Rules of Engagement for Project Resources

Paul has run a plethora of projects in multiple industries throughout his 20-year career, ranging from process improvement to agile to most recently cyber-security. Paul is also a reputable speaker, drawing practical and humorous conclusions from the "trenches" of his employers. Paul's dedication as a PM practitioner started decades ago, when he became one of the first 10,000 people to earn the PMP.

  Communications Management   Talent Management  

No one would argue with the fact that project success is highly dependent upon the people assigned to the project. All project managers have experienced the gamut of skill sets, experience levels, work ethic and personalities of project resources. Just as a project is unique, the traits of each team member make the project experience unique as well.

Yet an experienced project manager will observe a pattern of team-member behaviors over the course of doing projects throughout his or her career. Over time, the project manager can categorize each resource’s maturity with project work. Some resources are experienced project veterans, while others are well-versed in operations but new to projects. Some have project experience, but in a different domain. Some are functional leads with no project experience. You may even have people who are altogether new in their jobs.

There is a certain project-specific “conduct” that resources must demonstrate to make the project a success, and this conduct will likely be a change from their non-project responsibilities. It is good practice for a project manager to establish “rules of engagement” at the kickoff to ensure a positive project experience and overall success. Envision yourself as a project manager at your kickoff, communicating rules such as these to your team:

1. Communicate openly and …

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