Project Management Tips and Tricks
October speaker Christine Kiefer (above) shares tips staying afloat in the sometimes-rough waters of project management, as STC-SWO members Frank Girolami and Elizabeth Fryer (below) take it all in.
Photos by Jean Fudge
At STC-SWO's October 18 meeting at Encore (in Springboro), certified Project Management Professional (PMP) Christine Kiefer discussed the art of project management. Christine is a Global Service Manager for the Global Web Solutions Center within Atos Origin, an international IT and consulting services provider.
Our discussion began with a common definition of project management: ensuring that a project is completed on-time, keeps spending within budget, and produces results that meet the defined scope. As far as it goes, that's not a bad definition, Christine said, but it's incomplete. The missing element? The project's people--stakeholders and team members. Here's a recap of her recommendations for understanding and managing those important human factors that make up the art of project management.
- The manager's people skills can make the difference between success and failure for the project.
A project can be on-time, within budget, compliant with the scope statement...and still be a failure. Why? Because its stakeholders and team members have unmet expectation and are confused by misleading and/or ineffective communication. A project management artist develops skills in leadership, communication, negotiation, influencing, and problem solving, as well as the more commonly discussed technical skills. - Management is not leadership.
Management handles, tells, and controls. It's results-focused, rules-based, and authoritarian. Leadership communicates, influences, and sells. It's people-focused, proactive, and inspirational. A project management artist understands stakeholders and team members and knows how to negotiate without compromising on vital issues. - Team building is essential.
A project team goes through stages as its members confront each other, struggle for control, establish collective procedures, and finally become flexible, productive, and team-oriented--if the manager is skillful in guiding the evolution. A project management artist is creative in setting up reward systems that encourage teamwork. - Many projects require a global perspective.
As the economy becomes more global, project stakeholders and team members include people from different countries and cultures with sometimes wildly varying backgrounds, goals, and frames of reference. The project management artist encourages the project team to respect differences and embrace opportunities to learn from each other. .
- Stakeholders are important.
Stakeholders need information; you need to know what they need, why and when they need it, and how they want it presented. The project management artist takes the time to make sure that the team and the stakeholders are communicating effectively.