The Money Files

Is the amount of unread emails in your inbox kind of a badge of honour? Time to rethink what you value! And I’m here to tell you that it’s not a selling point as a project manager to have lots of unread emails. Your inbox is not your to do list. It’s the first port of call for incoming messages (as well as all the other channels you have). But if you want to reclaim some bandwidth, then here are 7 tips to stay sane when email is out of control.

1. Batch process, don’t check constantly

Set 2 to 3 times a day for email review only. Block the time out on your calendar. Let people know that is your approach because you mention it in your status message or auto responder.

2. Use folders or tags that work for you

Come up with some folders or tags that work for you. I use a folder per project, and then break down that folder into subfolders, each related to a specific aspect of the project. So I’ll have a fold for budget and benefits, another one for steering group prep and correspondence, one per deliverable, topic or theme of the project, and so on.

You could have ‘for action’, ‘waiting’ (for where you are waiting on someone else’ or folders for different stakeholders. You can also flag messages, so if you don’t want to move them to a folder, colour-code the flags and create a system that works.

3. Craft better subject lines

“Action needed by Friday” is better than “Update”. Typically, we start emails with: For information, For review, For action and then state what the task is. Then people can decide when they want to read it, and for senior stakeholders, their exec assistant or PA can filter out the mails where their boss has to do something.

4. Default to clear, short responses

Try the 4-sentence rule: context, ask, next step, close.

For example: Thanks for coming to the steering meeting on Thursday. The ask of the group is to ratify the change proposed (see attached change request slide). We agreed to feed back consolidated responses to Elizabeth by Friday. Thanks in advance for your help!

5. Unsubscribe or filter relentlessly

I know we all have newsletters that we subscribe to, and they are a good way of keeping up with topics you want to learn more about, or from creators who inspire you. I’ve got folders for the newsletters I want to keep – when you find people who send stuff you want to refer to time and time again, you know you are on to a winner!

Move newsletters to a reading folder. Move reports to an archive and use search tags so that you can find them again.

6. Use flags/snooze/delayed send features

Too busy to deal with it now but worried you might forget later? Snooze the message or use flags to remind you to come back to it. Is it too early to deal with it but you’d rather get it done? Use the delayed send feature so your message gets sent when the time is right but you can draft it now – and cross it off your to do list!

Deal with inbox items on your terms.

7. Establish norms with your team

This is the thing that people on my training courses seem to find the hardest. Talk to your project team and your immediate colleagues about what norms you want to use. For example, if there are more than 3 replies in the chain, pick up the phone and talk to someone.

What are your boundaries about sending emails out of hours? When do you move a discussion to a chat channel so more people can see it instead of copying everyone in?

Email doesn’t need to run your life, even though it might feel like it right now! I’ll confess that I am not at inbox zero – I don’t think I ever have been in my 20+ years of working as a project manager. But I also don’t have hundreds and hundreds of messages in my inbox as that stresses me out. My goal is less than 50, so I can easily scroll through and see what’s top of mind at any given moment.

What about you, have you ever got to inbox zero? What tips do you have for keeping your inbox uncluttered? Let us know in the chat!

Let’s say that you’ve decided you want to integrate your project management tools with some other platform or software within your organisation – there are lots of reasons why you would want to do this that I have covered in other articles.

So how do you get started? Here’s a quick guide to planning out what you need to do.

Understand your needs

Start by assessing the needs of your project team. Identify which functions are lacking or could be enhanced (e.g., reporting, communication, time tracking, etc.). This will help prioritise which integrations to set up if you’ve got several options.

My suggestion would be to start with something small and easy. That will help you prove the concept of integration, get some useful data and get a ‘win’ that might make it easier to get funding for any larger piece of technical work to do other things.

Choose the right applications

There are probably lots of options for integration. Finance tools for pulling in actuals? Capacity management software for resource planning? Timesheets? Focus on finding applications that complement your project management tool and enhance its capabilities – things where you would actually get use out of the data, the workflow or the interface.

Before you actually make the decision, check that it’s a reliable, supported tool that aligns to the business processes and that it’s going to be worth the effort! Another consideration is your project management tool itself. It seems to me that organisations change tools every few years so you don’t want to invest in enhancing something that is not going to be around much longer. Make sure you’ve got confidence in the longevity of the products you are using.

Review the integration options and approaches

Most project management platforms offer integration options through open APIs or pre-built connectors. You might have an integration hub as part of the tech stack that you would need to  use to pass data from one product to another.

Think about how best to integrate the tools, and lean on enterprise architects and data analysts to work out the best route, and what needs to be done. My recommendation would be to go for solutions that are the simplest, with the fewest data points to reduce the technical complexity.

Test the integration

Before you hit the button, make sure it’s all as tested as it can be. You really need the data integrity to be 100% or people will lose confidence in the data. Then they’ll go back to the original sources and you won’t have saved any time or improved processes at all.

Test with a small group, controlled data and look for issues related to data syncing, user permissions, and overall functionality.

Monitor and refine

As with any software project or process change, you’ll want to keep an eye on it and make sure that it is working as expected. Monitor feedback from users and tweak as necessary to make any improvements.

You might find bugs that were missed during testing or there might be new requirements that help make it more user-friendly or workable.

Once you’ve got one integration set up and working, think about what was the next priority on your list. How can you get that one kicked off? With citizen development and low code development, plus the power of AI, it might be easier than you expect to get something off the ground! Good luck, and let us know in the comments which your most successful integrations have been!

Over the last few weeks/articles we’ve looked at different aspects of resilience and how you can boost it in practical ways. Today, I wanted to look at some tools you could use – some you might already have access to, others you might have to request or lobby for. They are all things that will help your project team feel better equipped to handle the ups and downs of delivery.

Collaboration and communication tools

Hopefully you’ve already got access to collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Zoom to keep lines of communication open. These days I don’t know how we would work without those.

Project management tools that focus on scheduling and task management are also your friend because they help everyone see the same version of the truth. They help keep tasks organised, track progress, and help you spot trends so you can deal with emerging things before they become big problems.

Stress management and well-being tools

Many organisations offer access to emotional support or mental health resources. Tap into what is offered by your company but also check out the plethora of wellness apps and resources that are available on your phone.

I’ve found one I like but it’s a personal choice. Maybe one team meeting, open up about the apps you use or have tried and see whether other people can recommend apps they use themselves.

How about doing a yoga video, breathing exercises or a guided meditation at the end of a busy week? Whether you do this as a team or just highlight to the team that you take time out for self-care, either is good.

Decision-making frameworks

Decision-making frameworks take the stress out of decision-making because the process to get to the decision is clear. Make sure people know how to use a range of decision-support tools and practice using SWOT analysis or root cause analysis at non-stressful times so people can turn to those tools when they do have complicated issues to resolve.

Sort out a RACI matrix to clarify roles and responsibilities, as that can help avoid confusion and stress during decision-making. Use Terms of Reference and Delegation of Authority levels to work out who can approve what up to what level.

Resilience training programmes

If you’re in a position to fund workshops and training on emotional resilience, mindfulness, and coping strategies, add these to the rota of available in-house learning. Or check out what your company already offers in the way of e-learning modules on these topics. There are also courses available on platforms like LinkedIn learning if you have access to those.

Recognition platforms

Use your in-house or app-based recognition tools to shout out when people have done well. Celebrate success, and make it the done thing to comment on resilience, overcoming challenges – even if things go badly and the end result was a failure.

If you don’t have tools or apps you can use, you could either talk to your technical teams about building one in-house (at its most simple, it’s just a form that pushes out the results to a place where everyone can see them, or even into someone’s inbox to collate the submissions to share once a month).

Sometimes, calling out what there is available helps people connect resilience with the things they are already doing and it makes it less of a daunting or incomprehensible topic. Resilience in project management is not just about bouncing back from setbacks, it’s about creating teams that can thrive in the face of challenges, adapt to changes, and remain focused on achieving project goals despite adversity.

And there’s plenty of change in our dynamic business environments, where uncertainties and changes are just a daily occurrence. What do you use – do you have any favourite self-care apps? Let us know in the comments below!

OK, we’re back to our mini-series on resilience in project teams! Today, I want to give you more practical tips for building resilience. We’ve looked at some of the things to consider for team culture and behaviours, but now we’re looking at more specific things that you can do as a project manager to help your team bounce back and deal with challenges.

1. Encourage a growth mindset

Talk about challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. If someone can’t do something or didn’t do it as well as they wanted to, it’s an opportunity for skill building and practice. The more you practice, the better you get!

Put regular post-implementation or post-project reviews in the calendar. Use retrospectives. Don’t blame. And if you haven’t read Carole Dweck’s book or watched her TED talk to the growth mindset, I highly encourage you to do so.

2. Take time for team building

I know, team building can feel a bit meh at times. But team-building activities and exercises can strengthen relationships and build trust among team members, so it’s worth putting a few minutes aside during team meetings for social chat, or activities, or case studies, or anything that won’t feel blergh to your team.

We are doing a series of pecha kucha presentations to get to know each other better, so even simple things like that can help.

3. Model work-life balance and make it possible for everyone else

Be the leader that logs off at a normal time and doesn’t expect everyone to work late into the evening or respond to messages before they should really have logged on. Manage resource capacity across the project so people aren’t overburdened, as burnout can reduce resilience. You can’t bounce back if you have no energy to do the things you should be doing.

Make sure there is flexibility for people to take holiday time away from work even in busy periods on the project. If you’re in a position to offer it, think about flexible work arrangements. Don’t book meetings when people might be out doing the school run. Encourage regular breaks, and support your colleagues’ well-being to help maintain morale.

4. Let people solve problems

Put aside the idea of hero project manager. You don’t need to solve all the problems for the team. Empower them to contribute ideas and solutions. You can facilitate sessions to encourage creative problem-solving, but you don’t have to have all the answers.

This might require some training or support on your part for the team. They can’t solve problems without the right tools or resources, so make sure they are equipped with what they need to handle challenges effectively (before they face the challenge). That might include facilitation training, or conflict resolution training or even stress management tools – you probably already have access to some of these through your organisation.

5. Recognise and reward resilience (you don’t have to call it that)

Recognise and reward achievements, especially when times are tough. Shout out someone who solved a problem on your chat channel. Tell someone’s manager that they did a good job at solutioning. Celebrate milestones and achievements together, particularly those that demonstrate the team’s ability to overcome obstacles.

You don’t have to say, “we’re celebrating resilience today!” as that not only sounds weird but might not resonate with the team. Call it out as whatever you want!

What else do you do to help team members and the team overall get more resilient? Have you tried any of these ideas and what happened? Let us know in the comments!

I’m taking a quick break from my mini-series on resilience in project teams as I’ve been doing some thinking recently on how to improve the project management software we have. You might know that I wrote Collaboration Tools for Project Managers so the changing landscape of software products is something I try to stay close to.

One of the conclusions I’m coming to is that tools don’t do everything. As a result, we have to integrate with other products. The software is powerful, but it just can’t/shouldn’t do everything, or you end up with a hybrid product that is rubbish at most things and does everything badly. So integrations so you can use best of breed products is the way forward.

Integrations extend the functionality of your project management tools, and here are 4 benefits to consider.

1. Streamlined workflows

Double-keying data? No thanks! Integrations between apps allow you to automate the flow of information between tools. Need to get that timesheet data into a financial tool? There’s an integration for that. Need to bring in actuals from the accounting software? No problem, we can feed those into the project budget and forecast.

Integrations reduce manual data entry and minimise the risk of human error. And they remove some of the boring work too – win win!

2. Centralised information

How many tabs do you have open? It’s no fun switching from dashboards in one tool to review benefits and then back to the PM tool to enter the actuals, and grabbing stuff from all the places. Bringing in what you need saves time and centralises the data so your team has everything in one place. That should help with transparency and reporting, plus saving time so you don’t have to log in to so many apps in the morning.

For example, integrate with your cloud storage or file-sharing software and then you can access the relevant documents directly within the project management system. To be fair, that isn’t even hard if you’ve got cloud file storage – just add a link! Done!

3. Improved collaboration

You’re in your PM tool but you need to flag something… do you have to leave to go to a messaging app or email? It’s better if there is an integration within the tool so your relevant threads can appear linked to the project task, risk or issue etc. If your tool doesn’t have native messaging, integrate it with whatever tool you do use so that status updates can be sync’d across platforms in real time, so the whole team can see what is going on.

4. Enhanced reporting and analytics

Finally, the more data you have in your PM tool, the better your reporting and analytics can be, and the more you can make use of AI. AI needs pools of data to give you forecasts or suggestions, so if your PM tool is scanty in that area, it’s hard for AI to do anything meaningful with your portfolio data.

Sync up your project data with external analytics or business intelligence tools so you can create detailed reports, analyse data trends, and monitor progress without exporting data manually. And you’ll be able to share project performance data with people who don’t have licences for your PM tools. Because that’s a problem, right?

So, integrations for the win! What tools do you link up (or what problems do you face when they don’t)? Let me know in the comments!