Currently I am managing a project assisted by a very senior person. He is a Vice President - Engineering, of our company but he is not happy with our management due to various reasons. Hence he got very less or no vision in the project success. Engineering team is fully in his control, more of a Balanced Matrix Organization. Result of which, I am not able to get good support from my Engineering Team. Management is not ready to listen to this as they don't want to compromise with that senior person. Project is slipping very badly. How to handle this situation?? Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 04, 2016 3:58 AM
Replying to anonymous
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Thanks a lot for all your suggestions. But the issue is I tried to organize the meeting between the senior person & my management. Somehow they are not comfortable to confront each other. May be I will have to elaborate a bit. The senior person was the proposed candidate to replace as Project Director (Program Manager in our terms) but our management recruited a new person from outside. Conflict of interest playing a role here. Senior person demanding the role but management is reluctant to lay off the new guy, "in a way, he is also a senior & most experienced person".
Both my Management & Senior person is rated very high in the Assessment matrix (Of course, it will be). I am planning to give a detailed report to my Management about commercial impact, Customer disappointment, losing vision and missing target, and ask for solution.
Do you mean the Senior VP Engineering was supposed to take the post of Project Director then the company assigned a new person ? Well, if this is the case, then this is internal higher management conflict. You have to be very wise and diplomatic. Making a report and recording all impacts resulting from this conflict is very crucial but at some point they do have to meet.
This is really a very strange situation as I understoof from you that the Engineering VP and his team are not supporting the project as they should because the VP was not assigned as the PD. This should not happen, PD, VP, PM and everyone else should not value their personal interest over that of the project. Saving Changes...
You received some very good advise, and I would just like to chime in my support. When you as the PM do not have the authority, it makes it very stressful and ackward as was noted. A couple of key tools that I use (also mentioned above) are the focus meeting with the Seniors, and more especially the detailed report of the impact. Put it in writing and ensure for everyone's visibility and at the least, for your own protection that everyone is aware of the impact.
There is one other tool that I use . . . especially when there are many power players. That is the unofficial one on one. Book a meeting with (or offer over a coffee) and have a one-on-one with each of these guys to try to determine where the solid wall is versus where they may be inclined to be flexible individually. Maybe you will discover something that may allow you to progress.
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 04, 2016 2:54 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Great Point Daniele and he can exercise his influence and ability to sort out conflicts during the one on one.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 04, 2016 2:51 PM
Replying to Daniele Melone
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You received some very good advise, and I would just like to chime in my support. When you as the PM do not have the authority, it makes it very stressful and ackward as was noted. A couple of key tools that I use (also mentioned above) are the focus meeting with the Seniors, and more especially the detailed report of the impact. Put it in writing and ensure for everyone's visibility and at the least, for your own protection that everyone is aware of the impact.
There is one other tool that I use . . . especially when there are many power players. That is the unofficial one on one. Book a meeting with (or offer over a coffee) and have a one-on-one with each of these guys to try to determine where the solid wall is versus where they may be inclined to be flexible individually. Maybe you will discover something that may allow you to progress.
Great Point Daniele and he can exercise his influence and ability to sort out conflicts during the one on one. Saving Changes...
Karthikeyan KathirvelProject Control Manager| Robtstone LLCAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
What about your Project Director, he is no where in the picture. I suggest you to take your detailed report to him and summarize the issue. Ask for his suggestions. You may include amicable solution to this issue in your report. Finally, ask your Project director to call for the "All Stakeholders" meeting to review the status of your Project. I believe now no one can deny as it is a general project call.
I want to highlight three points based on the scenario,
Your Senior VP is a Reputation liker. Believe me, he doesn't need that position to earn more money. So sell him reputation, definitely he will buy it.
Your management is badly looking for a solution for this issue and looking for someone who can highlight and brought this to light. So a meeting with amicable solution is all they want. Sell them good solution which can resolve this issue. It must be Win-Win situation.
Finally, your Project Director. Not to forget that he is the main reason for all this scenario and I really surprised that you didn't specify anything about him in resolving this issue. You must understand that he got a point or two to prove. He will badly want to justify his selection as a Project Director. So provide him full support and give him all the inputs he need to resolve this issue. End of the day, if the solution arrives through him it would be a Win-Win situation. Saving Changes...
Al TaylorI.T. Contractor| IndependentWaterloo, Ontario, Canada
good discussion! @Bala - good points!!!
for some empirical evidence that you can share with your sponsor see this graph:
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