time and I was pondering this the other day when a friend told me they didn’t rate someone as a good Project Manager.
I’m sure there are more than 5 traits but these are the main ones that hit me square in the face when I thought of the main traits of bad project managers.
It’s been 2 months since I started my new position of Program Manager, I love
every minute of working in this challenging environment, so I thought I would drop a quick note on what I thought the differences are between Project Management and Program Management.
In this day and age, being a Project Management Consultant means you have to be extremely transparent for your clients, be able to work and manage while you’re on the move, and be able to utilise quick and easy software solutions to help aid your business.
Streamlining the amount of admin you have to do is vital in giving you more time to actually work on the projects, and having the adaptability to differing project scenarios means you never get caught out in a situation that you can’t handle.
I recently went searching for some Project Management quotes as I couldn’t remember a good one I heard a while back – I came across this article on another blog by an experienced Project Manager and these quotes rang true and made me smile – enjoy!
A client once said to me, “It needs to be beefed up…” – and that was their creative feedback. Not the most useful and insightful I’ve ever heard, but sometimes people can find it difficult to convey their emotions and thoughts.
I put this list together after lots of experience working with clients who changed their mind on a regular basis and so we needed a clear and concise way to get everyone’s views relayed back to the Creative Team.
Better communication of thoughts at this stage ensures the right results are achieved in a quicker timeframe – hence the client is happy and the cost is not an issue!
1. Positive feedback
I can’t stress this enough. Nothing is more disheartening to anyone when they’ve spent time and effort on something to get negative and unhelpful feedback. Open feedback with a positive attitude and convey what is liked about the creative. This shows respect to the person who has been doing the work and sets a good tone to follow through onto the points that need work.
2. Clear messages
Start at the top of the design and work your way down, even better to label areas of the creative e.g. top header, menu section, left nav etc. to ensure everyone knows which area is being discussed.
3. Concise messages
Use bullet points. Not only is this a concise and clear way of presenting the feedback, it also helps later on as a checklist to run through and tick off once the issue has been discussed and worked on. These points should be simple and as short as possible though – no long paragraphs.
4. Descriptive messages
“It needs to be beefed up” is not descriptive and doesn’t help the Creative team in any way. They’re not mind readers and hence this doesn’t give the necessary guidance to make constructive changes.
5. Limit the design review meetings
Personally I think 3 rounds of amends are needed to ensure all potential issues are reviewed and fixed. Anything more then you need to be disciplined with the client and the budget/timescales. Sometimes you do need more reviews so this is dependent on the type of project.
6. Focus on the Project Deliverables and Outcomes
Sometimes teams can go off on tangents with copy and design that doesn’t necessarily fit into the deliverables and outcomes of the project. It is the job of the PM to ensure that the Creative Team is focused on the task at hand and not let other messages or ideas drift into scope.
7. Use storyboards with moveable elements
A HCI expert showed me this once, but it worked a charm for the Creative team and the client. We took all the elements of the website’s front page and subsequent email template and then spent an hour with the client and a Lead Creative trying the elements in different places to see how they looked in different positions and what worked/what didn’t work. A Usability expert is also useful in this scenario as they can help with feedback and useful ideas.
8. Get EVERYTHING in writing
Yes it is quicker to call the PM and say “It needs beefing up” and then expecting them to provide a new design in 10 minutes, but any formal feedback should be in writing. Any PM worth their weight should also request this to be done and will not proceed forward with amends until the client has confirmed the written feedback to the PM. This is a very simple safety clause for both the Client AND the Project Team.
9. Fix client conflicts before contacting the Project Team
It is not the job of the PM or the Creative Team to fix differing issues between the Client team. The last thing the Creative Team need is conflicting feedback. If there are differing views, then they need to be resolved before proceeding.
10. TRUST the Creative Team
They’re called the Creative Team for a reason and this is usually because they have investigated and researched a lot of designs, ideas, concepts, colours and so forth. If you don’t trust their judgment and feedback on some things then there is little point in hiring them in the first place. The client knows the brand/product/service…the Creative team knows the creative.
Let me know what you think of these and if you have any further to add.
Cheers,
Tony
A client once asked my why I had employed the services of a range of people for his website and online development and I used the metaphor that managing and delivering a good project was a bit like making a really good cake…
There are several factors that make a good cake:
1. The correct ingredients
2. Good ingredients
3. Instructions on how to make the cake
4. A plan to put everything together
Similarly, managing and delivering a project needs:
1. The correct people employed
2. Good people who are experts in their field
3. Instructions on how to deliver the project
4. A plan to put everything together
OK, this may be a very top-level view of running successful projects, but you get the gist. There’s no point in getting the icing sugar to cover the cake ready at the start, as you haven’t got anything to put it on, and there’s no point in hiring a developer to get building a website when you haven’t even investigated requirements and a design.
Projects, like cakes, require analysis and investigation into what the goals and achievements will be at the end of play. A good plan and experience will ensure that you know who the right people are to work on the project and at what stage they are put into the mix to ensure the project is delivered in the most efficient and cost effective way for the client.
The role of the Project Manager is to ensure the ingredients are right, the instructions are followed, the ingredients are mixed and used at the right time, and the cake looks, smells and tastes exactly how it is supposed to.
I would love to say I was as good at cooking as I was at Project Managing, but sadly, I would be lying! I have my culinary specialties and I’m learning as much as I can from as many people as possible, but for the time being, I’ll stick to managing and delivering projects.
Tony Burke is a Program & Project Manager for IT and web business applications.
He's particularly interested in the latest online trends and technologies, project management methodologies and providing the best service possible for his company and clients.
He's also a bit of a geek and footballer.