Internal Networking: Connect to Key People to Avoid Disastrous Downtime

There is nothing worse than getting blind-sided by a workforce management obstacle that grinds your project to a halt. Sometimes it seems that -- no matter what reporting process is in place -- people and organizational issues can jam a rod into your well-oiled machine. Your project is at risk from outside forces like corporate restructuring, reprioritized business initiatives and departmental resistance to deployment. It makes you wish there were a way to keep this from happening.

Luckily, there is a way. All you have to do is get connected to the right people by establishing or improving your internal network. Not only will you be able to avoid many surprises, but you will be able to improve your perspective on how the workforce is functioning, anticipate workforce changes, even check into rumors. As a project manager, knowledge of internal networking can be much more useful than knowledge of hardware networking.

Choosing Networking Contacts
Everyone's time is limited, so make sure you talk with the right people for your current situation. Consider what problems you are dealing with now or expect to deal with in the near future. Do you need to check on the skill level of an employee or group of employees? Is there a rumor about organizational restructuring that you need to confirm? Do you need to check on the "climate" of an organization prior to …