Avoiding the Missed Deadline Problem – Part 2
Posted by Brad Egeland
In Part 1 of this two-part series, we began to look at missed project deadlines and the affects they can have on the project and more importantly, the customer’s perception of how well you and your team are performing on the project. Missed deadlines can very quickly start to affect the customer’s satisfaction with your team’s performance as well as your ability to deliver a final, usable solution in a timely manner. We discussed how unreasonable deadlines can come about. In this final segment, well consider three more potential causes of missed project deadlines.
The need for more resources
Usually throwing more resources at the problem isn’t the correct action to take. What it can do to your project budget is scary. But there are those rare cases where a project actually does need more resources than are currently being applied. Analyze the situation thoroughly and ensure that this is actually the case for your project before onboarding more help, because the next step will be to fight the battle of getting more funding from either the customer or your own organization – and usually both paths will offer considerable resistance.
Resources how are overloaded
Check with your resources – are they overloaded in areas outside of their responsibilities to your project? Are they getting direction from a supervisor to prioritize their work elsewhere. If that’s the case you have two issues: 1) communication problems because they didn’t let you know this and 2) negotiation needs to happen with the other PMs or the supervisor that is creating the priority conflicts. Either way, you must quickly get them focused on your project tasks or replace them. Once again, consider the budget issues related to the corrective action that has to happen here – the project budget may take a hit for a while as either priorities get re-adjusted or the resource is replaced on the project.
Avoiding the Missed Deadline Problem – Part 1
Posted by Brad Egeland
In Part 1 of this two-part series on missed project deadlines we will start to discuss what causes them and how you can react. Ever had a project with no missed deadlines? Seriously now…be honest. It’s the nature of the beast that project deadlines get missed. You can’t build slack time into every task and on some brutal projects you may not have the opportunity to build ANY slack time into ANY tasks. But for the most part, a couple of missed deadlines are not normally a sign of a project in extreme danger. It’s just part of the process – but they can be warning signs. And it is my belief that once you’ve missed a couple of deadlines, you really should be doing everything – and I mean EVERYTHING – in your power to make sure that you miss no more. Otherwise, customer confidence could take a huge hit and you may find yourself sitting in the CEO’s office…or worse…the HR director’s office.
When it’s a chronic problem
What about the projects where missed deadlines are a chronic problem? You know the ones. It’s not just a deadline here and there that is missed. No, it’s a repeating process and you’re constantly scrambling with your team to get tasks back on track, get things completed somewhere close to on time and it seems like you’re repeatedly giving excuses and apologies to the customer and your senior management on missed dates on the project. It’s painful, no doubt about it.
You may have what you believe to be an excellent process for schedule control, and team members are working well together. But in spite of that, you simply don’t meet phase deadlines, and some projects are constantly in danger of being completed way off schedule.
In cases like this, you may be perplexed as to why this is happening, but from the customer standpoint they are feeling more and more uncomfortable with how things are going. Excuses, unknowns, repeatedly missed deadlines….they all lead to significant reductions in customer satisfaction and confidence. If these project troubles are catching you by surprise then that translates to your customer as poor project management. If it appears that you’ve lost control of the project, then your customer will have no confidence in your ability to manage the engagement.
When Your Project Client Wants to Hire You – Part 2
Posted by Brad Egeland
In Part 1 of this two-part series on things to consider when you are consulting for a client on a project and that client indicates an interest in hiring you, we looked at the consideration of potentially clashing personalities. This is especially critical for me as I am often consulting for SMBs and working directly with the leadership of the organization – the real entrepreneurial spirit behind the company. I have ideas of my own so I have to be careful to take something like this into consideration and avoid walking into a situation that simply will never turn out well.
Below are two more things that you’ll want to consider if this type of situation comes up for you…
Will the client be ok if I consult on the side?
If you have any clients in your past that have been pleased with you – and if you’re still consulting then you probably do – what happens when they call you back? Will your potential new employer be ok with you consulting on the side? Is it even allowed as part of their company policies?
I went to work as a direct hire for a company that didn’t allow consulting on the side. I still did it, but just a few incidents here and there to keep past clients happy until that time when I was back consulting again (because nothing is forever anymore). It worked for me, but it also could have ended badly. If it comes up, will you just consult, or will you tell your employer? I knew the side consulting wouldn’t interfere and I was working remotely anyway so I just did it, but some consulting situations can end up being an interference with full time work. I was lucky. Just remember, this may be an issue you’ll have to deal with.
When Your Project Client Wants to Hire You – Part 1
Posted by Brad Egeland
For those of us who are consulting independently as project managers, there are always lots of interesting, conflicting, and possibly career-changing events that can take place on any consulting engagement. We can’t prepare for all of them, but we can learn to share ideas and advice with each other along the way so we are as prepared as possible to deal with these topics as they come up on our projects. For this two-part series, I’d like to consider the following – what do you do when your project client indicates that they would like you to come on board as a full time employee?
It’s always flattering when a client that you’re consulting for expresses a desire to hire you full-time. They may really desire to keep you around forever or it may be a cost-saving measure on their part disguised as a compliment, but it feels good and lets you know that you’re appreciated, even if they may just be trying to save some money.
Most consultants are probably going to shrug off a hiring offer quickly – especially if their plate is full with clients and there’s no struggle involved in bringing in new clients or making ends meet every month. However, an offer from a client may be enticing if you’re struggling in this economy or if you’re tired of the grind of marketing yourself and always working to increase your client base. That act of always being ‘on’ to sell yourself or always looking for ways to present your skills to a prospective client may be wearing heavily on you and you are thinking of just getting out of it. That’s the consultant who really needs to analyze an offer like this and consider the big picture and the overall effects and changes before hastily jump at the offer or refusing it.
When faced with an offer and a decision like this, the consultant needs to consider several things that the regular employee doesn’t usually have to take ito consideration. The current employee or direct hire candidate just has to look at the location, company, hours, and pay and decide yes or no, in most cases. For the consultant, all those things are also part of the decision, but their list of factors is longer. Let’s consider a few…
Will our personalities clash?
One of the first things you need to consider is…can you ‘work for the man?’ Ok, I hate that term, but if you’re a consultant, you know what I mean. Can you work for a manager, supervisor, or ‘boss’ who may drive you crazy? Can you work for one who may try to micro-manage you? You’re used to being your own boss. When you work for a client, yes, they’re kind of like your manager…in a very indirect way. But they treat you like the expert you are and usually don’t question what you’re doing. In the end they’re either happy or they aren’t. But they aren’t trying to manage your every move. They aren’t trying to pin you down daily on your task progress, etc. If you enter into the wrong work situation as an employee, that can happen and how long will you last in that position? It’s a very real issue that you must consider carefully.
In Part 2 of this two-part series, we’ll look at two more considerations as you struggle to decide if you want to give up most or all of your consulting practice and go the safe route (or is it really the safe route?) or should you stay the course and say no…and what will that do to your relationship on the current engagement?
Developing A Project Management Office
Posted by Emilija
As the financial crisis looms over the horizon for many firms around the globe, business owners have come to the realization that having a robust structure is crucial to a company’s success. This article will describe four steps that will help businesses achieve a centralized infrastructure and an effective project management office.
The importance of project management
Despite its name, project management does not concern itself solely with projects, but also with the complex network of individuals, resources, technology, and communications within a company.
A survey studied 252 companies and discovered that only 32% of their projects were successful, in terms of budget, quality, and their time frame. Failure rates like these highlight the importance of setting up an efficient project management office that seeks to introduce best practices in terms of excellence, achievement, and leadership.
Project management made simple
1- Know your needs and establish definite goals
Any business that needs its organizational culture changed, or that requires an improved prioritization process will benefit from setting up a project management office. However, you need to be specific. Are your priorities scheduling, cost control, communication, or perhaps all of them? What are your business projections for the next five to ten years?
Also, it is important to keep in mind that setting up a PMO will be an investment in terms of time and money. Is your budget able to accommodate this? Can you enlist the support of management on a long-term basis?
2- Selecting the right project management software
This step is closely linked to the previous point. Knowing your organizational needs is primordial in order to choose a software package that will support your business requirements. Many businesses are choosing to implement online project management software instead of the more traditional desktop-based packages. Web-based solutions offer many advantages, such as only needing to install one version, being easily and simultaneously accessible to many employees, and offering a centralized data repository.
Generally speaking, the best online project management software will offer an integral solution to your current and future needs.
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