In an ideal world, running a project would be a pleasure. A project manager would trust their team to work together effectively: to deliver high-quality objectives on time and on budget. Unfortunately, this is almost never the case: obstacles arise, deadlines drift, and fires must be put out. The biggest difference between teams that overcome these setbacks lies in the project manager’s ability to trust everyone on the team.

Below is a road-map for project managers that will allow them to hand off more responsibility to team members: let those team members prove themselves, and eventually take much of the pressure off the project manager while the team works harmoniously.

1. Give Your Team The Opportunity to Own a Task & Its Solution

Ari Buchalter, writer at Fortune, says that the primary role of any manager is to define a strategy and empower everyone on the team to realize that strategy.

That’s why his company designs project teams to function as self-contained, self-sufficient units within the larger company structure. “We set up teams that can independently develop solutions—each with effective leadership, strong talent within each functional area, and a clear sense of their unique objectives,” he writes.

“They are empowered to think creatively about the technology and business challenges before them and define and own the solutions. … Autonomous teams increase throughput, creativity, and sense of ownership.”

Of course, it will be up to the project manager to make sure these teams deliver objectives to spec. But that spirit of autonomy often incubates ideas that will wow stakeholders as results ripple throughout the company.

By fostering that environment of independence, you open the door to team members who want to do good work and prove themselves. But this independence requires a checks-and-balances mechanism, which brings us to the next point.

2. When Delegating Tasks, Build Accountability Into The Process

Accountability is the key to letting go and learning to delegate out tasks effectively. For many project managers, however, holding someone accountable for an outcome feels a little like playing the bad cop. As a result, tasks often get delegated then lost in the ether.

“Effective leaders build accountability into the assignment; they don’t leave it to chance,” writes David Dye, founder and president of consultancy Trailblaze, Inc. “To build accountability into the assignment, schedule a mutual appointment where you will receive the assignment back from the other person.”

When delegating, Dye recommends project managers set up a specific meeting — time, date, place, and mark it on the calendar — with team members to discuss final outcomes of a task. The person will understand that there will be a moment when he or she must be able to speak to outcomes and findings. That way, the assigned task doesn’t get de-prioritized into oblivion.

3. Grant Authority to Team Members Who Prove Themselves

When those team members deliver great work, you’ll feel more comfortable putting your trust in them. The beauty of trustworthy people is you can hand off more than specific tasks to them; you can trust them with decision-making authority.

Executive mentor Steve Caldwell, writing for The Huffington Post, recommends giving these team members a budget where appropriate and a green light to make decisions without consulting you.

“When you approach delegation in this manner, you are moving away from only managing tasks to leading a team”, he writes.

“Work to structure your schedule so that the majority of your time is spent in one-on-ones with each team member, being sure they are moving forward with their projects and goals, and you are intercepting roadblocks and paving the way for them to accomplish their responsibilities.”

Once you do this, you’ll have a process in place that will build mutual trust between you and your team. When you have trust and everyone doing great work, you can focus your energy elsewhere. For exampling, keeping track of your calendar: on meeting deadlines and accomplishing all of your objectives.

To Finish

This model is scalable: department managers can empower their own team with these tips: find ways to let go of any micromanagement tendencies, and just maybe find time to actually use all of their vacation days.

Video

The post 3 Simple Ways Project Managers Create Self-Sufficient Teams appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2boCZSv
via Project-Management.com

Today, companies are having to adapt to virtual offices as the way to operate their business. Every company needs teamwork to succeed. Whether the team meets in person or virtually, they must be driven to do well. A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams is a book designed to help all managers overcome logistics, and communication gaps which can occur because of virtual offices. The book’s principal goal is to assist managers organize their virtual teams, and hold them accountable .

Book Details

The book is available in English both for the paperback version and the Kindle version. The book is 6.3 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches with 272 pages. Published on August 17, 2011, by AMACOM publishers. ISBN-10: 0814416594; ISBN-13: 978-0814416594

Price

Kindle version costs $ 7.69; paperback version costs $ 21.95, and hardcover cost

Target Audience

This book targets business managers – to help them deal with the realities of modern business. Before the information age, managers dealt with their team’s face to face, but now they have to cope with virtual management. The book also targets business administration students since the current education syllabus does not cover the virtual business topic entirely.

What Customers Say

• Mark B (Amazon) is a manager, and after his facilitator had recommended the book to him, he enjoyed it, and many sections helped him manage his virtual team and hold them accountable. It made him more attentive, and he was able to get more feedback from stakeholders as well as from his team.
• Sherri K (Amazon) liked the book’s organization and the style of writing. She found that the book’s philosophical output stretched beyond its business application to personal use.
• Jeff B (Amazon) thought the book provided the reader with the tools to leverage the new digital world and to take advantage of its business opportunities.
• Mark O (Amazon) thought the book was made up of repeated applications that did’nt help with the integration of doing business with the digital world.

Content, Approach, Style

Content: created to help managers deal with the challenges that arise while managing virtual teams. The book explains the principals involved when managing virtual teams. As well, tips for creating trust between team members.

Approach: The author uses case scenarios to explain principles as well as tips that are necessary for the application of the principles discussed.

Style: The author uses simple English with little business jargon – making it easy to understand the book.

Why Buy the Book

The world is changing, nowadays it is possible to form a company and employ a team of people who will never meet. This new trend comes with new challenges, and this book provides the manager with the guidelines to help organize the virtual team. It explains important principles such as conflict resolutions, accountability, and forming trust between people who have never met, or may never meet. This book is a road-map for all managers who at some point will manage a virtual team.

Author

Zofi Yael is a virtual management expert with over 20 years of experience. Currently, she works at American Management Association and New York University School of Engineering. She studied at Columbia University in New York. Previously, she worked at JP Morgan. Over the years, she has developed an interest in virtual management. Because of the experience she has amassed, she was able to write a guide for all managers. Interact with her on LinkedIn.

Kindle version costs $ 7.69; paperback version costs $ 21.95, and hardcover cost

The post A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams – 1st edition Book Review appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2bo758z
via Project-Management.com

With globalization, collaboration has become even more necessary as people from all over the globe can potentially contribute to a project. Businesses like web design and development require a project management application as they may not have a physical work location. They need a lot of close interaction to facilitate the completion of the project on time and without a hitch. The outcome of the project depends on the quality of project management to a large extent in these scenarios.

Web applications are one of the best ways to manage a projects as they have all the right ingredients to let you maximize the productivity and steer the project in the right direction. As a business owner or a project manager, you will be able to keep track of the project in terms of work load, work scheduling, task completion, and a host of other activities. For more information on web applications, we completed a software review of the what we consider to be the top 25 web applications.

Here is a List of Project Management Web App Attributes That You Should Consider so That You Choose The Right One

1. It Lets You Create Your Team

A good project management web app must give you the option to let you create your dream team and collaborate with them effectively. The completion of a project can be ensured only when your team is able to interact without hassle.

2. Gives You Insight into Every Aspect of a Project

The web app should let you integrate your favorite apps to the workflow that you may require for better tracking and monitoring of a project. This ensures that you are able to have insight into the diverse aspects of a project without leaving the web application.

3. Syncs Across All Devices

This is one of the most crucial aspects of an application as some of the members of the team may be on the move all the time. They must be able to keep track of their tasks and give their input using any device like a mobile phone or a tablet.

4. Lets You Share Resources

There’re instances when team members need to share files among themselves. Hence, the project management system must be able to share files like images, videos, PPT, doc file and others. This will aid the sharing of ideas too.

5. Sends Notifications

You may not be logged into the project management application but there may be an issue that requires your attention. The best way to stay updated is to have notifications sent directly to a device or email address. This feature must be present in an application.

6. Ensures Security

Security is a major concern these days and there must be enough user authentication in a project management application. Also, there must be an option to provide different levels of access to users in order to protect sensitive data.

7. Allows You to Monitor Projects

Each and every aspect of the project including all the activities should easily be available for monitoring. From calendar, personal tasks and who did what on the project – it should be on the activity screen. All the data along with the backup must also be stored in one place for easy access and tracking.

8. Allows You to Set Goals & Milestones

Goals and milestones are imperative to the timely completion of a project. The application should let you assign tasks to a milestone and create stages in a project. The option to track the milestone and stages is a must.

Wrap Up!

Apart from these attributes, there are a few other qualities that make a good web application. They include an intuitive interface, ticket prioritization, and filtering and file management, etc. And of course the application has to be cost-effective. Although there’re a lot of web apps for project management, a business may still require a tailor-made application. Luckily, there are several web app development companies that can help you build a custom project management application.

And there you have it. Now you’re aware of the qualities that must be present in a good project management web application. Happy project managing!

The post How to Know Which Web Application Is Best For Your Project appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2bubeed
via Project-Management.com

Benjamin Franklin once said “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Diligent planning is essential for any success in business. This is particularly true for projects, especially complex ones with many stakeholders, dependencies and tight deadlines.

When tracking multiple projects, it is all too easy to lose focus and the overview of important milestones. The result is chaos.

When You Stop Controlling Deadlines, They Start Controlling You

According to a study by McKinsey & Company at Oxford University covering 5,400 large-scale IT projects, large projects run 45% over budget and 7% over time and deliver 56% less value than expected, with 17% of projects going so badly that they threaten the existence of the company.

Why Projects Fail

The natural question is: Why do so many projects fail – despite the best intentions of stakeholders?

Poor project planning and scope creep are on the top of the list of reasons for project failure. Project managers either do not have an overview of all the tasks and milestones or changes are made to the schedule which were not accounted before the start of the project. Among the top 10 reasons why projects fail are also insufficient communication and ineffective management.

Without clear communication of goals and objectives to all project members, important deadlines and other project information are simply lost. The result is confusion and chaos.

What Do All of These Reasons for Project Failure Have in Common?

Projects fail when project managers do not have a clear overview or visualization of their project. They need to fully understand the different tasks and steps necessary to successfully complete a project.

Avoid project failure by having a clear overview of the project stages and a clear, central exchange of information.

How Do I Avoid Project Failure? One Strategy Is to Use a Project Management Software

Project management software is a great way to not only document but also plan and review projects. In a 2014 survey conducted by InformationWeek, 53% of respondents said they used project management software to keep on top of their projects’ progress.

An important aspect of project management software is the ability to display Gantt charts to visualize and track a project’s progress. Humans are visual creatures. About 90% of the information we process is visual. Therefore, Gantt charts provide a great way to visualize the deadlines and relationships of project tasks.

Gantt Charts in OpenProject

OpenProject is a leading web-based open source project management software tool. Among many other features (such as issue tracking / management, time & cost tracking and meeting organization), it allows users to easily create timeline reports / Gantt charts.

In addition, users can automatically show the differences in planning between the current version and the original state in planning. Vertical planning elements can be displayed to signify blocking elements (e.g. vacation, server maintenance) across the entire task spectrum. In order to display the progress of complex project hierarchies, OpenProject allows users to display Gantt charts of multiple projects in a single, central project. This provides a very easy way to show the progress of multiple projects in one place. – A great way to provide managers with a dashboard overview of multiple projects.

To learn more about this and other OpenProject features, take a look at the OpenProject website page or check out our OpenProject software review.

The post How to Avoid Project Failure: Effective Scheduling appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2bovfEo
via Project-Management.com

8 Team Building Tips for Leaders That Actually Work
By Richard Lepsinger
Great teams are the building blocks of any organization. A great team has shared goals, clear roles, transparent processes for solving problems and making decisions, and the ability to deal with conflicts constructively. A good team may have some of these elements; a great team […]

from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/2aMCboS
via pmhut.com

For years, businesses have operated with a strict organizational flow or a hierarchy. It dictated who made the decisions for the company. As a new generation of employees enters the workforce, companies are realizing that this status quo needs to change. We’ll help you identify and understand some of the newest trends in project management; that way you can more efficiently get the results you’re looking for.

1. Rethinking the Management Structure

This doesn’t mean doing away with management altogether; it just means that managers throughout the hierarchy need to get used to engaging with employees on various levels, and for various reasons. Gone are the days when you spoke with those directly above or below you in the structure. Younger employees are used to a more democratic method of engagement, and wise leaders will be quick to adopt this. This way any type of tension or conflict will also find a swift release as the employees won’t be afraid to voice their concerns.

2. Focusing on Results

Creativity and “out of the box” thinking are key skills that employers are looking for. More companies are abandoning strict methodology in favor of goal setting. How your employees decide to achieve those goals is less important than making sure the end result is met. Make sure that your employees understand any ethical concerns (don’t do anything immoral or illegal) and turn them loose. It’s okay to check in periodically to make sure that everyone is on the same page, but don’t question a method or style that doesn’t fit with your expectations. As long as the end result is good, let the employees decide how to get it done.

3. Recognizing Employee Strengths and Weaknesses

In a path to more efficient workplaces, it’s becoming more and more apparent that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to managing employees is a good way to waste time and get poor results. Trying to ensure that 10 employees have mastered 10 skills each is difficult and can lead to frustration, anger, and resentment within a team. Why not make sure everyone has a basic understanding of the responsibilities? This would then allow them to focus their energies in the direction that they are most suited for. Find out your team’s strongest points and make the most of their individual assets.

4. Opening Up the Communication Flow

Making sure that the decision makers are in touch with the people actively pursuing the goals of the company is essential. Make it your objective for the leadership to be approachable, and be willing to listen. Often the people with the best ideas are those that are working in the trenches. For years, brilliant ideas were overlooked and ignored due to the inability to break that “chain of command” mentality. A mentality that dictated that the front line workers never engaged with the top tier. Great ideas were often left untapped, or worse, lost when those employees left for competitors.

5. Increasing Transparency

Having an open door policy, and an open organizational plan is key to moving forward with this type of project management trend. When the left hand knows what the right hand is doing, both hands can work together to complete a task much more efficiently. Everyone ends up in working in the dark when your organization is split into different groups. That is because these groups don’t interact or engage with one another. It’s critical that decision makers have all of the information that they need to make informed decisions about the direction to take in order to meet the end goals. Finding out critical information too late can derail a project with disastrous results.

It’s also important that everyone in the organization understands the basics of the budget; it will help people understand why they can’t have the newest bit of technology, or why another department was able to order supplies but yours can’t right now.

Conclusion

The thing that all of these trends have in common is greater flexibility. With the new technological advances and remote capabilities, shifting practices and mobile abilities are adding flexibility to every aspect of an organization. Keeping up with these changes can mean the difference between success and failure.

The post 5 Newest Trends in Project Management appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2aBsrCr
via Project-Management.com

A girl can never have too many lipstick options, Zoe Sugg. The same is true about RACI matrix options – you can never have too many. Here is a list of 10 that will help you hypothesize, strategize, and standardize. This article explains how you can modify this responsibility assignment matrix to manage your project resources. In alphabetical order here are your RACI alternatives:

1. ARCI: Approve, Recommend, Consulted, Informed

This alternative organizes who gets to make which decisions. A for Approve: the person in this role is given the authorization to approve answers to a decision. R for Recommend: provides suggestions as to an answer to a decision. C for Consulted: two-way communication in this role – the person in this role instills their wisdom into others. I for Informed: this again is the person who is kept in the loop. They simply stay informed about actions taken on a project.

2. CAIRO: Consulted, Accountable, Informed, Responsible, Out of the loop

Nope, we’re not talking about the capital of Egypt. The RACI acronym is simply ordered differently and the additional function is, on a need to know basis. The O, whether he likes it or not, does not need to know. O for out of the loop or omitted – pretty self explanatory. In more polite terms, the purpose of this role is to prevent a cumbersome project. Communication is important, but if someone does not need to be informed, consulted or communicated with they are omitted. It is about keeping the right people in the loop. These are the ones who (and only those people) play an integral part during the project process, which in turn, improves efficiency in a project.

3. DACI: Driver, Approver, Contributors, Informed

More than just rhyming with RACI, this alternative has a few variations. D for Driver: he/she is steering the ship. A for Approve: decision maker(s) and therefore liable. C for Contributors: the squad, send them off to do their thing, keep the channel of communication open and two-way. Then, voila they will produce your deliverable. And finally, as traditionally used in the RACI matrix, I for Informed: the person who needs to be kept abreast as to the actions taken on a task or project because they impact the informed.

4. PACSI: Perform, Accountable, Control, Suggest, Inform

On a project where input from numerous stakeholders is necessary this RACI alternative is a viable option.

P for Perform: the person conducting the required activities to complete the task(s). A for Accountable: the delegator and person who may have to explain as to why certain actions were taken. C for Control: the accountable has a side-kick, the control monitors the quality of the final product. Their decision is final, non-negotiable. S for Suggest: because of their wealth of knowledge this person provides insight as to how the task could or should be done. Their decision is NOT final, and is negotiable. I for Informed: once it is all said and done, let the informed know.

5. RACI: Responsible, Assist, Consulted, Informed

You may see RACI and think, responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed – but not always. Some find that the responsible and accountable are two of the same. This alternative differentiates the R and A by naming the A, Assist, rather than Accountable. So, A for Assist: the assist provides support during the task completion. And as you already know, the rest of the acronym sticks with tradition.

6. RACIQ: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed, Quality

Q for Quality: of course quality is important, when would it not be? Use the original RACI set-up and add a quality review role to ensure the product is the best it can be.

7. RACI-VS: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed – Verifier, Signatory

V is for Verifier and S for Signatory. The more the merrier, add a verifier and a signatory to the mix. Now you have someone whose sole purpose is to ensure the product is up to par. After the verifier says ‘’yes’’ your signatory double checks everything from top to bottom so that the product is top notch. Of course with this type of role it means that the signatory is also accountable for the product quality. The signatory needs make sure the product meets expectations to fulfill his duties in this role.

8. RAPID: Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decision

Who doesn’t want to be rapid!? R for Recommend: this is your adviser. They collect, dissect and project; they will provide a forecast of your project: the good, bad, and unpleasant. This is done to make project planning as painless as possible. A for Agree: that’s right, we need a yes-man. In fact, this role gives the thumbs-up, or not, to what the recommend is saying. We always need a second opinion to make certain we are going to progress rather than regress. The agree is in place for this purpose. P for Perform: when a decision is made the perform performs it – not really. This person decides who will be accountable for putting the plan into action. They don’t complete the task but identify who should. I for Input: a side-kick to the recommend, this ensures that relevant information is gathered so that the recommend and agree can make an informed decision. D for Decision: one final step, this person makes the final decision before the ball gets rolling.

Pheuw! Did you get all that? Here is a picture for more clarity.

9. RASCI or RASI: Responsible, Accountable, Support, Consulted, Informed

S for Support: instead of the original RACI construct, take advantage of an additional component with the RASCI matrix. The support will be at your side to assist with completing tasks.

If you don’t need to consult with anyone, and simply need support you have the option of using this matrix in the format, RASI. Let the consulted be on their way, and keep the support role.

10. RATSI: Responsibility, Authority, Task, Support, Informed

This alternative is your ticket to task making magic. R for Responsibility: the boss of ensuring the work gets done. A for Authority: who has the power to make final decisions. T for Task: the worker-bee, someone to get the work done. S for Support: the person who helps get the task work done. I for Informed: they are apprised of when the task is complete.

Recap

Whether you want to stick with RACI tradition, or you wish to subtract or add roles according to your project needs this responsibility assignment matrix has you covered. Without fail, RACI alternatives facilitate clear communication and optimize productivity.

The post The RACI Matrix Chameleon: How it Changes According to Your Project appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2aLMexx
via Project-Management.com

How to Be a Productive Project Manager: 7 Tips
By Harry Hall
Many project managers feel overwhelmed with emails, phone calls, and meetings. They often work overtime, but few feel as though they are making progress. Although we are all given the same amount of time each day, some project managers are able to produce greater value […]

from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/2aPrORQ
via pmhut.com

Avoid Gold-plating Through Agile Delivery
By Kiron D. Bondale
As it is with jewelry, on projects gold-plating is all form with no substance. The increase in costs is rarely justified by the value provided by superficial “bling”.
It could be an analyst adding in requirements which they came up with on their own without ensuring that those are […]

from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/2b3trMB
via pmhut.com

The popular and diverse software, JIRA, has a new capability – thanks to Smartsheet. This tracking tool for bugs, issues and workflow functions for IT and software development projects is now one with Smartsheet. The shortcoming, and often times a problem, that comes with JIRA is that it does not provide a desired understanding of the work done on a project. Now it does! To enable precise project development, Smartsheet for JIRA provides that in-depth knowledge for IT and Software development projects. As a result of this new feature, visibility is improved, team collaboration is increased, and comprehension is improved with a customisable view.

Smartsheet for JIRA or JIRA for Smartsheet?

As mentioned, Smartsheet for JIRA keeps users on the same page. It takes you to the next level of visibility, collaboration and viewing capability. Visibility is clearer in the sense that the data in Smartsheet and JIRA are synchronized – keeping everyone up to date. Collaboration is expedited as stakeholders can provide their input concerning issues in JIRA and Smartsheet. Furthermore, adjust the view in Smartsheet concerning the fields you wish to see in JIRA. It’s all about collaboration, communication and synchronization to the highest level possible to create that fabulous deliverable.

Click to view slideshow.

To learn more with an example, watch this 1-minute video about Smartsheet for JIRA.

Wrap up

Connect with this new feature with ease. There is no requirement to create other accounts or passwords an administrator needs to simply register a JIRA Software Service or JIRA Software Cloud in Smartsheet. Prevent an inundation of emails with Smartsheet for JIRA: a new way to communicate clearly and concisely.

The post Smartsheet Update: Smartsheet for JIRA appeared first on Project-Management.com.

from Project Management Articles – Project-Management.com http://ift.tt/2aC29wg
via Project-Management.com