By Shyamkumar Narayana, PMP
Imagine that you have been given the responsibility of managing a client’s $5 million software-maintenance project. As you start going to on-site meetings, you see that the client lead is speaking without any particular agenda or business objective in mind. Furthermore, nobody is taking notes, so action items aren’t being created, progress is not being tracked, and no meaningful follow-up reports are being shared with team members.
The structure seems fluid at best, so people walk away from the meeting confused about next steps. They either decide for themselves what to work on or don’t do anything at all — and nobody is taking any real ownership of tasks. Because of the ambiguous roles and responsibilities, any issues identified along the way can’t be resolved in a timely manner. Likewise, the poor communication causes the project to experience outcomes that aren’t tied to its true purpose. Time, talent and money all are wasted.
On the other hand, structured project management describes a state in which the project manager clearly defines the team structure, the list of stakeholders and decision makers, and the channel of communication to be used. The meeting cadence, project logistics and reporting methods are planned early on. Everyone involved knows their roles, when they need to make updates to the project plan and the time to provide status reports. Risks are considered thoughtfully and mitigated. The budget is reported to stakeholders appropriately so the most effective decisions possible can be made.
Now, let’s return to our software-maintenance project example. Lucky for the client, you are a proactive project manager who knows when it’s time to step in. You begin by establishing a rapport with the team members. Strong listening and communication skills make it possible to positively influence the stakeholders and help them focus on the common goals of the project. You then come up with a game plan for supporting the initiative with a solid project management structure. Next, you discuss that strategy with the stakeholders in order to get buy in. You present them with a cost-benefit analysis. Once the client team understands its results, you coach them about the different aspects of project management. These talks involve scope, issues and risk, meeting minutes, effective follow-up actions, and lessons learned.
Things begin to turn around. People now are keeping business goals in sight. The initiative is planned, monitored and controlled to ensure that tasks are being accomplished on time and within budget. Progress, problems and risks are communicated and effectively managed. Resources are maximized to ensure efficiency. Pretty soon, your client is taking its first meaningful steps toward what turns out to be a very successful project — an excellent result due to a truly proactive approach.
Originally posted in APICS on August 30, 2017
Shyamkumar Narayana, PMP, is CEO of Thariyiltech Consulting Services, a provider of information technology and staffing solutions. He may be contacted at nshyamk@att.net.