How Project Managers Can Manage Teams Productivity Remotely”

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Reply1

Alexander

The article I chose was “How Project Managers Can Manage Teams Productivity Remotely” This article goes over how technology is allowing more and more project leaders to work from home or remotely. One part of this article that really spoke to me and my personal experience was the section about time and resource management. This article says that construction companies have been shifting in this remote working direction since before COVID19. “Managers can use construction software to layout the time and material needs for tasks, and to ensure equipment is in the right place at the right time.” (John, 2021). I have seen this technology is my previous work place at Amazon in all of their fulfillment centers. Amazon utilizes technology like this to track their employees wherever they are throughout the building so that they can keep track of everyone’s productivity on the production floor. This is beneficial as it creates a sense of self awareness. If an employee knows they’re productivity I being tracked and analyzed they are less likely to be off task. Another section that I liked and can relate to is the paragraph about project Management Software. This section goes on to say how construction companies can utilize this software to effectively communicate to everyone on the worksite. Amazon and my current company use this form of virtual communication by sending announcements and messages to either everyone or individuals. This helps effectively get coaching and short messages across very well. The article wraps up by stating “Technology has made the gradual transition for remote project management easier. With COVID and the overall inefficiencies of in person travel for project management, many more companies will have as few people as possible on site and discover just how smooth and efficient management can be for people who already wear plenty of hats.” (John, 2021). I encourage anyone who is interested in the benefits of remote leadership and guidance to give this article a read. John, M. (2021, January 11). How Project Managers Can Manage Teams Productivity Remo. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://activerain.com/blogsview/5602020/how-project-managers-can-manage-teams-productivity-remotely

RESPONSES

Hello Alexander,

I concur with you that technology is allowing more and more project leaders to work from home or remotely. Project managers can manage teams through video chats, email and messaging. In addition, they can use remote software as a method to offer positive feedback for workers. Email and chat integrations in project management software allow managers to connect to project system directly to the email and chat solutions used by team members. Email and chat integration allows project managers with project tasks directly from their email account. Project managers can utilize emails to create new task for team members.

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Reply 1

Paige

I am interested by the thoughts of the writer, Jim Haskin. I feel that perhaps there are even more than just two types of project managers, but I appreciate his bookkeeper and warrior approach. I have to agree with the author and say that a warrior is a more effective project manager than a bookkeeper is. A bookkeeping type project manager spends most of his/her time tracking details and progress rather than leading the time to the desired outcome. The warrior, however, truly pushes his/her team to accomplish goals in a certain timeframe. In terms of truly completing a task on time and correctly, someone who is able to lead a group and pushes for excellence (a warrior) will have a lot more success than someone who just keeps track of the progress, successes, and failures (a bookkeeper).

There are many skills a project manager should possess, but the top 3 skills every project manager needs are communication, leadership, and time management skills. Probably the most important skill out of these three is communication. A project manager needs to communicate goals, tasks, and decisions quickly and with enough detail so that the team can understand. According to Landau, project managers not only need to communicate with members of their specific team, but they also need to communicate effectively with others affected by the project such as customers, other employees, and so forth (2019). Communication occurs so often, so it is imperative to a project manager’s success. Another skill that a project manager must have is leadership. Without strong respect and understanding of the team members, it can be hard to accomplish difficult tasks. Landau also says that leadership requires motivating and mediating (2019). With different personalities and needs in place, a project manager needs to show strong leadership in order to keep the project moving according to plan. Finally, a project manager also needs strong time management skills. Planning is a huge component of project management and failure to plan can ruin a project entirely. Changing the goals of a project can account for 35% of project failures and no planned goals account for 30% (Joubert, 2019). In other words, failure to plan is a plan to fail.

In my future as a project manager, the most difficult skill for me will be to communicate. I am someone who is extremely focused on my own tasks and can forget to make sure everyone else is on task as well. In addition, I have problems with assuming that information is shared or if I understand something, everyone else will as well. However, this is just not the case. In order to be a successful project manager, I will need to work on communicating more effectively with my team. Not only will communication help me become a better project manager, but it will help me in all aspects of life as well.

References

Joubert, S. (2019, August 12). 7 Essential Skills for Project Manager. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/essential-project-management-skills/

Landau, P. (2019, November 14). 12 Essential Project Management SkillsP. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/project-management-skills

Responses

Excellent discussion post. I concur with you that there are more than just two types of project managers. However, I think Haskin viewpoint is based on whether the project manager can deliver the desired results, even in the event of complexity and rapid cycles of changes. While bookkeepers project managers seem to be obsessed with documentation, warrior project managers step up to strive beyond documentation and work relentlessly while focusing on the project’s goal and desired results rather than the processes. I also concur with you that ‘ warrior project managers are more effective than bookkeepers type of project managers. I also agree with you that communication, leadership, and time management skills are must skills for project managers. As a matter of fact, project managing is a process encompassing of leading work teams and therefore, it is a must have for project managers. Communications skills is a must have because the project manager need to communicate to senior management and stakeholders about the project progress and status. Time management skill is also a must have skill because projects defined within a timeframe. Piage , I see you highlighted that you need to improve on communication skills, when do find it somehow difficult when communicating? It is in front of a group, verbally, or on one-to-one conversation? How do you precisely plan to improve your communication skill?

Reply 2

Rianne

What are your thoughts on the two types of project manager, as proposed by the writer?  Do you think one is more effective than the other – and why? Haskin’s take on the two types of project managers was eye-opening. I had not considered different types of project managers, only those that were successful and unsuccessful at project management. However, upon finishing the article I’ve concluded the stark difference is in the scope of the project manager. The Warrior project manager takes on a broader, more holistic approach. Conversely, the Bookkeeper project manager becomes engrossed in the details of the project management Gantt chart which doesn’t allow them to successfully manage the other aspects of the project to meet the overall objective.

As the spearhead of the project and ultimately the one responsible for the project’s success, it is more effective to be the warrior type of project manager as the bookkeeper type could be delegated to another member of the team. Additionally, the Warrior project manager takes a proactive approach, while the Bookkeeper project manager is reactive.

Next, using outside research, identify the top 3 skills you feel a project manager should possess, and why. In a majority of articles I found, the most popular responses for successful project management includes both communication and leadership (Schiff, 2017). However, I proffer that a third important element is left out of a majority of these articles: adaptability. Adaptability is a critical component of project management that is often overlooked. Most project managers are focused on the duration and deadlines of various phases in the project itself. Yet, inevitably one aspect of the project is derailed and gets off track. Without the skill of adaptability, it is easy for a project manager to focus on what has gone wrong as it relates the Gantt chart and overall schedule of the project. When the focus becomes the Gantt chart rather than the objective itself, the success of the project becomes jeopardized (Haskin, 2018). In Haskin’s example of the rolling six-month plan, the timetable is long enough to plan out several months, but also short enough to allow both the manager and the plan to pivot and reposition as necessary. Adaptability allows for built-in flexibility.

Project Management is a coordinated effort which is why communication is a fundamental skill. In many aspects of business, communication is referred to as a vital skill and is considered to be 90% of project management (Benz, 2020). Yet, more often than not, the specifics of communication are not discussed. How you communicate is as important as what you communicate. Simply notifying team members via CC is the bare minimum and not enough to effectively communicate. Rather, regular check-ins and discussing expectations and deadlines contribute to more through communication. It is better to over communicate rather than to assume or imply as that is where miscommunication can take root and derail a project.

Lastly, leadership is the third vital skill. Although leadership and management are sometimes used interchangeably, the outcome is drastically different. While a manager is one that has the formal title and responsibility for the project, a leader is one who can inspire and motivate the team. As a project manager, it is possible to be responsible for the outcome, yet exhibit not leadership throughout the process (Bookkeeper project manager).

If you are a project manager, what is the most difficult skill for you? In general, I am detail-oriented person. As a project manager, I am prone to being the Bookkeeper project manager that tends to “see the trees rather than the forest” so to speak. While I’ve been able to see the big-picture and overall objective, I easily can get off track “into the weeds” of details. It’s an ongoing process, but I’ve been working towards taking a more holistic approach throughout the duration of a project.

References

Benz, M. (2020). “The most desirable project management skills in 2020”. Forecast.com

Haskin, J. (2018). “Project managers need to be warriors, not bookkeepers – or your projects are doomed”. CIO.com

Schiff, J. L. (2017). “7 must-have project management skills”. CIO.com

RESPONSE

Outstanding discussion post. I must say that I enjoyed reading your post as well as grasped a lot of insights on why leadership, communication and adaptability skills should be considered as top most critical skills for project managers. The adaptability skill is very critical because projects fail due to lack of adaptability to rapid cycles of change (Adaptability: Essential ingredient for successful project management, 2019). Leadership is a must have skill because project managing itself entails a process where the projects manager leads teams. Communications skills is a must have because the project manager need to communicate to senior management and stakeholders about the project progress and status.

Moreover, the writer of the article “Project managers need to be warriors, not bookkeepers – or your projects are doomed” highlights two types categories of project managers. Haskin’s categorization, which I may considered it less holistic, seems to anchored on the aspect of whether managers are equipped with actual skills and have hands-on experience that enable them to successfully and efficiently manage projects rather than managing the processes of the project. For you, Rianne, I see you are detail-oriented person. Precisely, you are bookkeeper type of manager. How do you precisely plan to get around and become a warrior type of manager? Personally, I think that ‘warriors’ project managers are more effective than ‘bookkeepers’ ones because they can cause a desired result to happen. I think that the desired result, which Jim Haskin highlights, precisely describes successful project completion or simply the achievement of the project objectives. While, I appreciate that documentation of every fine details is very crucial in guiding decipher project’s context, laying down the project’s plan, and helping set the direction, project managers should work relentlessly to circumvent obstacles, remain focused, and adapt to complexity and rapid cycles of change, so as to ensure project success. This is where I think the difference between the ‘warriors” and “bookkeepers’ project managers lie.

References

Adaptability: Essential ingredient for successful project management. (2019, April 30). W. P. Carey News. https://news.wpcarey.asu.edu/20060215-adaptability-essential-ingredient-successful-project-management