February 27, 2012
Know Your Team
To get bored in IT project management is to give up. No project is ever the same regardless of the technology being implemented. Every project requires some form of a project team which means people are involved. Even if you work with the same team over and over, there are always new inputs, influences and dynamics that make it a new situation requiring you to adapt as a project manager.
This is perhaps the most challenging and rewarding part of project management that applies regardless of the industry and technology. People’s lives are dynamic which means they are puzzles to be decoded on a regular basis throughout a project. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, someone has a baby, gets a new boss, is heartbroken, or finds a fabulous new hobby. All of these things change the person’s priorities which means their interest and devotion to the project shifts and as project managers, we must respond accordingly to ensure that the project is successful.
It is important for me to get to know my project team members as people and not just as the resources on the project. I like to get to know them as individuals and understand what is going on with them personally and professionally. This provides me with a personal connection and a communication path to getting information regarding changes early in the process so as to better react in the event the changes impact the project. This sounds manipulative but it’s not. I am genuinely interested in the people on my projects. This is evident in that I keep in touch with most project team members long after projects have ended regardless of how tough the project was.
And this is the challenge…as project managers we must be genuine in our interest in the resources on our project. People can sense when you are only in it for the project or your own personal success. The good news is that the investment in the time to get to know the resources on the project and understand their motivations and obstacles, is invaluable for all parties involved. The team members feel heard and valued. The project manager gathers information to effectively manage the team. The project can move along towards success. And that’s what it’s all about in the end.
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