A Project Manager can be compliant with regulations, clients' requirements, business goals, schedules, budget and plans while ensuring the implementation of all safety measures. However, things can still go sideways due to unanticipated situations or conditions such as Coronavirus. We all now know and see how our ever-changing economies have been negatively influenced lately by COVID-19, and hence the most important element of any project, the people.
How and what approach would you pursue to manage your team members today? And how are they being secured at work? How do you think our advanced emerging technologies, such as AI, can help us identify the virus in confined spaces such as offices? Saving Changes...
Honestly, this is where I think companies NEED to allow remote work. Most offices these days are open plan - these are HORRIBLE at preventing infection spread as there's no walls to block a cough or sneeze (which can travel up to six feet). From personal experience, I've seen how much sicker teams get during the winter in these kind of setups.
Since so many of my projects have involved people all over the world and we've figured that out, I say do what Twitter has done and let everyone be remote (if the company VPN network can handle it).
For those who criticize that work might not get done I can tell you that it's entirely possible to give face time 5 days a week and get nothing done so why should we not trust people to be remote? In the US there's such a culture that you can't take sick time or PTO at many companies and this leads to so many people coming to work sick when they shouldn't and the viruses spread everywhere.
Also, for matters of compliance with the ADA any employee that falls into the high risk category for COVID-19 should be get priority for WFH priviledges if the network can truly not support everyone being remote.
...
1 reply by MOHD ABU HASIRA
Mar 05, 2020 7:44 PM
MOHD ABU HASIRA
...
Thank you for your contribution Susan, and good luck with your job search!
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
For people that lived things like SARS we have lessons learned on the field. But at the end, it is on the field of unknown-unknown risks.
...
1 reply by MOHD ABU HASIRA
Mar 05, 2020 7:45 PM
MOHD ABU HASIRA
...
Thank you for your contribution Sergio. How do you think we can apply emerging technologies into mitigating such risks?
Saving Changes...
LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
Take care of ourselves - eat right, rest, manage our stress, wash our hands often, use hand sanitizer, have more webinar meetings vs. face to face meetings. Work remotely when ill and encourage your team members to do the same. Be smart in all our interactions.
...
1 reply by MOHD ABU HASIRA
Mar 05, 2020 7:47 PM
MOHD ABU HASIRA
...
Thank you for your contribution Lori. You're absolutely right. That's solely the responsibility of each individual. However, as a PM, you could still encounter employees who ask for compensation/allowances for taking the risk and going to office, no? I have personally heard of such encounter!
In your project check all that can go wrong, supply for one. If workers need to work on-site, what is plan B?
Make sure everyone knows the health measure to minimize the risk of transmission, cough in your elbow, wash hands...
...
1 reply by MOHD ABU HASIRA
Mar 05, 2020 7:50 PM
MOHD ABU HASIRA
...
Thank you Vincent for your contribution. You're right, yet what if the personnel onsite request to be paid an allowance to compensate for taking such a risk? Do you think that such a temporary allowance can be beneficial?
Honestly, this is where I think companies NEED to allow remote work. Most offices these days are open plan - these are HORRIBLE at preventing infection spread as there's no walls to block a cough or sneeze (which can travel up to six feet). From personal experience, I've seen how much sicker teams get during the winter in these kind of setups.
Since so many of my projects have involved people all over the world and we've figured that out, I say do what Twitter has done and let everyone be remote (if the company VPN network can handle it).
For those who criticize that work might not get done I can tell you that it's entirely possible to give face time 5 days a week and get nothing done so why should we not trust people to be remote? In the US there's such a culture that you can't take sick time or PTO at many companies and this leads to so many people coming to work sick when they shouldn't and the viruses spread everywhere.
Also, for matters of compliance with the ADA any employee that falls into the high risk category for COVID-19 should be get priority for WFH priviledges if the network can truly not support everyone being remote.
Thank you for your contribution Susan, and good luck with your job search! Saving Changes...
For people that lived things like SARS we have lessons learned on the field. But at the end, it is on the field of unknown-unknown risks.
Thank you for your contribution Sergio. How do you think we can apply emerging technologies into mitigating such risks?
...
1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Mar 06, 2020 6:40 AM
Sergio Luis Conte
...
My answer is: are your organization not applying it? That´s what you can read and heard me into each opportunity I have the possbility to write and talk about what transformation, what Agile realy means. In fact, that is a real example about to understand when an organization is Agile or not because they have agility. Agility is the abiity an organization has to answer to unexpected and unplanned events. Is not my definition, is the definition created in 1990 inside the forum where Agile was born. So, Agile is a matter of organizational architecture, not culture/mindset and so on.
Take care of ourselves - eat right, rest, manage our stress, wash our hands often, use hand sanitizer, have more webinar meetings vs. face to face meetings. Work remotely when ill and encourage your team members to do the same. Be smart in all our interactions.
Thank you for your contribution Lori. You're absolutely right. That's solely the responsibility of each individual. However, as a PM, you could still encounter employees who ask for compensation/allowances for taking the risk and going to office, no? I have personally heard of such encounter! Saving Changes...
In your project check all that can go wrong, supply for one. If workers need to work on-site, what is plan B?
Make sure everyone knows the health measure to minimize the risk of transmission, cough in your elbow, wash hands...
Thank you Vincent for your contribution. You're right, yet what if the personnel onsite request to be paid an allowance to compensate for taking such a risk? Do you think that such a temporary allowance can be beneficial? Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Mar 05, 2020 7:45 PM
Replying to MOHD ABU HASIRA
...
Thank you for your contribution Sergio. How do you think we can apply emerging technologies into mitigating such risks?
My answer is: are your organization not applying it? That´s what you can read and heard me into each opportunity I have the possbility to write and talk about what transformation, what Agile realy means. In fact, that is a real example about to understand when an organization is Agile or not because they have agility. Agility is the abiity an organization has to answer to unexpected and unplanned events. Is not my definition, is the definition created in 1990 inside the forum where Agile was born. So, Agile is a matter of organizational architecture, not culture/mindset and so on. Saving Changes...
