Effective leaders believe in developing their team members.

First, they recognize potential in a team member and then do everything possible to make sure that the selected team member play to his/her own limits and reward him/her self, the project and the organization at large.

Often team members guess that their boss uses their skills just for the sake of squeezing more juice from him/her. Many times, that’s not the case, for example read below mini-saga:

Reward

Sure-handed Peter was disappointed playing different roles in a big software project. Analyst, Tester, Architect, ScrumMaster…Multiple. Every few months his boss would move him to take over another role. One day, he decided to resign but: A promotion letter was awaiting him saying “Congratulation, you’re ready for the next gig!”

Evaluate from this lens as well when you feel like being squeezed.

Photo Credit: Artotem’s Flickr Photostream

See Also:

1. Mini Saga – Decision Making
2. Mini Saga – Executing The Dream
3. 10 Peaks For Creating Performance Focused Teams
4. Mini Saga – Lights, Camera…Action!
5. Zen of Team Handling for Software Projects

1. Mini Saga – Decision Making
2. Mini Saga – Executing The Dream
3. 10 Peaks For Creating Performance Focused Teams
4. Mini Saga – Lights, Camera…Action!
5. Zen of Team Handling for Software Projects

Managing Software projects is a postulating job. Apart from being the face of the project, you may be the only person without a backup. It becomes challenging to plan some time off when you don’t have a backup.

Many times, inexperienced project managers find it very difficult planning their vacations or even if they have planned, they often cancel it at the last moment. Same is true with their normal working hours. They work for 12-16 hours a day and afraid to take some time off even on Saturdays.

By suppressing their need of some time off, they generate (and nurture) a lot of stress for themselves and their teammates.  Unhappy spouses, unhappy children, ruined friendships and health related issues such as high blood-pressure are found common in such project manager’s lives.

Photo Credit: thephotographymuse‘s Flickr Photostream

I’m not advocating that you plan your next vacation with zero regards to your project schedule or delivery commitments. If it’s a month long project, of course you should wait. Taking a vacation a week before a major release is a definite act of irresponsibility.  But if it’s a year long project and still you’re not able to take a week or two off then you’re doing something very synonymous to mismanagement.

To handle this situation effectively, first step is to create your virtual backups. That is to identify and develop leaders from within your team and enable them to take over your routine tasks. You mentor them, coach them and inspire them to lead beyond their title. For example, Solutions Architect or Business Analyst from your team may fit your role with lesser efforts and they might feel good about being called as ‘Acting Project Manager’.

Second step is to manage the expectation of the stakeholders. Proactively plan your days off in advance at the time of creating or progressively elaborating your project plan and then let the stakeholders make aware about it, well in advance. Timely communication becomes very important here.

Take some inspiration from Agile Scrum projects wherein there is no project manager. Team itself is self-organizing and everyone does their own part of project management.  It doesn’t matter if your project is being executed using other methods, applying scrum principles such as “Inspect and adapt” might enable your team members to find more meaning out of everything they do.  Such team members would treat taking over your role as an opportunity to learn new things when you’re off for the few days.

In fact, you help the project when you take some days off. This becomes an opportunity for the team members to contribute beyond their job titles and make you pause and think on other things that are important to your life and help you make your life balanced. At a result, when you’re back on the project, you’re more energized and rejuvenated.

See Also:

1. Dependable Project Manager 9
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Leadership Virtues That A Software Project Manager Should Have
4. Which Leadership Flavor Do You Deploy As A Dependable Project Manager?
5. Can I work on this project while I’m on vacation!?

1. Dependable Project Manager 9
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Leadership Virtues That A Software Project Manager Should Have
4. Which Leadership Flavor Do You Deploy As A Dependable Project Manager?
5. Can I work on this project while I’m on vacation!?

Do you make optimum use of all of the available resources? Perhaps No – Here are some thoughts on it:

You can either waste time trying to master something you

See Also:

1. Mini Saga – Focus

1. Mini Saga – Focus

You already know about it. Stakeholder influences define the environment. Most project misfortunes are caused by the stakeholders.

1. Identify the stakeholders.
2. Get stakeholder agreement, perform stakeholder clarity analysis; measure how passionate they are about the project.
3. Acknowledge what you have understood of the project goals and what is in its way – get their feedback on this.
4. Seek for the balance amongst all the stakeholder’s expectations – more imbalance in expectations; more chances to fail.
5. What are your top priorities from stakeholder’s perspective – get a clear idea.
6. Determine how each of the players can influence the project on a positive or negative way and how the project can be benefited from it
7. Know about inter-relationships between all the players and the consequences that it is going to make.
8. Compile the environment analysis report along with your comments and conclusions and send it over.

Dealing with teething troubles is less knotty, if you know who the enemy is. Environment Analysis Report is a great tool which helps you discover it and give the clarity to everyone involved.

See Also:

1. Project Management Is 7
2. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
3. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
4. Dependable Project Manager 9
5. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?

1. Project Management Is 7
2. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
3. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
4. Dependable Project Manager 9
5. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?

Quotes from One Minute Manager:

1. People Who Feel Good About Themselves Produce Good Results
2. Help People Reach Their Full Potential Catch Them Doing Something Right
3. The Best Minute I Spend Is The One I Invest In People
4. Everyone Is A Potential Winner Some People Are Disguised As Losers, Don’t Let Their Appearances Fool You.
5. Take A Minute: Look At Your Goals Look At Your Performance See If Your Behavior Matches Your Goals
6. We Are Not Just Our Behavior We Are The Person Managing Our Behavior
7. Goals Begin Behaviors Consequences Maintain Behaviors

Summary from One Minute Manager:

One Minute Goal Setting is simply:

1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behavior looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words.
4. Read and re-read each goal, which requires only a minute or so each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at your performance, and
6. See whether or not your behavior matches your goal.

The One Minute Praising works well when you:

1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right—be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and how it helps the organization and the other people who work there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them “feel” how good you feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that you support their success in the organization.

The One Minute Reprimand works well when you:

1. Tell people beforehand that you are going to let them know how they are doing and in no uncertain terms. the first half of the reprimand:
2. Reprimand people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.
4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no uncertain terms.
5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel how you feel. And the second half of the reprimand:
6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are honestly on their side.
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.

See Also:

1. Twenty One Project Management Tips On How To Get Co-operation of Senior Management
2. Nine Steps To Deal With Bad Management

1. Twenty One Project Management Tips On How To Get Co-operation of Senior Management
2. Nine Steps To Deal With Bad Management