Last week we looked at the personal qualities that help you manage project risk more effectively. This week I wanted to look at something similar: the skills you need to be able to tackle project issue management effectively.
You might think that they are the same but there are some key differences, namely that when you are talking about risk you are talking about things that have not yet happened. When you talk about and need to act on issues, they are very real and are affecting your project right now.
Let’s dive in to the 5 soft skills that I think are important for managing project issues.
1. Empathy
This problem is a big deal for someone. They have raised it with you and, if it wasn’t flagged as a risk, it could well be the first time you are hearing about it. Don’t dismiss their problem. It might not seem important to you but this issue is having an effect on the way they work, so it’s important to take it seriously.
2. Confidence
Showing confidence in difficult situations is important as it helps others have faith in your ability to see them through the difficult times. Demonstrating confidence isn’t about throwing your weight around or being brash. You can be quietly confident – it’s the internal strength and character that people want to see and be inspired by.
You can show confidence by making sure that your communications are always on message and that you don’t exaggerate the issue. However, if you are nervous about being able to achieve your plans then it is OK to say so – confidence doesn’t have to mean hiding your true feelings.
3. Time management
Being able to manage your time effectively when dealing with project issues is important, because they are often very time sensitive. The problem is happening right now and a lot of issues get worse the longer you leave them.
Be decisive and manage the time of your team. If you need to shift resource assignments around so that they can focus on resolving this issue, then do so. Just make sure you update your plans so everyone can use Seavus Project Viewer to check their new deadlines.
4. Leadership
Leadership is difficult to describe, although if you ask people they’ll say they know it when they see it. You can build your leadership skills through practice, as on a project they are all about setting direction, good communication and listening skills, building your team and creating shared objectives.
An effective project manager does this all the time, but it’s especially important when the team is dealing with an issue. The team will benefit from your leadership because they need to be sure that they are going in a direction that will help the project succeed.
5. Facilitation
Facilitation is about delivering results through others. As project managers, this is a common soft skill and you’re probably quite confident in your ability to work in a matrixed structure a many project teams are set up this way.
Facilitation is a way of working with and through others to achieve the results you want and refers especially to how to manage a meeting or workshop where there are lots of contributing parties. If you want to get the most out of a session, good facilitation skills will help a lot. They are relatively easy to learn too – there are lots of guides online and in books so you should be able to find a few techniques that suit your personal style and that you think would be well-received by the team.
When you are dealing with a project issue, being able to facilitate discussion between several groups of people, probably with conflicting views about how you should deal with the problem, is essential. Your team will rely on you to be able to do this effectively to help them come to a shared decision about the way forward.
Project issue management is often considered a process-driven skill. You start with a problem, carry out some analysis and prepare an action plan to put right anything that is going wrong. Then you work on those tasks and close the issue. These 5 soft skills might not appear anywhere in that process but having them will make it easier for you to move the project closer to resolution.