Top Tips for Project Managers to
          Improve Performance


Top Tips for Project Management: More Than Technical Know-How

April 2008  Print

A renewed focus on deadlines, budgets and contractual performance has forced the project management industry to a new level of accountability.

Coupled with external pressures such as compliance and heightened shareholder scrutiny, businesses need to ensure their focus stays on their strategic direction.

How do businesses balance conflicting operational priorities with project based strategies? What criteria should be used when prioritising projects and allocating the most efficient resources to those projects?

According to Marcia Morales, Business Development Manager for DDLS’ People and Process courses, businesses face three critical elements for successful project management:

1. Depth of knowledge to build an accurate scope that relates directly to end product or service;

2. A clear understanding of the costs and measurements for success; and  

3. Adequate team resourcing to bring it in on time.

But, says Morales, good project management extends beyond these core technical skills. Project Managers need to rely on softer skills including communication, negotiation, and people management to deliver a favourable outcome within any project.

There are three areas where a project manager's soft skills can make or break the successful outcome of the project:

1. Never Underestimate the Importance of Sponsor Engagement and Support

The Sponsor is the person who is ultimately accountable for a project – they pay the cheques and approve any changes to scope or budget – identify who these people are in the first instance.

The Sponsor may be an internal manager or part of a steering committee. Ensuring he or she is engaged in the project is a major determinant of its success. 

Project Managers must draw on soft skills such as good communication and negotiation techniques to ensure the Sponsor is kept informed and remains an active participant in the implementation process

2. Set Clear Expectations

It is one thing to successfully roll out a new technology and another thing to have a project deemed a success.

If end user experience does not match expectations, whether a project was delivered on time and to budget is irrelevant.

The difference is to ensure that all stakeholders in a project – from the end user to management – have a clear understanding of what outcomes the project will deliver. Underpinning this is clear communication of what a project will deliver at an “experience” level, i.e. what does success look and feels like to me or the organisation.

3. Create a Culture for Change

Most successful projects encompass an element of change. This change may be minor – such as a change in a software user interface, or major, such as an overhaul of major workflow processes.

Either way, creating a culture that adapts and accepts change is fundamental to project success. 

This task often extends beyond the Project Manager to include other stakeholders and depends on the project’s importance, it can include senior management for example. There are numerous theories for change management, but central to all of them is effective communication and leadership.

The good news is that soft skills such as communication, people management and negotiation can be enhanced through training.

Executives responsible for the development of Project Managers must invest in training them not just in the technical aspects of the discipline but also soft skills.

Importantly, this includes capturing learnings from past engagements to help foster ongoing improvement.

In addition to more successful project outcomes, the benefits are huge improvements in employee satisfaction and team morale.

 

To learn more about Project Management: