非官方項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理：領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者指南+The+Unofficial+Project+Manager：+A+Guide+for+Leaders

TheUnofficial

ProjectManager:

AGuideforLeaders

Today’sleadershaveanastonishingamountofresponsibilityontheirplates.Chancesare,learningmoreaboutprojectmanagementisn’tatthetopofmostleaders’longto-dolists—orontheirlistatall.Butgreatprojectmanagementisakeycomponentofsuccessinanyorganization,andtheever-changingnatureofmodernbusinessmeansthattheseskillsareoftenneededatamoment’snotice.Becauseeveryonemanagesprojectsatsomepoint,eventeammemberswithoutanofficialprojectmanagementroleneedtoknowhowtodoitwell.

HRandL&Dteamsmustprepareeveryoneintheirorganizationtoplaytheroleofunofficialprojectmanager.Andallleaders,nomattertheirorganization’sfocusorindustry,areresponsibleforexecutingprojects.Leadersareresponsibleforguidingprojects—whethertheymanageofficialprojectmanagers,unofficialprojectmanagers,orevenmanageprojectsthemselves.

Seasonedleaderscanusetheirfar-reachingstrategicvisiontomobilizeresourcesanddeliverprojectsthatmovemission-criticalprogramsforward.Butharnessingthepowertoconsistentlydeliverhigh-valueprojectsontimeandwithinbudgetcanbearealchallenge,evenforthemostexperiencedleaders.Thegoodnewsisthatunderstandingthebasicsofprojectmanagementrolesandprocessescanhelpleaderssuccessfullyguideprojectsandprovidetherightkindofsupporttotheirteams.

Thisguideprovidesanoverviewofprojectmanagementbestpracticessothatleaderscanbetterunderstandworkflowsandguideprojectoutcomesatahighlevel.Thisinformedperspectivewillhelpleadersseewheretheycanguideprojectteamstowardsuccess.Whenleadersensureprojectsaremanagedwell,theycanskillfullydrivecollectiveactionaroundtheactivitiesandinitiativeswiththemostorganizationalimpact.

Contents

TheRecipeforProject

Success:

3

Value+People+Process

TheProjectManagement

Framework:

6

ABird’s-eyeView

GuidingandSupporting

ProjectsasaLeader

8

FacilitateSmooth

Sailing

11

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.TheRecipeforProjectSuccess:

Value+People+Process

Projectmanagementisn’tjustaboutworkflowsanddeadlines.Tohelpprojectsrunsmoothly,leadersfirstneedtounderstandthefactorsthatcontributetoasuccessfulproject.Thefirstfactorisvalue—valueguideswhichprojectsgetresourcedandwhatoutcomesaretiedtotheircompletion.Helpingpeopleworktogethereffectivelyonprojectteamsisthesecondfactorinthesuccessequation.Sound,functionalprocessesalignedtobusinessoutcomesisthethirdfactor.Skillfullyactivatingthiscombination—Value+People+Process—isthefoundationforeveryproject’ssuccess.

APropositionofValue

KoryKogon,VPofContentDevelopmentatFranklinCoveyandco-authorofProjectManagementfortheUnofficialProjectManager,underscoreswhyleadersneedtoconsidervaluefirst:“Overallvalueisthemajorprinciple.Whateveritisthatyou’recreating,youshouldbeaskingyourself—doesitprovidevaluetotheclientandtoourcompany?Andifitdoesn’t,stopwhatyou’redoingandchangedirection.”

“Insteadofjustgettingstartedandhopingyou’ll

havevalueattheend,makesureyou’regettingtovalueallalongtheway,sotherearenosurpriseswhenyourprojectends.”

—KoryKogon,VPofContentDevelopment,FranklinCoveyand

co-authorofProjectManagementfortheUnofficialProjectManager

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Afocusonvalueisthenecessarybeginningoftheconversation.Aclear,concisearticulationofthebenefitofyourproject—whetheritsupportscustomers,internalteammembers,orabroadercompanyinitiative—establishesacompelling,business-drivenreasonfordoingtheworkandlaystheenergeticgroundworkforsupportingprojectinfrastructure.Gettingclearonthebenefityou’redeliveringwillensurethateveryprojectyieldsvalueforyourorganization.Becauseleadershaveabroaderviewoforganizationalpriorities,they’reoftenbestpositionedtoarticulatethevalueofaprojectandhelpprojectteamstietheireffortstowardhigh-prioritygoals.

Kogonemphasizesaniterative,agileprojectmanagementapproachinformedbyupdatesandinputsalongthewaytohelpteamsstayontrackthroughoutaproject’slifecycle.“Insteadofjustgettingstartedandhopingyou’llhavevalueattheend,makesureyou’regettingtovalueallalongtheway,sotherearenosurpriseswhenyourprojectends,”shesays.

ThePowerofPeople

Healthycollaboration,evenwhenpeoplearen’tpartofthesameteam,isavitalpieceofprojectmanagement.Thesuccessofprojectshingesnotonlyonthetalentofeachteammemberbutontheirabilitytoworkwelltogethertoachieveprojectgoals.Leaderscanhelpfacilitatecollaborationandbuy-inacrossteamstospurcollectiveactionandmakesureeveryonecontributestheirbestworktoaproject.

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ProcessasanEssentialElement

Soundprocesseshelpteamssuccessfullyexecutehigh-valueprojectsontimeandwithinbudget.Skillfulprocessarchitecturehasahugeimpactonthequality,sustainability,andmeasurabilityoftheresultseachprojectdelivers.Havingarepeatable,testedprojectmanagementprocessiswhathelpsteamseffectivelydeliverconsistentresultsandachievetargetoutcomes.

Leaderscanhelpfacilitatecollaborationandbuy-inacrossteamstospurcollectiveactionandmakesureeveryonecontributestheirbestworktoaproject.

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TheProjectManagement

Framework:ABird’s-eyeView

Mostleadersdon’tneedtobecomeproject

managementexpertstosucceedintheirroles,

butunderstandingthefinerpointsoftheproject

managementprocessprovidesasharedframework

ofreferenceforleadersandtheirteams.Thisshared

understandingenablesleaderstoguidefrontline

workersattherighttimesandplacesinsupportofthe

operationalandstrategicprojectelements.Thisisa

vitalperspective,accordingtoKogon.“Ifallleaders

understoodtheprinciplesofprojectmanagement,

ourprojectmanagerswouldbeabletodoamuch

betterjob.”

“Whenwe’retalkingabout‘unofficial’project

managers,”Kogonsaysofleaderswithavaried

rangeofroles,“projectmanagementisashared

responsibility.Anunderstandingofproject

managementprinciplesishelpfultothesuccessof

anorganizationbecauseitensuresthateverybody

isspeakingthesamelanguage,understandingwhat

itreallytakestoscopeaproject,andknowingwhat

questionsshouldbeasked.Itgetseveryoneonthe

samepageinregardstowhattheymeanby‘value.’”

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FoundationalStagesofProjectManagement

Whileeachprojectisunique,theyallfollowasimilarsetofsteps.Herearethefoundationalstagesofprojectmanagement:

?Scope

?Plan

?Engage

?TrackandAdapt

?Close

Gettingwell-acquaintedwitheachofthesestagesandtheirbestpracticeswillprepareleaderstosteerprojectsconfidentlyandprovidesupporttotheunofficialprojectmanagersontheirteams.

“Projectmanagementisasharedresponsibility.Anunderstandingofprojectmanagementprinciplesishelpfultothesuccessofanorganizationbecauseitensuresthateverybodyisspeakingthesamelanguage.”

—KoryKogon,VPofContentDevelopment,FranklinCoveyand

co-authorofProjectManagementfortheUnofficialProjectManager

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GuidingandSupportingProjectsasaLeader

Often,aleader’smostimportantroleinaprojectisto

serveascoachandcheerleader.Withaclearerpicture

ofhowhealthyprojectsfunction,leadersarebetter

equippedtodirectday-to-dayoperationstowarda

targetdestination.Peopleandprocessesatevery

phaseofaprojectbenefitfrominformedguidance—

tokeepaprojectonasteadytrackortohelpit

course-correctifoutcomesaren’tasexpectedornew

informationarises.

Regardlessofaproject’spurpose,effectiveleaders

haveampleopportunitytostepinandsupportthe

peoplemanagingandexecutingthework—whether

thosepeopleareontheirdirectteamornot.Hereare

afewwaysleaderscanhelpprojectteamssucceed

throughouttheprocess.

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BeaConduitofCommunication

Thevarietyofperspectivesandexperiencesinahigh-performingteammakesitpowerful.Thisrichnessalsoensurestherewillbeinevitablecommunicationmisses.Eventhemosttalentedteamswillmisunderstandormakeassumptionsduringaproject.Keepinganeyeonaprojectasitunfoldstopreventmiscommunicationbetweenstakeholdersandteamleadsorbetweenteammembers.Havingapolicyofover-communicationandcheckingassumptionswillkeepteamsontrackandhelpbridgecommunicationgaps.

Leaderscanensuresmoothandseamlesscollaborationwithinandacrossteamsbycreatingasupportive,inclusiveatmospherewherepeoplefeelsafeenoughtocommunicateproblemswhen

theyarise.Inadistributedworkenvironment,it’s

evenmoreimportantforteammemberstohave

accesstotechnologyandframeworksthathelp

themcommunicateclearlyandoftenwithother

projectteammembers.Encourageteammembers

tocheckwithclientsandstakeholdersoftento

maintainvisibilityandalignmentwithprojectaims,

andtoadjustwithagilitytoanychanginginputsor

requirements.

Makesureguidingdocumentsandupdatesare

regularlysharedwithbothprojectteammembers

andstakeholderstoaddressandresolveany

misalignments,andbuildintheexpectationofthese

bidirectionalcheck-insthrougheffectivechannels.

TieProjectActivitiesBacktoValue

Asaleader,yourroleisnotonlytounderstand

wherevaluefitsinthesuccessequation—it’salso

tocommunicatethepurposebehindtheproject

ateveryopportunity.Createconnectionsforteam

membersbetweentheworkthey’redoingandthe

project’svalueproposition.“Communicatethat

theproject’svalueisitscontributiontothegoals

Leaderscanensuresmoothandseamlesscollaborationwithinandacrossteamsbycreatingasupportive,inclusiveatmospherewherepeoplefeelsafeenoughtocommunicateproblemswhentheyarise.

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ofyourorganization,”saysKogon.“Leadersshouldbeproactiveinrespondingtotheprojectsthataregoingonintheorganizationandensuringthatthoseprojectsalignwithwhat’smostvaluabletotheirinternalteamsandcustomers.”

Communicatingavalue-orientedapproachempowersteammemberstounderstandthemeaningbehindtheprojectandcontributemorecreativesolutionstoproblemsorroadblocks

thatarisealongtheway.Thisvalue-focusedcommunicationmightlooklikeaquestionduringregularteammeetingstopromptideasaboutwhethertheworkandresultsarestayingontrackwiththeproject’sintendedpurpose.Promptingapersonalunderstandingandownershipofvalueinthiswaymakesworkmorepersonallyrewarding,increasesinvestment,andhelpsteammembersunderstandtheimpactoftheircontribution.

“Everybodyinanorganizationshouldunderstandprojectmanagement—whenyouunderstandthebasics,itenablesinformedproblem-solving,andthat’swhatinnovationisallabout,”Kogonsays.

ProtectingYourProjectTeams

Asaleaderwhomaybeinanunofficialprojectmanagementroleorguidingprojectsatahigherlevel,providingconsistentsupporttobothyourteamsandpotentialprojectmanagersiskey.Protectingbothdedicatedandunofficialprojectmanagersfromoverwhelmanddistractionsanddemonstratingsaneboundariesisacrucialleadershipskill.“Everybody’s

makingsomething,whetherthey’remakinganew

system,anewproduct,anewmarketingprogram,or

creatingatrainingprogram,”saysKogon.“Partofa

leader’sresponsibilityistoreallymitigatepetprojects,

thingsthatdon’treallymakesenseinthecontextof

thebroadervalueproposition.”

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FacilitatingSmoothSailing

Projectsinvolvegroupsofpeopleworkingtogether—

andthatmeansroadblocksandfrictioncanpopup

overthecourseofaproject.Leadershaveanactive

roletoplayincreatingharmony,notjustgetting

involvedwhenconflictarises.Becausechangeisan

inevitablepartofprojects—especiallymultifacetedor

longer-terminitiatives—savvyleaderswillanticipate

conflict,getaheadofanypotentialpointsoffriction

withinteams,anddoeverythingtheycantomanage

changeaheadoftime.

Beaccessibleandavailableatbothscheduledand

as-neededtimessothatteammemberscansurface

issuesandconcerns.Encourageteammembers

toreachouttoyoubeforeissuesbecomeserious

orentrenchedsothatsolutionscanbecreatively

discussedandimplementedtokeeptheproject

healthyandvibrant—andtokeepteammembers

mentallyandemotionallyengaged.

Whenconflictarises,thinkagainaboutvalueasthe

coreprinciple.Whatisthehoped-forbenefitthat

resolutioncandeliver?Whenteammembershavea

positiveapproach,theyaresetuptolearn,gain,and

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growfromtheprocess.Resolutionstrategiesincludeclearlydefiningexpectationsforbothworkqualityandprocess/workflows,communicatingexpectations,andcreatingaframeworkforeveryoneinvolvedtobethoroughlyheard.

InspireEnthusiasm

Leadersmonitoringworkataprojectlevelcanmotivateteamsinspecificandmeaningfulways.Whenitcomestohelpingpeoplefeeltheirtalentsandeffortarerecognizedandappreciated,communicatingindividual,andteamsuccessesisacontributionworthitsweightingold.

Celebrationsofmilestonesorsmaller,moreinformalrecognitionopportunities,particularlythroughtediousorchallenginglegsofaprojectjourney,cankeepspiritshighandfosterthekindofloyaltyneededforbothkeepingaprojectinscopeandmakingsurethequalityofworkisexcellent.Showingteammembersthattheirworkisseenandvaluedcanbeapowerfulmotivator.

“Leaderswhoaregoodstewardshaveagoodsenseofwhentheyareneeded,”Kogonsays.“Theygivetimelyfeedbackandgivetheprojectmanagersupportbycelebratingthem,keepingthemengagedandkeepingthemgoing.That’sprettyimportant.”

Findbothformalways,suchas360reviewsatregularormilestone-basedintervals,andinformalways,suchasdroppingalineinaprivatemessageorsendinganappreciativegiftcardaftersomeonehasgonetheextramile,torecognizegoodworkandkeepmoralehigh.

“Aleaderhastohavepeopleskills,”Kogonsays.“That’sthepeoplepartofprojectmanagement.Leadersshouldrally

Showingteammembersthat

theirworkisseenandvalued

canbeapowerfulmotivator.

theirpeopleandhelpbuildtheirconfidenceandmorale.

Thisispartoftheirrole,theycan’tonlybepushingprocess.”

CultivateAgility

Eventhemostcarefulplanningandpreparationcan’t

anticipateeverythingthatwillcomeupinthelifecycleofa

project,whichiswhyanagileapproachisessential.Agile

projectmanagementmeansthatalongwithstayingnimble

andresponsivethroughoutaproject,teamsshouldalso

becreative,adaptable,andsolution-orientedwhenthings

change.

Newelementsthatariseinaprojecttimelineare

opportunitiesforteamachievement.Buildacultureof

creativeproblem-solvingbydemonstratingawelcoming

approachtochallenges.Setanexampleofresilienceand

positivitytohelptheprojectgetunstuckandteachteam

membersacan-doapproach.

Thiskindofempowermenthasknock-oneffectsthatsend

ripplesthroughoutanorganization.Itincreasesemployee

satisfaction,heightenspersonalinvestment,andinstills

asenseofprideincreatingqualityworkthatensures

businessoutcomes.

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BringItAllTogether

Projectmanagementmightnotbethemost

strategicallyenergizingtopic,butit’sveryimportant

forleaderstohaveafoundationalunderstandingof

howitworkstosupporttheirteammembersand

theirownwork.Whenleadersincorporateproject

managementbestpracticesaspartoftheirstrategic

approachtobusiness,processesbecometighter

andmoreefficient,andday-to-dayoperationsmeet

organizationalgoalsbetter.“Asaleaderwithan

organizationfullofknowledgeworkers,thequestion

is,howdoImaketheirliveseasier?HowdoIhelpto

speedupandsupporth