The High Road

I was recently involved in a “discussion” that prompted the thought process and communication exchange that I am about to discuss. And by “discussion” I mean argument.

What happens during an argument? Tempers flare…sometimes even nostrils, voice levels escalate, faces may even turn red and neck veins may even bulge. When these things start to happen you’ve probably already lost the battle because losing control is never a good thing. In fact, losing control is something a Project Manager should never do.

Thankfully, in a cordial…or at least, professional…business environment these types of “discussions” rarely happen. But there’s always someone in the workplace – perhaps even on your project team – who is somewhat volatile given the right (or wrong?) situation. Sometimes it’s even worse than that…sometimes it’s the customer. Those are the situations you would like to run away from at all costs…but since it’s the customer you simple can’t. So deal. Here’s how to take the high road.

The Volatile Team Member

If you’re unlucky enough to have a ticking time bomb on one of your project teams, then you know that something can set that person off – potentially at any given time and it could be for any one of a number of reasons. For a volatile person to get this far in an organization without being shown the door must mean they have some critical skills that would be hard to part with. Unfortunately, much like the baby throwing a tantrum, since they haven’t been spanked yet they’re pretty secure in the knowledge that they can get away with it.

If you have a volatile team member blow up either at a customer or within the team itself, here are a few things you can do to possible maintain control of the team and the project:

• Escalate the resource issue to their direct manager – Try this one first. After all, you’re not their direct manager and therefore it’s allowable to delegate some of this problem/resolution to someone who is because you already have enough to do without additional babysitting thrown into the mix.
• Conduct offline meeting with resource in question – Meet with the resource and identify the true root of the problem. It may be something you can alleviate quickly in a one-on-one session or at least you can drive home the idea that it better never happen again.
• Immediate replacement of the resource – This is the most desperate and probably worst option unless the project has just started. If you’re deep into the project, then go into this option knowing how much of an impact losing this skill set is going to have on your project and act accordingly.

The Volatile Customer

If you’re unlucky enough to have a customer that seems to “lose it” easily or is constantly arguing or calling for yours or a team member’s head on a platter, there is less you can do other than figure out some damage control methods. The exception to this is if you’re an independent consultant and the customer is directly yours…then you can just choose to pull the plug on the whole project and go home, but that’s a situation that everyone would like to avoid because it does little for your pocketbook.

In the case of the volatile customer, they’ve blown up over something real or something perceived, and in either case you have to do something. Here are your potential courses of action:

• One-on-one meeting with the customer project sponsor or customer team lead – This is an ideal first course of action whether this person is the volatile member or not. Why? Because they have the power on the customer side to hopefully resolve the issue or remove their team member. Discuss what the root cause of the project is and what action you will be taking with your project team to fix whatever caused the issue with the volatile customer.
• Full team meeting on both sides to discuss – Depending on the underlying cause, this may or may not be helpful. Taking it to the source is always best first, but involve both full teams for a full-on discussion of the issue if option #1 isn’t possible or doesn’t help. Remember, this is a customer and project that you want to keep going, so be ready to negotiate and be prepared to have to take corrective action on your side if it’s required in order to save the project.
• Get your executive leadership involved – This is the worst possible scenario because once you’ve escalated to executive leadership you’ve essentially sent the message – in some organizations – that you can’t handle the problem on your own or you’ve given the customer the idea that you don’t have the authority to do that. This can create an open door for the customer to take future issues straight to your executive leadership…so avoid this if at all possible.

Project Management from a Distance – Part 2

In Part 1 of this six-part series, we covered the concept of “Why remote?” In this Part 2, we’ll discuss if it will work for you and how you can ensure that it will:

Part 1 – Why remote?

Part 2 – Will it work for you?

Part 3 – What type of job enables remote PM?

Part 4 – What setup do you need?

Part 5 – Negotiating when it’s not an obvious move

Part 6 – Staying the course

I keep calling this remote but I should probably call it telecommuting – or at least refer to it that way occasionally for the benefit of search engines.

When trying to decide if telecommuting or remote project management will work for you, it is necessary to examine it from all angles:

• Management and corporate policy
• Project scenario
• Customer
• Home setup

Let’s look at each of these in more detail:

Management and Corporate Policy

If you’re just coming onboard with an organization, you can sometimes make this part of the negotiation process. However, introducing it as an option that interests you too early on in negotiations can turn off the hiring manager and may end the process right there.  If you’re already an employee and want to bring it up, make sure the time is right and the scenario is the right one (see the next section).  Asking to work remotely on a project when it doesn’t make sense at all will make you look like you’ve lost touch with reality or are not concerned enough with your project’s needs.

One final thought on this – know what your corporate policy is on this…assuming there is one.  There may not be anything in place, but if there is, it will be helpful to know that before bring up the subject to your manager or HR.

Project Scenario

The next thing to consider – will your project work with a remote project manager? Is the project such that you can maintain control of it from afar and you don’t need the hands-on, in-person representation with the customer and/or the customer team on a daily basis?

If the project is for an external customer and it’s of a long duration, the answer is probably yes. If it’s an internal customer or of a relatively short duration, the answer is likely going to be no. Internal customers want you there, interacting with them so they can reach out and touch you when they need to. I suppose that’s not always the case, but in my experience it has been.

If you’re running a project for an external customer and it’s a long-term engagement, then it’s likely that you can do most of it remotely with some hands-on, onsite time with the customer…especially to kickoff the project. It depends on several things – the type of project, the amount of detailed meetings that need to be held on a weekly basis and the customer themselves (we’ll discuss that next). Projects involve a long-term software implementation with a geographically dispersed team make it relatively easy to handle remotely.

Customer

The customer and their preferences play into the decision-making process of whether or not you can manage a given project remotely. For the past three years, I’ve managed all of my projects remotely, but I’ve had two customers that demanded an onsite resource 24/7. In the case of these two projects, they were not PM resources they needed onsite. One required that a Business Analyst be available 24/7 and they paid dearly for it through the change order process as it was not part of the original agreement. In the other case, the customer requested that a development resource be onsite for an extended period of time to work through software modifications with them. In neither case did they have the budget available to also afford having a PM onsite 24/7, however.

Home Setup

Your home situation also plays a role – actually, a major role – in whether or not you can pull off the telecommuting scenario. First, you must have a place to call your own – the high-speed home office. You don’t have to work in it full-time…I certainly don’t. But you do need that availability for seclusion to handle conference calls and just to be able to have a quiet place to get work done fast when necessary.

Secondly, your family must be supportive. You don’t have to be childless…I’m certainly not…but they need to understand your boundaries and the work demands on your time. I’m stating the obvious here, but the bottom line is they need to understand that you have to work and that you can’t always be ‘dad’ or ‘mom’ when you’re home.

Summary

As with answering the question of ‘why remote?’, it’s very important to know if it will work for you before trying it or before even bringing it to the attention of your hiring manager or your current employer. If you’re an independent consultant, then it’s all up to you and whether you can pull it off given your distractions at home. The decision, for the most part, is often yours.

The Quandary of Pricing for the Project Management Consultant

If you’re an independent consultant who is pricing yourself directly to a potential client or to a consulting firm in need of placing your type of skills somewhere, then you’ll understand this process. The client may suggest that he’s interested in your service but not happy with the rate you’ve priced yourself at. This is the million-dollar problem that happens whether you’re a consultant selling your expertise or a job-hunter being asked during an interview what your salary range is. It’s awkward any way you approach it. Unfortunately, this is always a normal part of the negotiating process.

To Negotiate or Not to Negotiate

In the Western culture it is not as clear as other cultures when negotiation is appropriate and when it is not. Therefore, many consultants find it very difficult to distinguish between a negative response from a potential client that truly is a flat-out rejection and one that is merely the beginnings of the negotiation process. You sometimes just have to trust your instincts.

Always remember, you are not required to negotiate your rate. If you’ve set your price well in line with market rates for your type of service and expertise level, then it is ok to stand your ground and state confidently that your rate is what you charge and there is no negotiation.

That said, you may want to consider the economy and your situation into that plan. If you need the work badly and you’d rather do it for less than not at all, you may want to go for it. I’ve had clients offer me more than I was even going to ask for, thus eliminating any need for negotiation or even price-setting. And I’ve also had clients negotiate hard and get an extremely favorable rate from me, but I was willing to do the work for less because I knew I would be working almost exclusively in a telecommuting role with no travel or driving expenses and could schedule when I wanted to do most of the work leaving me free for other consulting.

Dealing with Rate Objections

One way to deal with client objections to your rate is to remind them what that rate will buy them. Explain that rate is for actual productive work performed per hour, not the diluted effort they are getting from employees at 60-70% of productivity. Also explain you expertise in their particular area of need meaning you can perform the work much more efficiently and quickly, thus saving them time and mostly likely money and re-work over an employee or a less experienced and lower-priced consultant. To add to that, explain that you may be re-using code or existing templates that you’ve already developed thus utilizing proven tools and saving even more time and money.

Another approach is to explain that the your consulting services come with no overhead price built-in that would be realized when utilizing their own employees. Those overhead costs on their employees is in addition to the salaries they are already paying, but are none existent when using your services.

The Jealousy Factor

One thing to be careful of, however, is that the client you’re dealing with may be wrongfully looking at a $80 rate and thinking that translates easily into a $160,000 salary which may be much higher than the hiring manager you’re talking to. This can challenge their ego and put them on the defensive. If necessary, explain that the rate must cover professional overhead including insurance, professional fees, hardware and software – expenses that employees often do not experience. This can go a long way to alleviating the objection if it does stem from envy or feelings of inferiority.

If you still can’t get past the rate issue, and you don’t feel that it is in your best interest for this particular opportunity to price yourself lower, then it may be best to just walk away. You can try to evangelize the client all you want on why your rate is appropriate, but they just may never get it or they may not be able to afford it. It’s far better to know that up front than to get left without a payment later on – which is always a danger for consultants in nearly every industry.