There’s no question that the project manager needs to be on top of things at all times. If you’re the project manager and you’re out of the loop on one of your projects for any length of time, there can be lots of problems. Customer satisfaction can decline, project team members can get off task, timeframes slip, deadlines are missed, and budget go awry. All of those things can doom your project rather quickly.
Now, take that scenario a step further and imagine what happens when your project team – or at least most of them – are onsite at the customer location either working an issue, kicking off a new project phase, or performing a necessary task, and you can’t be there. It happens, but it can also put a strain on the project and team – and even the customer.
Maybe there’s no room in the budget for everyone to be there and as the PM your services are not as critical as the others right now. Or, more likely, you’re booked on 4-5 other projects and one or more of those are requiring your time – or face time – and you simply can’t be in two places at once. So what actions can you take to keep the team in check, keep the customer satisfied, and keep the project moving forward on the right track when your team is there and you can’t be?
Here are a few tips….
#1 – Don’t waver from the weekly project schedule
Consistency is very important – especially in the eyes of your customer. Customer perception is huge. If they see that, even though you’re not there, everything is still happen as it always has … that it’s basically business as usual … then they won’t be concerned. Have the weekly project status meeting at the same time as always, deliver the weekly status report at the same time it always has been delivered, and definitely keep the project schedule updated and delivered to the team and customer on the same schedule that you always do.
#2 – Increase internal team calls
I’ve written a lot about remote teams and remote project management. So you may be asking …. “This is still a remote PM situation, why the change in internal team call frequency just because the team is onsite and you’re not?” Good question. It’s because the team is there representing you and the entire project and you are not. It’s not just about maintaining status, it’s also about keep the project team in check. It’s so easy when you’re onsite to give the customer too much detail. That detail can either make a customer nervous, drive them crazy, or give them information they’re not prepared for yet. A daily call – even if it’s brief – will keep the communication lines open and will ensure that you have the information you need to maintain that communication with the customer. Your team should not be doing it.
#3 – Add a one-on-one PM to customer call
While the team is onsite and you’re not, have a few calls one-on-one with whoever is leading the project on the customer side. The calls can be daily or maybe 2-3 times per week, but have them. That way the customer understands you’re involved and they can forward on any concerns to you that they might otherwise keep quiet with the rest of your team sitting physically in the same room with them during the weekly status calls.
#4 – Increase your reporting to executive management
Finally, increase your upward project status reporting to your executive leadership. They know your team is there and you’re not – for whatever reason. Let them know that you’re on top of things and in frequent contact with the team and the customer. Let them know what’s happening on the one-on-one calls with the customer. They need confidence builders just like the customer does – and this is good for your career.