The world is demanding that we change the way we live, work, and communicate. We’re in crisis mode right now, and people are feeling everything from “mildly unsettled” to “completely panicked”.
When a crisis happens on your project…because the SteerCo chopped your timeline, the company decided to reorg, or you lose a key resource:
- How does your team react?
- Who do they turn to?
- How do you settle them down?
- How do you get your project running smoothly again?
I bet you can answer these questions without having to think about them very long.
You are a Project Manager. You are used to shifting and flexing based on changes in the environment. It’s what you do and who you are.
And what your team relies on you for.
So my question for you is: what is the difference between a crisis due to an internal factor and an external one?
The fact is, people will panic when something happens!
- Not everyone on your team is going to be comfortable – or able to – work from home
- Some extended team members may not be available right now
- IT may be backed up
So what do you do when the world shakes everything up? The exact same things you do when the reason is internal.
Need more convincing? Let’s see what your new challenges could look like in the old world (aka 3 weeks ago):
New World: You are being held to the SAME timeline, but your team isn’t as efficient
Old World: Your timeline got chopped
New World: you can’t reach your Sponsor because they are in crisis-management meetings every day. Or one of your Leads suddenly gets pulled for additional responsibilities in the plant because the usual supervisor is considered high risk and must stay home
Old World: The company reorganized
New World: A key resource doesn’t have a laptop, or they need to home-school their kids during the day. Or all the IT folks have been re-purposed to supporting all the resources who suddenly need to work from home.
Old World: You lost a key resource
Same effect, different cause.
Trust yourself in this new world. You pivot. You adjust. You are the rudder for your team no matter where the storm is coming from. You’re the Project Manager and YOU’VE GOT THIS!