Everyone in your project team is busy but your initiative isn’t moving ahead. You may be stalled trying to get through a particular sequence of tasks or it might seem like every new activity experiences delays. Sound familiar? You aren’t alone. Even seasoned project teams occasionally run into situations where progress comes to a standstill….
Project Team Development
Uncertainty and its Effects on Project Teams
September 16, 2019 by
When project teams encounter uncertainty, the ability to tap into solid experience and the right expertise is crucial. It may be a situation where you simply need to ask different questions, connect with different specialists, or evaluate different data points to determine how to move ahead. Other times, you could be running up against a…
What Does it Take to Build a Great Project Team?
August 5, 2019 by
Assembling a high-performing project team requires more than a recruiter and a handful of job descriptions. To achieve consistent project success, your group must have the necessary skills and experience to execute the kinds of initiatives your company normally undertakes. They must also be committed to maintaining forward momentum in the face of obstacles and…
Don’t Ignore an Unworkable Project Plan
February 12, 2018 by
When time is tight and there’s pressure to get a project underway as quickly as possible, it might be tempting to ignore concerns that might keep you from revising a project plan that is out of whack. You probably know the feeling—you’ve seen the plan but you don’t think it can possibly be executed as…
What Can An Integrated Project Plan Do For You?
October 31, 2017 by
When multiple sub-teams and cross-functional groups are working on the same project, there is a risk of disparate project plans popping up. These are typically fractured and incomplete, and they create all sorts of trouble for PMs and the organization’s leadership. One key to project success is avoiding this proliferation of different plans and schedules, particularly when executing large, complex, or high-visibility initiatives that are strategically important to the company.
Emergencies Call for Specialized Project Management Skills
September 19, 2017 by
It isn’t uncommon to encounter challenges during a project. Teams may lose a key member, putting additional work on everyone else, or a critical material might suddenly become unavailable. These problems are relatively routine and most PMs have the experience and resources to deal with the issues without derailing their project’s progress.
Don’t Overlook these Facility Closure Issues
August 29, 2017 by
There’s more to shutting down a building than moving the people out and locking the door behind them. Unfortunately, with everything a project manager has on their plate as part of the facility closure process, there are some areas that are commonly missed (or ignored until the last minute).
Stop Your Project Team From Over-committing
August 22, 2017 by
With numerous stakeholders to support and ambitious corporate goals to achieve, project teams sometimes fall into the trap of over-committing themselves as they try to make everyone happy. Some agree to aggressive schedules in hopes they can shave time off along the way. Others begin projects with a too-lean budget expecting they will somehow keep expenditures below normal levels. In each case, the team usually ends up looking bad in the end, as the project’s target completion date encounters delays and requests for additional funds pile up.
Material Procurement Risks Your Project Team Might Miss
August 17, 2017 by
Is your organization launching a new facility? Whether it represents an expansion of existing operations, a relocation from a previous site, or an entirely new function for the company, there are a number of risks around material procurement that must be identified and properly addressed before your facility startup project can deliver the expected results.
Keeping an Eye on Project Health
August 10, 2017 by
Conducting ongoing checks of a project’s health is something teams should do on a regular basis, but surprisingly few actually do. If your organization is one of those that doesn’t already carry out routine monitoring, it’s an important skill that’s worth the effort to develop. A well-informed assessment gives project managers the level of awareness they need to proactively spot potential problems, deploy solutions, and monitor the results to ensure their fix was effective in bringing the project’s progress back on track.
