Project management work is still impactful.
These are 6 common issues plaguing project management and the strategies I've learned over time to resolve them.
Communication breakdown
Robust decision-making. Communication breakdown often leads to the dilution of project management. It affects deliverables, costs, and risks client satisfaction. Communication breakdown is common without properly defined protocols. This can be due to a lack of clearly defined expectations from the project manager or an inability to execute specific roles of the team members. Proper leadership is important to solve this, increase productivity, and avoid significant losses for the team.
I have instilled processes that maintain open communication between me and my team members. These processes help us track information, make correct decisions, and cultivate a productive work environment. One is daily synchronous meetings with my team members. We discuss project ideas, progress, and any technical difficulties. I also give asynchronous feedback using VideoFeedbackr. I use it to clearly define issues with the project and how to rectify them. We do all these tasks from one base of operation, Goleko.
Goleko is our project management tool of choice. It helps us manage our projects in a fast and easy manner. It also has a screen recording feature that allows us to give feedback in video format. This helps prevent any communication breakdown within our team. I have written a piece that details how to foster communication within teams.
Read: 7 Tips for Effective Communication in Remote Teams to learn how to implement this in your team.
Poor Planning and Methodology
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Poor planning is one of the biggest reasons for this decline in recent years. A project manager should plan accordingly. They need to account for the potential need for a larger budget, timeframe, or both to properly execute the project. This means analyzing the project needs and assigning roles adequately to people with the right skills. It is an administrative quality that requires some training and experience to nurture and develop.
I have streamlined the planning aspect for projects in my team. We have a defined flow of operations that handles everything as required. I have a single person creating content for my organization. We developed a system that guides our content creation process ensuring we produce enough content for my blog. The process has a preparation phase, a writing phase, a distribution phase, and the deployment phase. Each of these phases has checklists that guide the project with specific deliverables. It has improved the workflow, and we have a high output rate reflected in our statistics.
It's all thanks to our planning and methodology. It's vital to keep your planning to a realistic level. I plan for 1-2 weeks ahead to keep things moving for my organization. Doing this 6 months in advance is unrealistic and something I wouldn't recommend. A week or two in advance should have everything running as required.
Unclear objectives and responsibility
Clear scope for success. Ambiguous project objectives result in diluted efforts and a lack of clarity among team members. This can kill an entire project and diminish the input made by team members. I ask my team members to remember what, why, and how of a project. It helps everyone focus on the right job rather than the optics. Every team member who joins our team reads the How We Do Stuff project. It details how to focus on the project ensuring the labor is efficiently utilized.
We've improved this further by letting every team member define the project's what, why, and how. Trying this has allowed my team members to start projects within their ability and progress our team's directive. Unclear objectives make the work harder than it needs to be. I've allowed my team to learn how to formulate objectives for themselves. We combine this with our clear communication to refine the objectives. This works well for us and we're still finding different ways to keep improving on them.
Drowning in Paperwork
Remember to document your work. This is an important administrative aspect that will save you problems. It's hard to prove anything without proper documentation. The problem is overdoing the documentation and paperwork. I minimize the amount of documentation we do in our team. I leave documentation to employee contracts, notes, and agreements. Most of our project stipulations and deliverables are done via asynchronous video feedback and some comments on Goleko.
We have a project on Goleko that I invite all my employees to. This Project is called How We Do Stuff. It contains different SOPs and video recordings that help the new employees learn how we operate in my team. Each SOP explains specific things about their roles, details, and administrative requirements. Everyone has access to this and can refer to it as needed.
I don't recommend spending a lot of time on documentation. This distracts valuable thinking power and energy from the principal activities needed to progress the projects. Paperwork is vital but isn’t the most enjoyable task to do. Drowning in paperwork can drain the energy and productivity of your team. A proper balance should be sought after to make this work. This will ensure that everything is accounted for and prevent the demerits associated with paperwork.
Inadequate Project Resources
You need money to make money. Finances aren't the only resource teams need. They also need enough human resources and time to deliver quality work. Resources are necessary to run operations smoothly. A lack of resources blunts progress. I have primed my team to utilize resources as effectively as possible. My team is composed of seven people. Each of them works well with each other helping us progress.
The project manager must analyze the team's needs and look into solving them. You may need to add an extra team member, software, or both. Adequate planning, good scheduling, and regular assessments help with this. It ensures quality is maintained, preventing further dilution of project management.
Resistance to Change
Change is inevitable. Resisting change can have detrimental outcomes. It can result in inefficient outcomes and undesirable outcomes. These outcomes slow down the progress made and may undo it.
A mindset of continuous improvement is needed. This guarantees maintained quality and improved outcomes. Project management cannot work as it did in its infancy. Technological inventions and new strategies are in place that enhance efficiency and sustainability. We have implemented Goleko to help us manage our projects better. We have also implemented VideoFeedbackr to give feedback hassle-free. We have embraced the changes and evolved with the innovative times. Embracing change and evolving our systems are partly responsible for the growth and success we've seen.
Resisting these changes will leave you obsolete and forgotten. You may face some resistance from your superiors or team members but you can try to push them through. Do not resist change. Embrace it and use it to your advantage.
Conclusion
Project management is in a diluted state but a state that can be easily rectified. A proactive approach is needed to reverse this dilution and change its course. Effective communication in teams, clear objectives, proper planning, and embracing change will prevent these demerits and promote the growth of project management.
Dilution of project management is the result of poor maintenance. These solutions should help undo any demerits and even take project management further than before. Project management has a place in our world. Let’s chip in and treat it as the giant it is.
FAQs
How can a project manager enhance communication?
Project managers need to take the opportunity to streamline the communication process for their teams. They should take the initiative and prioritize open communication. Keep the frequency of communication high and engage with your team. Utilize synchronous, asynchronous, and text communication and this should allow the communication to flourish.
What experience impacts work in remote teams?
A good work experience positively impacts work output. This approach simplifies everyone's job success and improves the output. It has an added increased effect on client satisfaction which gives the company the ability to increase their scope. A good work experience often bears positive results which helps the company do well and succeed.
What are the technical risks a team lead faces in project management?
A team leader can face hard issues such as delegating human resources and finances. The project is handled by their team members and they only have to give them a conducive environment. There isn't a measurable index for a conducive work environment which makes it a difficult role to have and poses potential financial risks to the team.
How can you prevent the dilution of your role?
You can do this by shoring up your communication, improving your working experience, and giving clear communication. These three principles will keep everyone on the right path and allow for excellent results in your remote team and organization.
How can you clear confusion in your remote work?
Giving clear communication keeps things simple and eliminates any confusion. This makes things easy to do and enhances team productivity. Open communication, definite instructions, and comprehensive feedback make things flow in the best direction.
For these and more thoughts, guides and insights visit my blog at martinbaun.com
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