Putting out fires is an all-too-common job requirement for many project managers. If you are struggling with resolving conflicts on your team, here are some tips for turning those emotionally charged disputes into productive conversations.
Conflict in the workplace is generally the result of serious disagreement over needs or goals, and can cause severe damage to productivity if not handled immediately. This extensive guide will help you identify, handle and manage conflict before it handles your project.
Much has been written about project failures, but what about teams? It seems that management has little or no appreciation for the value of a team that exists beyond the project. Why do teams fail and what is the impact of those failures?
Stop conflicts before they start using this questionnaire designed to raise red flags with your employees' relationship to the company.
Different stakeholder groups affected by your project will want different results. Each group's requirements will not only differ, but sometimes be in conflict. Use this template to identify conflicts/potential conflicts, gaps, contradictions or incompatibilities between stakeholder group requirements, so you can reconcile them.
This presentation covers the questions you need to ask before reallocating and leveling human resource commitments.
A project out of control doesn’t just happen overnight. It often takes weeks or months of inadequate knowledge of what the workforce understands about the project. Use these techniques to avoid failure due to naiveté.
How risky is your project schedule? This assessment template will help you catch scheduling risks and address them before they become problems.
This is a high-level example of a Project Charter for implementing a methodology, but the structure and approach will work for many projects. This example is heavy on risks and assumptions, light on budgeting, role descriptions and conflict resolution.
Conflict is hard to handle, but letting it go unresolved can be much worse. The post mortem on any project failure often reveals critical information went unaddressed because somebody was afraid to raise it. Here are three reasons we avoid conflict, and tips to overcome them.
Managing conflict among key project participants can be a tricky proposition for project leaders. Most conflicts can be resolved through dialogue and compromise, but sometimes you are not going to be able to broker a resolution and you have to make the call that keeps your project on course. Here are four fundamental steps for managing conflict.
This presentation will guide you on what to do when people, priorities or problems get in the way of getting your project done within budget and on time. You'll get troubleshooting techniques, guidance on what areas of the project are most likely to be quarrelsome, and you'll even get the benefit of some wise advice on how to reach compromise on sticky issues. The only thing we haven't included here are the words to Kumbaya.
This template is designed to assist the project manager to attain higher workforce performance by reducing problems associated with inadequate or unconstructive responses to conflict in the workplace.
Why are project managers afraid to stop projects? So often after being assigned to a project, project managers try to run before they walk. This is especially common when the project is already in progress. You can quickly get caught up in the momentum of work and forget to question whether the work is justified. If this is truly the case, shouldn’t more projects be stopped? What if it means losing your job?
What constitutes a successful project? Should it be defined by budget and schedule, or by the extent to which the outcome adds real business value? Until the project management profession and its standards evolve to a more balanced “art and science” approach, success criteria will be misaligned with real business needs.
Imagine managing multiple authority-responsibility-accountability relationships within your project organization. Welcome to the matrix!
Career development and training go hand in hand with mentoring. If you can find a few good mentors in your career, you’ll be much better off than having to experience the pitfalls of the work world all alone. This writer has been fortunate to have several formal and informal mentors help him along the way, and here he shares the top five bits of career advice that he still keeps fresh in his mind.
This executive communication strategy will go a long way to prevent middle management inertia when implementing project portfolio management. Here we look at the cascade that breaks down the management wall to PPM.
Do you have what it takes to lead? Find out here!
Morale killers can disrupt and damage a project’s forward momentum. This article explores some of the ways to move past them and keep the project on track.
Many aggressive IT managers intent on building their own careers push their employees beyond their limit. Be aware of these potential problems and solutions to prevent conflict.
The forces that cause projects to change bring conflict in their wake. Here's how to handle it.
Do you want to really improve your agile projects? Then go to the movies. Agile efforts require adaptability and perseverance to move forward, even when the environment is complex, ambiguous and changing--the exact same things required of heroic movie characters. Pass the popcorn!
Project leaders face unique challenges with team members who work remotely, report to other managers and balance responsibilities to other projects. In that environment, strengthening communication, boosting motivation and reducing conflict is essential. Here are tips to improve your team dynamic from a Dale Carnegie Training executive.
Earned Value Management is recognized within the project management domain as an effective cost and risk management technique. The formulas are not difficult to understand. So if EV isn’t difficult to calculate, why isn’t it more prevalent?
Is it possible to make leadership easier? It is if you make use of a certain characteristic of leadership actions. Here we present three quickly implemented project leadership tactics.
Do you ever find yourself resolving interpersonal conflicts and issues on your project team? Supporting team members and others with less experience? Helping your sponsor become more effective? These are all examples of where you might play the role of a coach. There are a host of situations where you have an opportunity to helps others to challenges themselves, achieve results and succeed. Project management is much more than simply bringing in the project in on time, on budget and on scope. Project management involves people and whenever you add people to a project, interesting things begin to happen. This month's Project HEADWAY webinar will examine the role that you play or can play as a coach on your projects and within your organization. We will introduce a coaching process for project managers, examine at some of the actions to take and the pitfalls to avoid. Join us! This just might just be the tool that wins you the project game.
Matrix organizations have inherent weaknesses and pitfalls, but a project manager can transform those weaknesses for the benefit of the project. Here's some help.
Why has Project Portfolio Management struggled to be adopted in organizations? While part of the problem lies with the vendor overselling the product, the bulk of the issue stems from our collective failure to educate ourselves on PPM--and understand how we should adopt it.
It is clear that both roles are essential and integral to the success of a project, but often on small projects the manager and administrator role are combined. Regardless of which role you are playing in your organization, it is important to understand the distinctions and the need for both.
Are your leadership skills up to par? Peruse this checklist to see if you are on track with current thought on motivating employees, setting goals, managing conflict--and more!
When you are putting together a project management team, you need to know who has what skills as well as experience. This form will help you inventory what each team member brings to the table.
Getting your workforce up to speed is the only way to ensure top performance. This presentation will save you time putting together all the necessary information to get your whole team ready to go.
Just because there are more experienced candidates available doesn’t mean staffing is easy. The latest research shows that success in this environment requires specific knowledge and tactics.
A PMO, Project Managers and Mentors must all act in concert to ensure that projects are executed efficiently and effectively. These role descriptions and matrices help clarify who does what.
This extensive document template will help you to ensure that everyone--client and consultant--is on the same page before you begin your next project.
Trying to convince executives to implement a best-practice methodology is a recipe for failure when establishing a program or portfolio management office. Better to cultivate a PMO identity based on a thorough analysis of what executives really want. Here are some techniques to get started.
For any and all projects you lead, a constant mantra should be “keep the stakeholders involved.” It will help you to get ahead of potential risks and changes to scope as your project moves towards completion, and it will be critical to its ultimate success. When in doubt, overcommunicate.
Survey identifies project portfolio management challenges from the perspective of project and program managers.
Why is everyone so scared of saying "no"? While some may see it as a sign of defiance or challenge, the answer is often in your best interests. Here we explore a simple yet serious communication conflict.
An effective contingent work team can be procured more easily when you get involved in development of the SOW. Your non-involvement may result in a costly Emergency Executive Intervention.
People are the source of most project conflicts. Check on the emotional status of your project team. If your team is coming unglued, so will your project.
From Gartner.In this session from the June 2005 PPM Summit, Gartner Research Director Matt Light discusses how to get a handle on your project portfolio, despite the many technical and cultural challenges that organizations face.
From Gartner PPM Summit 2005
Gartner Research Director Matt Light discusses new ways of managing project portfolios along with roles, responsibilities and the processes and tools that work.
When it comes to managing change on projects, the first step can be the toughest — acknowledging that change is going to happen. Once this is accepted, you can lay the groundwork for integrating change into your project, including four questions to determine whether a proposed chance is necessary.
Merger-and-acquisition-related projects pose daunting challenges to executive leaders, not the least of which are conflicting agendas and compressed timelines. Understanding and anticipating four “enduring M&A realities” can smooth the transition and help companies achieve the intended strategic benefits.
Every high-performing team progresses through five stages of development. Project leaders must understand these stages to help teams realize their full potential as they work toward common goals. Here’s an overview of the five stages and what to look out for along the way.
How do these two roles stack up against one another? Can a project manager adapt to being a ScrumMaster? Given the opportunity and environment, people can be successful in a number of different roles--provided that there is some degree of connection.
Do portfolio and project management complement one another or cause confusion? This article looks at ways the program and portfolio disciplines can successfully co-exist (and even complement one another) for the overall gain of the organization.
