BUS605: Strategic Project Management

5a. Characterize effective project management teams in an organization

• What is the difference between management and leadership?
• Why are leadership skills so important for project managers?
• What are some techniques for dealing with team conflict?
• What is a high-performing project team?

Project managers are not managers in the truest sense. Therefore, they need to have several tools with which to manage disparate teams. These tools include the ability to motivate, influence, and inspire. However, in order for a team to follow a leader, there needs to be trust.

Often, conflict can arise with diverse groups of individuals. Conflicts can include disagreements between team members or a particularly difficult team member. These differences can occur when members feel they are not heard or valued. It's important to be sure that all viewpoints, including opposing viewpoints, are heard and given fair consideration. Group think, when the team begins to agree with each other rather than exploring alternative ideas, can result in poor decision-making.

Resolving conflict among the team may involve using a variety of different skills, including reframing or confronting the problem, restructuring the problem, enlisting the help of a neutral third party, and negotiating for compromise. It's important to understand several conflict management styles, such as:

• Competitive (Win/Lose)- where the goal of the parties is to win while others lose.
• Collaboration (Win/Win) - a preferred method where everyone is heard and everyone wins in the outcome.
• Compromise (½ win/1/2 lose) - involves finding a middle road that everyone can feel comfortable with.
• Accommodation (Lose/Win) - give up your position in favor of someone else's.
• Avoidant - sometimes referred to as giving up. This position can lead to suppressed feelings and to deeper conflict or bickering at a later time.

To review, read What is Leadership?, Conflict Resolution Strategies, and Five Models for Understanding Team Dynamics.

 

5b. Examine team management techniques and practices in a project context

• How can setting team goals and providing feedback help project teams work together?

Successful project teams require cultivation. Team members must know their expectations and understand the team norms. Accountability is important. Project managers need to know how to develop strong team-oriented members and instill a desire for success.

Project managers need to set clear goals for the project team and then hold the team responsible for achieving those goals. Goals without action and accountability rarely achieve the intended outcomes. Strong communication strategies are one way in which a project manager can set expectations for the team. Because a project team is a collective and the results represent those of the collective body, it is important to set goals for the team in general, as well as reward the team for the efforts.

There are several good team-building techniques that can help a project manager achieve a high-performing project team. Understanding the different personalities of team members is important. Acknowledging feelings and seeking fairness can help create a sense of trust among team members. Interpersonal communication with the team should always enforce accountability. Finally, the team needs to see that you, as the project manager, are fighting for them when needed. This goes a long way to building trust in your leadership.

To review, read Building Successful Teams.

 

5c. Apply appropriate change control processes to manage the project's triple constraint

• What are the uses of a scope document?
• How should scope changes be documented and approved?
• What is the difference between a deviation and a change?

Uncontrolled project changes are often referred to as scope creep. Scope creep can cause project delays (schedule) or cost overruns (budget). The triple constraint of project management tells us that changes to one area of the triple constraint (scope, schedule, or budget) will impact the other areas. It has to!

For example, requiring a task to be completed sooner than originally planned may require additional workers to be added to the task and therefore impact the budget of the project. Or, adding additional requirements to a deliverable may require additional workers, raw materials, or time to implement, impacting the budget and schedule.

Projects teams should use some formal processes for submitting changes to the project for evaluation and approval of project sponsors. The project team can evaluate the impact of the requested change to the scope, schedule, and budget of the project and provide important information to the sponsor that can be used to make an informed decision. A formal change approval process can help the project team acquire additional time or money to manage the work to be completed.

To review, read Starting a Project.

 

5d. Demonstrate good interpersonal skills needed for the successful management of stakeholders, sponsors, team members, vendors, suppliers, and others interested in the project

• What does it mean to be politically savvy?
• What is necessary among the project team to use persuasion?
• How can becoming a good listener help build your people skills?

Often referred to as soft skills, interpersonal skills are important for project managers. Project managers that do not have direct authority over their project team members need to use interpersonal skills and leadership to influence and encourage the project team.

Some interpersonal skills include the following:

• Persuasion - the ability to sell yourself and your ideas.
• Thinking on your feet - the ability to speak well when under pressure.
• Recognize organizational politics - understanding the political climate in your workplace and using your advantage and the advantage of others without causing harm.
• Building teams - the ability to build strong relationships among the members of the team to accomplish the project goals.
• Manage conflict - the ability to implement conflict resolution techniques within teams to the benefit of all parties.

To review, read Developing Interpersonal Skills Is Key to Your Success.

 

5e. Determine appropriate correction actions to take when project risk is realized

• What is a risk mitigation plan?
• What is a risk contingency plan?
• How does a risk assessment chart help the project manager?
• What is a risk register?

Projects face risks. Performing a risk assessment during the planning phase of the project and periodically throughout project execution helps the project manager develop contingency and mitigation plans. Such plans provide guidance should a project risk be realized.

Risk planning involves accurately identifying potential risks to the project. This can be done through group activities such as brainstorming or by involving key project stakeholders. Once risks have been identified, they should be evaluated for their impact on the project and their likelihood of occurring. Risks that have a high impact and high likelihood of occurring should receive the greatest attention during the planning part. Often a risk matrix or risk waterfall chart can provide a visual representation of impact and likelihood.

For risks with high probability and likelihood, mitigation and contingency plans are recommended. Mitigation plans are used to seek to avoid the risk from occurring. Contingency plans, often called backup plans, are used to provide alternatives should a risk be realized.

A risk register is used to capture project risks. The risk description, potential impact, probability, likelihood, priority, mitigation/contingency summary, and risk owner are some of the data used to prepare the risk register. The project manager/project team should refer to the risk register throughout the project to stay on top of potential problems before they occur.

To review, read Manage Risk and Risk Monitoring and Control.

 

5f. Identify appropriate techniques for quality analysis given a scenario

• What is quality assurance?
• What is quality control?
• When should a project manager employ a Pareto chart, cause and effect diagram, histograms, or control charts?

The triple constraint deals with project scope, schedule, and budget. However, a project manager needs to balance the triple constraint while focusing on the quality of the deliverables. Quality is often considered the fourth constraint because of the importance placed on quality and project success. Quality activities can cost a project and need to be clearly balanced with project requirements to ensure that money isn't spent trying to go above and beyond what is required. However, poor quality can lead to defects, rework, and failures of deliverables.

Quality consists of assurance and control activities. There are several quality tools for both assurance and control activities. Quality assurance activities revolve around the prevention of defects. Here we seek to manage quality through the implementation of quality standards and processes. In quality control, we are verifying that the quality efforts have been successful. Inspection and other statistical analysis techniques are employed.

Some of the tools used in a quality analysis include:

• Checklists - a checklist or a list to tally issues.
• Histograms - provide a graphical representation of frequency distribution.
• Run charts- a line over graphed data that demonstrates changes in a process over time.
• Control charts - a run chart with limits.
• Pareto charts - a bar chart of frequencies that show the largest to smallest.

Using graphical representations can help identify large discrepancies, making it easier to see where action needs to be taken.

To review, read Quality Management and Basic Tools in Quality Control.

 

5g. Compare the impact of risk on the project's scope, schedule, or budget

• How can a change control board help minimize risk impact?
• What reports can help a project manager report risk impact?
• What are two types of corrective actions?

Risks can impact the project's triple constraint. This is why it is so important to attempt to prevent risks from occurring whenever possible. This process is known as risk mitigation. Mitigation focuses on avoiding the risk before it occurs and requires active monitoring of the risk.

However, should risks occur, having contingency plans in place can help minimize the impact on the project scope, schedule, and budget. Contingency plans represent the corrective actions that will be taken should the risk be realized. Often contingency plans include reserve money or pre-authorized increases in staff, outsourcing, or increased materials costs. Negotiating these corrective actions in advance can help not only soften the blow associated with a risk realized but can speed up resolutions.

Active monitoring is needed to take quick action. Often risks are assigned to individuals on the project team for monitoring. When mitigation plans are in place, status reporting should be included with regular project status reports.

Having reserves available in the budget is another way in which to speed up resolution. Contingency reserves are those monies set aside to address any risks that are realized. Management reserves are set aside in the event of unforeseen problems in the project. Reserves can be in either money or time.

To review, read Manage Risk and Risk Monitoring and Control.

 

Unit 5 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms you will need to know to successfully complete the final exam.

• contingency plan
• contingency reserves
• corrective action
• leadership
• management
• management reserves
• mitigation plan
• Pareto chart
• persuasion
• quality assurance
• quality control
• risk impact