Most projects don’t collapse sensationally.

They collapse slowly.

But you wouldn’t know that for sitting in at steering meetings or reading monthly project status reports.

Same way, businesses, countries and families collapse. Slowly.

Good and bad thing about this is: It involves people. Most people have tendency to respond to urgency. People take  massive actions only when encountered with an urgency.

If we change our learning systems, perhaps, people’s tendencies can be altered to respond to important stuff instead. But, I’m not sure when.

To combat with such slow collapsing, most project managers take an unsubtle, wider shot: A team revamping program or totally redesigned collaboration software.

The solution, more probably than not, is to consistently stop the slippage. To continuously improve the uninteresting stuff (e.g. how people respond to newly discovered information in project discussions and how they can do it even better).

Projects fail slowly. Success might come faster, though. That’s where the role of a dependable project manager comes in.

That role is beyond the classic definition of the project management. Person in this role  ‘leads’ the project, not just manages it.

And one of the most important activity of ‘leading’ a project is to prevent a slow collapse by getting into the vertical depth of the matters and do everything possible to get every small thing right. Easier said than done.

See Also:

1. Dependable Project Manager 9
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Project Environment Analysis 8
4. What Every Project Manager Wants to Know About Vacation-Planning?
5. If You Want to Have a Great Project Team

1. Dependable Project Manager 9
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Project Environment Analysis 8
4. What Every Project Manager Wants to Know About Vacation-Planning?
5. If You Want to Have a Great Project Team

What, exactly, does a project manager do?

In the software development, the project manager doesn’t always write code, create architecture, perform system tests, or provide funding.

And yet, no project manager, no project.

The project manager asks questions, “How do we deliver as per the scope?” “What customer satisfaction survey says about the latest release?” The project manager is always focused on delivering results, whether the result is quality, revenue or customer satisfaction.

The job you do, obviously, has nothing to do with whether or not you have the mindset of a project manager. I’ve seen talented people who are clearly project managers…and no-hopers who were just doing something for the sake of doing. I’ve worked with people who always want to get things done…and with those who have an excuse ready when something doesn’t work out.

Project management is not limited to the discipline of project management professionals – all of us can learn how to practice it for getting things done.

If you intend to produce a unique product, service or result that adds value, project management is for you – excellent beings always keep getting better in project management, regardless of their job titles.

See Also:

1. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
2. Twenty One Project Management Tips On How To Get Co-operation of Senior Management
3. Project Manager Who Loves Chatting with the Client At Her Convenient Time
4. Dependable Project Manager 9
5. What Every Project Manager Wants to Know About Vacation-Planning?

1. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
2. Twenty One Project Management Tips On How To Get Co-operation of Senior Management
3. Project Manager Who Loves Chatting with the Client At Her Convenient Time
4. Dependable Project Manager 9
5. What Every Project Manager Wants to Know About Vacation-Planning?

Not all conflicts can be averted.

Not all conflicts are disastrous.

When you accept these two truths, your approach to your communication will change.

If you build a conflict-liberal organization, you focus more on the real problem that needs to get resolved, rather than engaging into the fixed ways of managing the conflicts.

Conflict-liberal approach means that you do not believe that the conflict itself is a problem. Instead, you consider that as a tool to get the problem resolved.

And usually, what you believe is what you get, isn’t it so?

But if you are not conflict-liberal, you might consider conflict itself as a problem and focus your energies into making sure that YOU are RIGHT.

Do you want to prove that you’re right or get the problem resolved? Do you want to win the battle or the war?

See Also:

1. Profit from Conflicts!
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
4. Lionize Your Disagreements
5. In Corporate, Non-communication Equates to Crime…

1. Profit from Conflicts!
2. I’m not a project manager. Why do I need to learn project management?
3. Prevent Your Project from Collapsing
4. Lionize Your Disagreements
5. In Corporate, Non-communication Equates to Crime…

1. …your clearly understandable offer is in relevance with her needs;
2. …it translates your passion towards what you’re doing into a solution she’s seeking;
3. …your presumptions match with what sounds like her own thoughts;
4. …it’s precise, straight, short and sweet – not too much of information which is of no use for her;
5. …you don’t over-focus on terms & conditions, only to save your **s;
6. …it exhibits that you know what you’re proposing;
7. …vividly touches her emotions and inspires her to take an action!

See Also:

1. Project Manager Who Loves Chatting with the Client At Her Convenient Time
2. If You Want to Have a Great Project Team
3. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team

1. Project Manager Who Loves Chatting with the Client At Her Convenient Time
2. If You Want to Have a Great Project Team
3. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team

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

Though it brings rewards in the end, most of us are afraid of challenging our own thought patterns as if it were an invasive brain surgery.

We’re designed this way, right?

Wrong.

But yes, we’re conditioned this way.

Few weeks ago I had a weekend discussion with one of my friends who shares a rare frequency and runs a successful design firm.

We talked about building the business, creating a-list teams and providing a-class customer service.

He was discussing with me about a customer feedback: designers working with his firm were otherwise very good but lacked innovation. He said that it was true for even their Chief Designer who had experience as little as 18 years in the design industry.

Conclusion was to hire a fresh (but brilliant) design graduate whose job would be to passionately challenge each one of the designs that the design team come up with.

Last week, I meet my friend again to hear the good news that his customer is very happy with recent design innovations that his team produced.

It worked like a charm. Why?

Because the beginning of the end of any great endowment is: “Falling in love with your own creation”.

Sure, you’ve to believe in yourself, your vision and your abilities. But, at the same time, following the same way of thinking just because that’s the way you’ve always done it, is the sure-fire way to attract devolution at the lightning speed.

The decision of bringing in fresh talent to challenge generated healthy conflict. The conflict was to challenge their designers’ fixed way of being and to ensure that only best comes out in the end.

Sometimes, it’s better to have someone in your team who has eyes to look at the things from fresh lens.  Maybe it’s good to have ‘No, but, Can we not…?’ kind of people rather than yes-men.

Photo Credit: livingonimpulse‘s Flickr Photostream

See Also:

1. What’s better? Being able to be specific or being able to do the work?
2. The Guaranteed Way To Best Manage A Project
3. 10 Peaks For Creating Performance Focused Teams
4. Contribute Beyond Your Title With Assumed Responsibility And Take The Right Decision!
5. 10 Signs You Are Happy At Work

1. What’s better? Being able to be specific or being able to do the work?
2. The Guaranteed Way To Best Manage A Project
3. 10 Peaks For Creating Performance Focused Teams
4. Contribute Beyond Your Title With Assumed Responsibility And Take The Right Decision!
5. 10 Signs You Are Happy At Work

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!?