I have been privileged in my many years of professional activities to
meet many project managers both home and abroad. I discovered that we
have so many schooled and certified professional but very few real
leaders. According to a Survey Carried out by KPMG of252organisations,
technology is not the most critical factor that determines project
success. Inadequate project management implementation constitutes 32% of
project failures, lack of communication constitutes 20%, and
unfamiliarity with scope and complexity constitutes 17%. Accordingly 69%
of project failures are due to lack and/or improper implementation of
project management methodologies.
The above project failure indices are directly or indirectly the
project manager’s shortcoming. The most popular definition of leadership
I believe isinfluence. As a project manager, the ability to inspire the
entire project team toward achieving the desired goal and project
objective is key to successful project implementation. Some project
managers are simply administrators, while some are project coordinators.
However, the game of being a ‘leader’ project manager is far more than
just administration or coordination. I gave presentations and
facilitated workshops on this subject in our numerous professional
forums. Many times, beyond the presentation, it was the debate with the
novice and the experienced project managers about what are the most
important skill set that drives me to further increase my study and
concepts in this area.
I made sure that my points are not out of head knowledge or some form
of pseudo perception of the ideal. I have carefully studied exceptional
project managers and have documented my discovery not just for classroom
purposes but for life application.
All the points mentioned below are crucial for superlative project governance:
- Give attention to detail
- Communicate to be understood
- Learn to be a power negotiator
- Be a positive thinker
- Be as flexible as you can
Details are critical for the following points
It is important not just to have a vision but also to know what are the scope and all exclusions of the vision.
Don’t just understand the project’s objectives but have a detailed direction on how to achieve those objectives
Project plan. A well defined and clearly communicated project plan
taking into consideration all known factors like time, cost, risks etc
In our very lives today details are not common place. An average
Nigerian working professional does not run a budget, neither does he
have a retirement plan. He just wakes up everyday and goes to work
without a clear cut mission of how long he intend to stay on the job and
step-by-step plan to get him out when the time comes. The same attitude
is carried on to our projects. Projects are different from processes.
We must have very detailed parameters governing not just our projects
but also our lives.
I have discovered people will naturally yield and give more to a vision
than a need. The vision therefore must be very clear and unambiguously
defined. What is the use of a vision that stakeholders cannot relate to
because it is not well explained. As a manager with project team to
guide and provide leadership to, you must adapt the vision to each
person and their role. This is necessary for simplicity sake. Though
details must be achieved on all that has to do with the project at hand,
simplicity should not be compromised.
Now that attention has being given to details, it is important that
every member of the project team and stakeholder understands the details
of the task at hand. It is important that we integrate and communicate
tactically all the success parameters of the project: financial,
professional, technical, human, process, etc. The integration and
adaptation exercise is both complex and necessary and only its outcome
can we use in communicating and explaining the project’s vision and
objectives in simple and understandable ways.
Furthermore, the communication of the vision must be adapted to each
category of project stakeholder-the technical team and all suppliers,
the future users of the project’s outcome, the sponsors etc All may have
different and nevertheless very justifiable expectations from the
project. It is necessary to deliver this communication in an extremely
precise, simple and concise way.
A typical example of a successful project communication line was a Cost
Logic System Implementation Project. The vision was that the project
outcome was going to allow the whole company to decide and forecast
project cost and serve as budgetary guideline for all projects across
the world, at every hierarchical level, and for each of the divisions
and product lines. The communication per type of stakeholder looked like
this:
- For the technicians, the fact that we were migrating towards a leading software package in the industry (Oracle eBusiness suite not to mention it),
- For the finance guys, a centralized consolidated management information system that enhances transparency on cost analysis and provides guidelines in deciding bid processes,
- For the decision-makers, system containing indisputable figures, access to the data via queries and a reporting environment,
- For the end-users, training courses, a homogeneous, ergonomic and functional user interface, with detailed processes on-line.
In other to overcome communication barriers, project managers must
establish clear lines of communication and keep stakeholders constantly
informed about the development of the project. The following techniques
can help:
- Keep a thorough knowledge of stakeholders' needs
- Use stakeholders' preferred method of interaction
- Keep an open-door policy
- Interpret and clarify policies and procedures
- Motivate staff and foster teamwork
3. Learn to be a Power Negotiator
The bottom line of every investment is profit. Projects are typical of
investments, whether we measure profit in monetary value or not. A
project is only a project when it helps us achieve certain benefits or
objectives. It is therefore important that we do not lose sight of the
fact that project success is or will be measured in terms of parameters
like cost, time and achieved benefits.
A project manager is a better performer than his contemporary not
because he is busy but because he gets the job done on time and on
budget. He is even more celebrated when we get it done with some change
left. According to Microsoft® Encarta negotiation is resolving of
disagreements: the reaching of agreement through discussion and
compromise. Because of the varying interest represented on your project
it is just normal for us to have many conflicting ideas, desires and
concepts. Not being able to bring all part to focus on the final project
goal as a project manager is digging the grave for the project.
Negotiation, in a project context, can be used for selling, purchasing,
staff (e.g. contracts), borrowing (e.g. loans) and transactions, along
with anything else that you feel are applicable for your project. The
negotiation capability of a project manager can make a whole lot of
difference in how well the project at hand thrives.
Question to answer before starting a negotiation process
- Why am I negotiating?
- What do I expect to gain?
- Why is this important to me or my project?
- What am I expected to have to offer.
Answering the above questions honestly will help you fully understand
your needs and wants. You will be able to quickly determine if
continuing a negotiation is worth your time.
Basic Negotiation Strategy
- Never discuss settlement terms until the end of the process, when both parties are committed to trying to resolve the situation. Learn as much as possible about the issue at hand, determine if this is really what you need or want, wait until they indicate that they really want or need to settle.
- Find out the most the other person will pay for something or the least they are willing to sell for so you can couch your initial offer or response to strategically position your offer or proposal.
- Try to get the other person to make the first offer or proposal. Manipulating the other person into making the opening proposal allows you to set the parameters of the negotiation to your advantage.
- Carry out random sampling or market test before sitting down. This will help you establish reasonable parameters for the negotiation. The key to a successful negotiation is keeping your proposals and counters within a range of reasonableness. Do not undermine your credibility by appearing ill-informed or overly aggressive.
- You need to know when to bring the negotiation to a close. Over negotiating often kills deals or agreements that should have been made.
4. Be a Positive Thinker
The quality of your thoughts often determines the quality of your life
and of everything else. Forward thinking is the product of an optimistic
life approach. It is good to know that the vast majority of those that
ever succeed in life are actually those that believe they can. The
success of your projects largely depend on your perception and outlook
on the entirety of the project. How will you be able to influence or
lead the rest of the team if you as an individual does not believe in
the vision of the project and what you are set out to achieve.
Positive thinking increases your possibilities. When you actually
believe that you can do something even in the midst of daring challenges
or opposition your chances of suceeding actually gets doubled. John
Maxwell wrote in his book Think for a Change “Big thinkers who make
things happen also create possibilities for others. That happens, in
part, because it's contagious. You can't help but become more confident
and think bigger when you're around possibility thinkers.”
Positive thinking and the right attitude will enable you not just to
win the confidence of the project sponsor but also the commitment of
team members. A project is rarely a long and quiet river. Bustles will
be numerous and the tough passages also. When things are going well, it
is easy to be positive and constructive. But it is when they harden and
do not go as we wish that it is most important for the leader to keep in
mind that his attitude is observed and is essential for the members of
the team.
On the other hand, it is important for the project manager to discern
the difference between a project that challenges his/her abilities and
that which is doomed for failure. At times the line is so thin that a
pessimist will see both as the same. There are situations where
perseverance, one of very qualities for which you were recruited, can
play against you and your project. It is probably the distinction
between stubbornness and tenacity so the project manager must be able to
tell the difference.
5. Be As Flexible As You Can
No project goes 100% as planned. Due to the ever changing environment
and dynamic conditions that apply to projects, there seem to never be an
end to change request.
To be flexible means to know how to adapt to new situations and
circumstances. It means to bend without breaking. For every project
there are parameters and indices that determine its success. The project
manager should be familiar with not just the parameters but also with
every tolerance or allowable deviations of the parameters that form both
the upper and the lower boundary. Having an understanding of how far
below or above is possible without jeopardising the project’s success
will determine how flexible the project manager can be.
How you can learn to be flexible
- Keep listening to the environment. It is important that project managers get an understanding of the different situations and circumstances that exists outside their own constituency. Some external events can have very devastating effect on projects. The passing of a new law, change of government, war and disorder, change in corporate policy etc can all be potential stumbling block for the project.
- Learn from others, ask questions and improve your ability to predict project outcomes.
- Accept unavoidable changes
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