Sometimes an organization’s senior staff hinders, rather than helps, an important project. They may take their time approving the final budget for an urgent initiative or they might pressure the PM to change or expand the planned deliverables mid-stream. These kinds of issues aren’t just disruptive—they have the potential to drain your available funding, delay…
Project Team Communication
3 Things Project Teams Forget
September 3, 2019 by
Between hectic schedules, stakeholder requests, and the competing priorities that surface when juggling multiple initiatives, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that goes on within the project team. PMs need to maintain awareness of progress, budget status, and potential schedule deviations, ensuring tasks don’t fall through the cracks and that everyone knows what needs to…
5 Signs Your Project Communications are in Trouble
August 12, 2019 by
Good project communications are a fundamental component of project success. Formal memos, meeting agendas and minutes, quick question-and-answer sessions in the hall—they all contribute to moving your project forward. Your stakeholders need to know what’s happening and what’s scheduled. Your sponsors and the organization’s senior leadership team expect regular updates on progress and notification of…
For Best Project Results, Listen to Your Team
December 21, 2018 by
Savvy project managers are always looking for ways to improve their project results and performance and make their processes more efficient. One strategy that’s simple and effective—but is sometimes overlooked in favor of flashier approaches—is to listen to the team. The people working on project activities, whether it’s planning and executing tasks or handling support…
When Project Task Assignments Go Bad
November 26, 2018 by
Proper project task assignments serve an important function. By formally making an individual responsible for an activity, the team knows that someone with the necessary skills and expertise is carrying out the task. When assigning tasks, PMs can also monitor workloads so key activities aren’t delayed by other priorities. The entire process sounds straightforward enough,…
The Soft Skills Needed for Project Success
October 31, 2018 by
The project management competencies required to successfully plan and execute an initiative are well known, but does your team also have these soft skills that will help them get your next project to the finish line? Being able to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholder groups. Though teamwork is already a priority, as far as…
4 Reasons Your Project Team Needs to Be Engaged
April 11, 2018 by
When it comes to developing a thorough and workable project plan, team participation sounds like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, PMs sometimes forego involving the wider team in these crucial early project planning efforts. The reasons for their decision vary, but two of the most common explanations are also the simplest: The time and effort required. Executives…
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…
