It’s fair to say that whether you are someone just starting your career in the field of project management or have a lot of experience, you’ll agree projects by their very nature are dynamic, with no two ever alike. That said, there are ways to manage projects that both help to minimise issues, and in so doing help to achieve project success.
From talking with other project managers and my own experience there are many challenges that a project manager must overcome in order to reach that holy grail of on time, within budget and to quality to be successful. However, I have identified 3 key challenges that I believe must be overcome to help manage a project successfully. They are: 1. Poorly defined goals, 2. Lack of leadership and 3. Inadequate Communication.
1. Poorly Defined Goals:
So what are poorly defined goals? This is when the project goals and objectives of a project are not clearly defined before the project has actually started. This is a major challenge for a project manager, and sadly a common reason why so many projects fail. So unless the ‘what’s,’ ‘whys’ and ‘when’s’ of the project are explicitly stated, then the project manager and team will be faced with chaos and confusion.
2. Lack of Leadership:
Poor project leadership is the result of project leader that does not see the ‘big picture’ opportunities, and does not listen to other people. A lack of leadership skills will result in people getting demotivated and eventually reduce their work performance. So it’s important that a project manager has a clear vision of what the business case opportunity is, and equally must then be able to inspire and motivate those around them to reach their goals.
3. Inadequate Communication
The project cannot be delivered successfully if there is poor communication. Communication and oral skills are both essential for a successful project manager, who will also increase morale by establishing clear expectations. Thus, overcoming the challenge of inadequate communication helps to establish good teamwork, it empowers individuals to be more responsible, and it allows the project manager to focus on the project deliverables more confidently.
There are of course many more challenges that a project manager must overcome when managing a project. However, I believe these would be in most peoples top 5 of the key challenges that would need to be overcome.
Let me know if you agree with me?
If you’re a new or experienced project manager looking to increase confidence and gain greater awareness in your abilities in managing complex projects, then you may be interested in my Project Manager Leadership Accelerator Program. Simply send me a DM message, or email here anthony@thinkitplanitdoitnow.com to find out more.
In today’s competitive environment, more and more companies are looking to form partnership activities. But how do you set up a project partnership? After reading the below you will know the 10 stages needed to successfully set up a project partnership.
Before any partnership can take place it’s important to ensure that the Initiating Organisation creates a clear scope of both the purpose and benefits of what it wants to achieve from any potential partnership, and this scope then helps to determine which type of organisation it is looking to partner with.
2. Identifying:
After the scoping phase has been completed, it is now time to identify which organisations best fit in creating a mutual partnership. To help in doing this a simple partner checklist should be created, or an analysis of where similar partnership approaches has worked effectively, and from that information make a list of potential initial contacts you wish to make.
Potential Partner Checklist (sample questions)
| Characteristics / partnering capacity (actual or potential) | Score 1 = low (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) |
| A good reputation and track record in their sector? With other sectors? | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Sound management and governance structure | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Interest in and willingness to collaborate | 1 2 3 4 5 |
3. Building:
Once a partner has been identified, it’s then important to then invest sufficient time and effort to deepen the understanding between the different partners, and to arrange meetings between the key individuals who will be involved. This is important to learn about each organisations different cultures, working practices and decision making procedures. Time spent here will help the partnership be robust and deal with any challenges that will arise.
4. Planning:
I love saying “nobody plans to fail they fail to plan”. Experience shows this is never more important than setting up a partnership agreement. It is vital from the outset to make sure that the right individuals are involved, and expectations are clear and acceptable. This planning will involve such things as the broad agreement on the key issues of the partnership, the partnership activities and outcomes, and the decision making processes.
5. Structuring:
Once the an agreement is in place, the next phase is then to put in place the infrastructure to develop the agreed programme of work. This will become the ‘operational’ organisation to manage the delivery of the agreed partnership. This will involve the partnerships sponsors, project teams, networks and associated representatives.
6. Mobilising:
I have been involved in a partnership where a CEO of the initiating partner had insisted that their day-to-day business activities were not impacted by the partnership work. In this case there was initial enthusiasm for creating the partnership, but a clear disconnect in what they believed their organisation would offer. Partners need to actually deliver what they have committed to delivering, and this means by mobilising whatever resources needed, be it equipment, people and cash.
7. Delivering:
This is where as they say ‘the rubber hits the road’. That is why it is vital to have clear and detailed plans of activity, that not only lists the recourses involved, by also by when tasks will be delivered. It’s important to remember that partnerships can last 12 months or more. So it’s important to be both practical and precise in what projects are being undertaken.
8. Measuring:
I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying ‘what gets measures gets done’. With a partnership it’s very important to have regular partner check point meetings to review the progress that is being made and to discuss if the targets and goals that were set are being achieved? These such check point meeting are crucial, and ultimately are the meetings that need to determine by each partnership to justify their involvement.
9. Ending:
At some point the partnership will come to an end. This is usually as a result of a fixed term such as a 12 or 18 months agreement. When this times comes it’s very important that the initiating organisation produces a detailed partnership report that explains the projects outputs and impact as it relates to the initial scope that was agreed.
10. Reviewing:
Once the partnership has been completed it’s vital that both partners come together to discuss if the partnership has met its original expectations. Not only from any financial perspective, but depending on how the partnership was set up, its competitive differentiation, market development, reach an impact to name but a few. From these findings each partner will then produce their own lesson learnt report, which can then be used as reference for their next partnership.
Quick Win Action.
Before commencing with any partnership, answer these 3 business questions first, 1. What are you looking to achieve from a partnership? 2. Who are you achieving it for? 3. How will you measure its success.
Want to know more?
With over 20 years Project Management Experience, I provide Coaching & Mentoring to both new and experienced Project Managers who are looking to further develop and enhance their Project Management Skills. If you’re ready to level up your skills and achieve your full potential as a Project Manager in your industry, then I can help you.
DM me direct or visit my website: thinkitplanitdoitnow.com or email anthony@anthonyffrancis.com for more information.
I know that managing a project is a challenging undertaking, which is why is vital for a Project Manager to ensure that they also keep a record and capture the various lessons learnt as they progress.
We all are familiar with the term hindsight; it’s defined as the recognising of the dangers and/or possibilities of a situation after it occurs. It is for this reason that when projects are completed that lessons learnt report is completed.
The purpose of documenting lessons learnt is to share and use knowledge derived from experience when a project of a similar nature is proposed, as it allows for the assigned Project Manager and his/her team to review the previous project and be aware of previous challenges that had been encountered, and what had been learnt from it, and in so doing help them to promote the likelihood of a desirable outcome.
Knowing the importance of a lessons learned report, and the benefit of hindsight that can be brought to a new project, it is therefore surprising to know that very few project manager on completion of their projects record such information.
In addition, those that do record such information do so either on their own computer hard drives, or to their organisations project repository (if they have one) that very few people know exist or can’t be found.
The truth is that very few projects are started by a review of previous lessons learnt reports, which means that rather than avoid potential pitfalls, they end up repeating them.
So why is this? The answer is simple, most organisations don’t have a Project Management Office or PMO in which completed projects are recorded into, along with their associated documents like lessons learned reports. In addition, because these document repositories are not regularly updated or monitored, the information contained in them is therefore either out of date, or not communicated to the appropriate individuals when needed.
Given this avoidable oversight it’s not surprising that many projects repeat the failures of similar projects. So, what can be done, here are the 5 things that should be recorded by a Project Manager both during and at the end of their projects.
Here are a few examples of the type of lessons learnt that should be captured:
Quick Win Action.
What to know more?
With over 20 years Project Management Experience, I provide Coaching & Mentoring to both new and experienced Project Managers who are looking to further develop and enhance their Project Management Skills. If you’re ready to level up your skills and achieve your full potential as a Project Manager in your industry, then I can help you.
DM me direct or visit my website: thinkitplanitdoitnow.com or email anthony@anthonyffrancis.com for more information.
Partnerships are a crucial part of a company’s success. In today’s competitive environment partnerships can play a crucial role in the way the public perceive a company or organisation. Indeed, Charity and Corporate partnerships are very popular, not only in raising money for good causes, but for the caring image they portray in the mind of the corporate partner.
Partnerships are also not just restricted to corporate partners, there are other business partnerships with customers and the community. That said, partnerships are not like single projects, they involve teams form different organisations that must work together to meet an end goal.
The only problem is these teams have different internal drivers and business objectives. So to be successful, it is important that both partners develop the same objectives from the outset and commit to them if the partnership is to succeed. It must also be clear to both parties that a successful partnership must have a defined vision for existence beyond simply being a vehicle to make money.
In that endeavour, partnerships must also develop clear decision-making process if they are to be a success. As well as a culture of openness and transparency. If not one partner may end up doing what they want to do because they didn’t understand, agree with or buy-into the decisions and directions that they believed were made.
So, what are the 7 most important steps a project manager should know when managing a project partnerships? Below I have listed what I believe these 7 steps are if the project partnership is to be a success.
Let me know if you agree?
Quick Win Action.
Before the partnerships starts as Project Manager arrange a meeting to ensure that both partners core values are aligned, and that there is clear agreement with the decision making process. Getting this right from the start will avoid the possibilities any disputes which could impact the project later.
Want to know more?
With over 20 years Project Management Experience, I provide Coaching & Mentoring to both new and experienced Project Managers who are looking to further develop and enhance their Project Management Skills. If you’re ready to level up your skills and achieve your full potential as a Project Manager in your industry, then I can help you.
DM me direct or visit my website: thinkitplanitdoitnow.com or email anthony@anthonyffrancis.com for more information.
The one thing I take away from my career in Project Management, is that it’s not Project Management that’s important it’s People Management.
Project Management methodologies don’t implement projects, people do. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re a senior Project Director managing a £100M project, or someone managing their first project with a small team, the principle is the same, it’s the people not the process that implements the project.
That’s why as a Project Manager more than ever before, it’s vital to learn how to win over people’s cooperation, especially within your own project team.
So how can you do this? The answer is with motivation and inspiration. By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll know 5 ways to motivate and inspire your project team to work with and support you to achieve the goals of your project.
In today’s fast and digital world, we now live in it’s easy to send messages here and there or allocate a task in a Gantt Chart and think it will be done. With project management tools like Trello, Wrike and Asana to name but a few, at the click of a mouse you can assign and communicate assignments without having to talk with anybody. However, If you want people to go the extra mile and sacrifice their time and effort, then you should also be prepared to lead from the front by sharing in that sacrifice by leading from the front and doing so yourself.
The term the carrot and stick are commonly used when trying to get people to do things and can be effective. However, people are also motivated by-positive emotions like excitement, pride, a sense of belonging, and the thrill of achievement. So, it’s important to demonstrate and communicate the benefits and the bigger picture ‘why’, that you’re all in this together, and make it a real team effort, and to celebrate each milestone goals as the project progresses.
Yes, when in employment we are paid to work 9-5 five days per week. However, we all know that in the ‘real’ world ‘life’ things happen, so as a Project Manager recognise that and if requiring staff to work late be flexible and ask team members to work late work one night or even every night for a week than to expect them to work late indefinitely. It’s important in such circumstances to be realistic with your requests.
Another example of why Project Management is People Management comes when you’re having to explain reasons for wanting team members to do something. We often hare reasons like “If we don’t get this project completed on schedule, then we’ll lose the contract.” But the best reason of all is always personal. So, if possible, give your team extra days of or even a small token of appreciation like a team meal out, or even talks about something as intangible as the camaraderie that comes from having achieved something important together. Either way it’s important to make it personal.
A well-used cliché is ‘you should always lead from the front’. That maybe easier said than done. However, what’s more important in inspiring others in your team is your reputation, your character, and your behaviour more than anything else. Inspiration involves changing the way people think and feel about themselves so that they want to take positive actions.
It’s not about saying but doing, so if you really want to get the best out of others you must also be able to demonstrate and be the change you want to inspire.
Quick Win Action.
Praise and recognition go a long way, so take time out now make your team feel valued especially in front of their peers by introducing either a weekly or monthly ‘initiative award’ for the individual who suggest the best idea that benefits the project. The award could be vouchers for a meal out, it doesn’t have to cost a lot, as it’s the thought that counts.
What to do next ?
If you are ready to level up your skills and achieve your full potential as a Project Manager in your industry, then I can help you. Simply email or DM me and we’ll start mapping out the next steps in your progression.
If you have any questions or like to know more, please visit my website at: thinkitplanitdoitnow.com or email me on anthony@anthonyffrancis.com
Did you know according to a 2016 Bain & Company survey of 250 large companies, only 12% of change projects achieve or exceed their outcomes. A further 38% produce less than half their expected outcomes. The final 50% settle for a significant dilution of results. In other words, seven out of eight change initiatives FAIL!
So what can be done about it? I have listed below 5 reasons why projects fail, and more importantly what you can do as Project Manager to make sure it doesn’t happen to you, so your project is a success.
It may sound obvious, and it is but there is no way in knowing whether a project has been a success when you aren’t completely sure what you’re trying to accomplish in the first place and why? Before the project starts there are three questions that must be asked: 1. What is the project trying to achieve and why? 2. For whom is it for? and 3. How will you measure its success? Without establishing these fundamentals your project is already on a path to fail.
It was Benjamin Franklin who said “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Without a proper plan of execution, then achieving project goals can be both overwhelming and challenging even for the most experienced project manager and team. The planning phase not only helps to secure buy-in from stakeholders but also from the project team itself. In addition, Before commencing a project, it is important to look at all angles including uncertainties and eventualities that are unforeseen. As giving thought to the fact that things could go wrong allows you to create contingency plans for dealing with and mitigating for unexpected risks.
The purpose of a project communication plan is to provide the blueprint for communication processes during your project. The plan is more than just providing a status of work, it helps provide the right information to the right person at the right time in a format that works for everyone. Without such a communication plan, it is very likely your team will struggle to understand the objectives of the project and their roles in achieving its success. A lack of poor communication can have a domino effect that ultimately results in project failure.
Imagine paying millions of pounds to implement a new finance system in your organisation, only to find out that the people who will be using it either don’t like it, find it too complicated, or wasn’t consulted in the first place therefore leaving the project in limbo. This may sound far-fetched, but is sadly all too common when ‘user engagement’ is either underestimated or completely forgotten. It should not be forgotten that if the success of a project is directly linked to those who are going to use and benefit from it, that they are the ones who form part of your initial discussions, testing, and user experience before it goes ‘live’.
It all starts with a simple customer request to add an item here, a brilliant idea to expand and improve the service there, and before you know it you have moved into what is commonly known as Scope Creep. An area in which you have added additional project activity that was not originally agreed, costed or approved. This may also be as a result of the parameters of the project not being well-defined from the outset. Either way, this is why it’s so important to have a clear responsibility over the scope and control as Project Manager, despite how innocent at first it may seems to add additional activities.
What to do next ?
If you’re ready to level up your skills and achieve your full potential as a Project Manager in your industry then I can help you. Simply email or DM me and we’ll start mapping out the next steps in your progression.
If you have any questions or like to know more, please visit my website at www.thinkitplanitdoitnow.com or email me on anthony@anthonyffrancis.com