A Solid Launch Consulting

A Human-Centered Approach to Leadership & Team Development

leadership

How Do You Retain Critical Resources?

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I was reflecting on a recent project and the struggles we had with resources. As a lean company, there weren’t too many options when someone was out for some reason. It was a big impact on our schedule and caused more than a few “creative moves” to keep the project on target.

Part of the issue stems from this simple fact: Project Managers rarely own their resources. Many projects span departments and have a blend of employees and contractors. And businesses are constantly over-allocating! Even the best Project Managers fail without enough resources.

So how do you obtain – and retain – these critical people?

Resource allocation is one of the trickiest facets of project management. The resources named in the Charter aren’t usually the ones you Launch with. The more you understand your company’s culture, it’s priorities and projects, and the way it handles resource shortages and fire drills, the better equipped you’ll handle the next resource complication.

One of the most effective ways to get the inside scoop is to meet with the direct managers of your resources. These folks aren’t always part of your management team, so you may need to seek them out. Get to know them, their priorities, and how they run their departments. Learn what’s going on in their world and you’ll have the knowledge – and relationship – to mitigate risks to your project team.

3 Key Questions to Ask Resource Owners:

  • How is their department structured? If everyone is cross-trained, the hit from your project is minimized. But if there’s “1 key guy” who knows some legacy system and he’s on your team, you can bet he’ll be pulled for emergencies! This will drive your allocation plan.
  • Have there been any big hits lately? Life happens: people move, have babies, take vacation. Business also happens: restructuring, product launches, audits. Even if your resources aren’t directly involved, they may be affected: Joe covers for someone who leaves; Suba is assigned to a task force. If you’re aware, you won’t wonder why Joe’s work is falling behind or why Suba isn’t answering her emails…knowing is the first step in resolving issues.
  • What other projects are on-deck? A big project may compete with yours or put a strain on the whole department’s resources. Knowledge gives you options. If the projects are running in parallel, you can work with the resource manager and the other project’s PM to align your schedules or find alternative resources.

If resources are your biggest project risk, call it out early and often. If you see a spike in resource needs coming up, put it on the Risk Register so the Sponsor and Steering Committee know. Talk with your team about it; show them the plan and work on mitigating it. They may think of solutions you wouldn’t have considered. You do not need to come up with the solution by yourself.

And remember, no team member wants to disappoint their manager – including their Project Manager! If you know about your team’s schedule and help them balance their work, your resources will be more inclined to tell you when they’re having other conflicts. The trust relationship will grow, leading to an increase in participation and output.

Can I Get A Word In Edgewise?

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Remember the days of being in the same room as your team?

Most of the world has been remote for a long time. But I’ve heard rumblings that some people are heading back to the office…and some aren’t.

While I don’t bring this up to comment on the state of the world in the coming months, I do want to talk about the difficulties managing a team that’s only partially remote.

One particular time sticks in my head. I was on a conference call with my Core Team. Usually, I was in the room and could keep the meeting on track. But this time I was one of the team members who dialed in, while others were in the office.

WOW. That was one tough meeting.

I felt like I was “on mute” the whole time – I couldn’t get a word in without someone talking over me! It was as if the people in the room felt like they were the only people involved in the project – those on the phone were on the outside looking in.

As the leader, I struggled to communicate with the folks in the room. It was a really big reminder of how my remote team members feel whenever I held a meeting from the main office.

The reality moving forward may be a partially remote team. That’s so much more difficult than everyone remote!

So what’s the solution? How can we make sure everyone feels involved?

One way is what I call “All On or All In”.

That means, if everyone isn’t in the room, everyone dials in from their desk. I realize that “all on” can be challenging, as some people work next door to each other in the office.

But there are ways to handle that. The most obvious is to use headphones so you don’t hear audio from the cubicle next door.

What it does not mean is “cheating” and having 3 people in a conference room looking at 1 person’s projection on the wall.

Make it a level playing ground. If no one can have a sidebar conversation, the whole team feels included. And that makes team bonding a whole lot easier.

Stay safe, stay healthy – and lead on!

Soup to Nuts?or Hors d’Ouevres to Mignardise

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I have a question for you: have you ever been at one of those fancy “12 Course Meal” restaurants?

A lot of us are so busy we throw together a quick dinner with everything served on the same plate, skipping the green beans because it would take too long and it’s too much effort.

Although we’re “fed”, we may not feel satisfied, and we aren’t getting the nutrients we need to stay healthy!

But think about that 12-course meal for a moment. It’s fascinating! The point is not just to fill your belly, but to let you experience the meal with all your senses, and each course builds upon the last – it’s a journey, not a destination. ?and they don’t skimp on the veggies!

The chef paints a complete picture – each course is an element essential to the whole. One that provides both experience and nutrition.

Often, our team members are hyper-focused on their own work. They are so deep in the weeds that they lose sight of what?s around them. They don?t see how they fit into the project as a whole, or how important it is to connect with the rest of the team.

Part of our role as Project Manager is to help the team step back and see the larger picture.

Here are 3 suggestions to help your people think beyond their box:

  • End to Ends: if your project is process-oriented, have the team members get together to run through a critical process (*warning: this can be really bumpy!)
  • Cross-Training: this is good practice anyway, but terrific for understanding how we’re all part of a whole
  • Introduce Errors: similar to End to Ends, have someone make a mistake in the first step of a process and see how it impacts everyone else

Your team will work better – and more effectively – if they pick up their head every once in a while. The way you help them do that is only limited by your imagination. Maybe you can paint them a picture with some fancy food!

Speaking of fancy, here’s an article that explains what goes into each course in that 12-course meal you just volunteered to make: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/2578/full-course-meal.html


Stay safe, stay healthy – and lead on!
Amy

PS ? I sent this post to my dad, who happens to be an amazing leader. Here’s what he said: “Your mother never skips the green beans. As far as working as a team, take time to celebrate everyone’s talent or contribution.”
Wise words from a wise man!

Who, Me? Building Team Member Confidence

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I took a strategy course during graduate school – a group project with 4 other people. We were each responsible for one section of a research project. One of our members, we’ll call him Joe, came to every single meeting?but without his part complete. Not even a draft!

The team tried everything we could think of to get Joe?s input. We offered to work with him, to divide the work if he was too busy, to go over a draft with him, etc. We tried being supportive, strict, logical, you name it. We gave him reasonable deadlines, but farther out than the rest of us had. Joe was a great guy and had good ideas in other classes, so no one could understand why he wasn?t holding up his end of our particular project.

With deadlines looming, we started writing Joe?s section. Then our group?s mentor called a meeting. He?d met with Joe to talk about the issue. It turns out that Joe was too intimidated by the rest of the group to turn in anything!
He sat at home, writing draft after draft?and could never bring himself to show it to us. 

We sat there, stunned. Us? Intimidating?  We explained to our
mentor that we?d tried everything we could think of to help Joe. He replied
that obviously, we hadn?t tried everything because we didn?t figure it
out; Joe still didn?t feel like he was smart enough to belong in the group.

That lesson has stuck with me for over 20 years. I still don?t know what else we could have done to help Joe feel part of the team?and that haunts me still. 

When it comes to other human beings, no matter what you think,
no matter how hard you try to figure them out, there still may be something you?re missing. Never assume you know what is going on in someone?s mind. Recognize that, just as you find some people and groups to be intimidating, you may be intimidating to others, as well. The bottom line is to never give up on people. Keep trying, continue to be supportive, and work through issues. You?d want them to do the same for you.