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Analyzing the Feasibility of Aggressive Deadlines

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Analyzing the Feasibility of Aggressive DeadlinesBusiness pressures often lead sponsors to set aggressive deadlines. And meeting those deadlines may be exactly what your organization needs. It’s not an easy situation. As a project manager, your best survival strategy is to set stakeholders’ expectations for what it will take to deliver the project in that timeframe. Let’s look at how to analyze the feasibility of an aggressive project deadline and then communicate the results to your sponsor.

  • Determine whether mandatory overtime will help meet the project deadline. Analyze how long it took to complete past project tasks. This data can tell you a lot about whether an aggressive deadline is feasible. When regular work schedules won’t meet the deadline, mandatory overtime might be the answer. Determine what a reasonable amount of overtime is, given the type of work performed in your organization. Then, calculate how much closer that overtime gets you to the deadline. Share the benefits and what you consider a reasonable level of overtime with your sponsor. If your sponsor pushes for more overtime, talk about the risks that presents: errors, reduced productivity and/or increased absenteeism due to fatigue.
  • Determine the average percentage of work time operational personnel dedicate to projects. Many critical project team members also have daily responsibilities that are crucial to the organization’s day-to-day business. Projects are “extra work” they must handle without affecting their day-to-day responsibilities. Calculate how much closer you can get to the aggressive deadline with more time from operational personnel. One way to get more time is to find others to cover their operational duties. Or you can re-prioritize their day-to-day work. Meet with your sponsor and propose reasonable re-prioritizations or backfills for operational personnel and how much that helps reach the deadline. Important note: Talk to the people’s managers in advance to see if this approach is feasible. You don’t want them blindsided by a request from your project sponsor.
  • Investigate tools or specialist contractors that can help complete tasks earlier. It’s unlikely that you can deliver a project faster than before using the same people and tools. Look for different project- or product-related tools that might shorten your project schedule. Search for specialist contractors who can produce products faster. If you find feasible options, determine the effect they could have on your schedule. Talk to your sponsor about these options and potential outcomes. Involve your sponsor in the analysis process. They might have ideas on changes that could deliver in a shorter timeframe.
  • Determine if there are new, innovative approaches to completing tasks. If there are possibilities, talk to your sponsor about additional funding. You can use this funding to do research and/or proof-of-concept testing on different techniques. This might not only help achieve your current project deadline, but could be helpful for future projects as well.

Every project manager has a story to tell about aggressive deadlines. Share your experiences, successes, failures, and questions in the comments section.

For more about deadlines, check out my Project Management Foundations: Schedules course.

Coming Up

Do you have questions about careers in project management? Will I like being a project manager? What skills do I need? What about education? How do I get experience? Are certifications worth it and what do I need to do to earn them? What are the possible career paths? Chris Croft and Bonnie Biafore co-authored the course How to Launch a Career in Project Management to answer all these questions – and many more. For this Office Hours event, we want you to watch the course FIRST. Then, if you still have questions, join Chris Croft and me on Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023 at 9am MT for this live Office Hours event to ask questions we didn’t answer.

No excuses! Here’s a link to watch the course for free: https://tinyurl.com/how-to-launch-career-in-PM

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 48,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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What If You Feel Lonely as a PM

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What If You Feel Lonely as a PMIf you’re feeling lonely or isolated as a project manager, you aren’t alone (pun intended.) Overcoming that feeling is a balance between professional effectiveness and personal relationships. You also have to be intentional and apply some practical steps. Here are a few things you can do:

  • Leverage the decision-making process. Decision-making and resolving issues are often done alone in your office. But there’s an opportunity to connect and interact with others in the decision-making process. You need to consult with key stakeholders. You have to collect information and then analyze it with your team and/or sponsor. This big picture view of decision-making will remind you that other people contribute to the process – you don’t have to handle decisions completely on your own.
  • Be a part of your team. As project manager, you don’t have to stand apart from the team. Yes, you do need to be impartial and not favor one team member over another. But you can work closely with team members. Develop strong relationships with the team and figure out how you can help them grow. Collaborate with them in a supportive way when that will help get tasks done. Invite them to collaborate with you on project management tasks. (That will save you time, allow you to delegate if you’re behind on your work, and help you overcome that feeling of being disconnected.)
  • Take pride in the products you’re producing. As project manager, you contribute to products that help your organization. You might not get attention while products are being produced, which is a good thing. It means you’ve earned independence! The lack of attention might make you feel left out, ignored. Do some soul searching. Do you feel isolated when you think about the products you’re working on? If so, you need to get feedback or validation. Schedule a progress review with your sponsor and/or key stakeholders.
  • Work on your team environment. Work doesn’t always have to be toil. Include short social events in your project environment. This not only helps the team work better together, but it can also address the disconnected feeling. Virtual coffees, lunches as a team, or small award ceremonies when milestones are reached. You’ll feel more connected as you improve team dynamics.
  • Network with other project managers. There is no need to deal with everything alone! You aren’t the only project manager, and not the only one feeling isolated at times. Find a mentor. Talk to other project managers. You’re bound to find people who understand what you’re going through.

If you have tips, anecdotes, or questions about building connections, share with us in the comments. And if you’re looking for a community of project managers, join one or more of the project management-related groups on LinkedIn.

Coming Up

Do you have questions about careers in project management? Will I like being a project manager? What skills do I need? What about education? How do I get experience? Are certifications worth it and what do I need to do to earn them? What are the possible career paths? Chris Croft and Bonnie Biafore co-authored the course How to Launch a Career in Project Management to answer all these questions – and many more. For this Office Hours event, we want you to watch the course FIRST. Then, if you still have questions, join Chris Croft and me on Wednesday, Oct 11, 2023 at 9am MT for this live Office Hours event to ask questions we didn’t answer.

No excuses! Here’s a link to watch the course for free: https://tinyurl.com/how-to-launch-career-in-PM

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 47,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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PM Power Tool: Leveraging Delegation

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PM Power Tool: Leveraging Delegation Do you want to expand your capability to manage more projects? You can by delegating! But delegation can be scary, because you’re releasing control to others. With the right attitude and activities, delegation can become your go-to tool that isn’t so scary. Here are the best ways to make delegation work for you as a project manager.

  • Pick the right team member. Sure, it’s easy when a team member is experienced in what you want to delegate. Usually, you have to decide whether a team member has the skill and judgment to perform the delegated responsibility. Consider their desire to grow, their ambition, and the stakeholder relationships needed to complete the task. When your team member has good relationships and the right attitude, delegation goes better. 
  • Clearly define the assignment and completion criteria. Determine exactly what you want from your team member. This includes the deliverables and your definition of successful results. Successful delegation might mean saving you time or it could be applying more specific technical expertise than you have. Keep in mind, you might be able to tackle the task more easily or faster, but that isn’t the point. Determine what you need, which is not necessarily the same level of quality you yourself would produce. Also, decide what you would like your team member to learn or experience from the delegation. Communicate all this with your team member, and you’ll increase your probability of success.
  • Discuss the approach to completing the task, while allowing flexibility. In some cases, delegated responsibility requires a specific process. In other instances, you may have a preferred approach. Share that approach in your delegation conversation. If there is flexibility in how to accomplish the assignment, then encourage your team member to take the approach they’re comfortable with and/or learn as much as they can from the delegation.
  • Provide necessary resources and authority. Think about what your team member might need or benefit from for the assignment. This goes beyond access to tools and data. For example, introduce your team member to key stakeholders. Notify the team and stakeholders about the authority you are delegating to your team member. And finally, arrange for access to key experts.
  • Allocate time to support your team member. Delegation isn’t a “set it and forget it” exercise. The best delegators prepare to guide their team member to help them succeed. Schedule frequent check-in meetings with them and reserve the time in your calendar. Review their progress and examine any interim deliverables. You can reduce the meeting frequency if they make suitable progress. Be responsive to impromptu questions and provide tips along the way. This not only increases the success of the delegation, but also increases your team member’s confidence in their ability to complete their responsibilities to your satisfaction.

Follow these tips and delegation will become your PM power tool to expand your accomplishments and those of your team!

Delegation is both powerful and scary. What techniques have you used to make delegation work for you – and to make it less scary to apply?

For more about working with team members, check out Daniel Stanton’s Project Management Foundations: Teams course.

Coming Up

Do you have questions about careers in project management? Will I like being a project manager? What skills do I need? What about education? How do I get experience? Are certifications worth it and what do I need to do to earn them? What are the possible career paths? Chris Croft and Bonnie Biafore co-authored the course How to Launch a Career in Project Management to answer all these questions – and many more. For this Office Hours event, we want you to watch the course FIRST. Then, if you still have questions, join us in this event to ask questions we didn’t answer.

No excuses! Here’s a link to watch the course for free: https://tinyurl.com/how-to-launch-career-in-PM

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 46,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Recognize Constructive Conflict

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Recognize Constructive Conflict

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

Conflict isn’t fun for most people. Emotions are high and substantial outcomes could be at risk for both business and stakeholder relationships. Constructive conflict can be beneficial and should be used, instead of being suppressed. Here’s how to recognize constructive stakeholder conflict. 

  • The issue and intended outcome are clear. Conflicts that improve project outcomes have a common characteristic: the issue and desired outcome that are the source of the conflict are well-defined and understood by all parties. Only in that case can discussion lead to an agreeable and lasting resolution. I’ve seen a conflict where a marketing director was arguing for more money to boost sales and the CFO was arguing to reduce costs. When the discussion started, neither senior leader was focused on what was better for the business. When they finally agreed on the best outcome for the business (overall profit), they were able to make constructive progress on resolving their conflict. 
  • People share and respect truths. The best outcomes come when people involved in a conflict recognize and respect the viewpoints of all parties. Constructive conflicts are an opportunity for people to share their experiences in an open and non-judgemental way. If anyone in the discussion ignores others’ opinions or experiences, conflict resolution isn’t likely. Make sure that everyone can share their specific experiences and explain how they relate to the issue under discussion. Provide time for questions to ensure that everyone understands the context of others’ experiences and viewpoints. The best outcomes come about when stakeholders spend time collecting experiences and viewpoints to consider and then use that combined experience to make a decision .
  • Emotions are recognized but aren’t the focus of the conflict. It’s important to recognize that stakeholders’ emotions could be triggered during the discussion. Recognizing and acknowledging those emotions (without making them the central theme of the discussion) leads to the best outcomes. It also ensures the discussion focuses on the appropriate issues, not personalities. Here’s an example of a statement that recognizes emotion while guiding the discussion toward the central issue. “I sense that this situation is making you nervous, and that’s understandable. What is the business situation that concerns you the most so we can focus our discussion on a solution that addresses that situation?”
  • The conflict resolution has no strings attached. Constructive conflicts produce a resolution that is agreeable to everyone without anyone owing anything to anyone else. Everyone can walk away satisfied, knowing that the next time an issue arises, a level playing field exists for all stakeholders involved. Here’s an example of an attached string: “Ok, I’ll agree to this, but next time we discuss something I want more funding for my budget.” That doesn’t close the conflict, is not really constructive, and will lead to less than ideal outcomes.
  • A process to measure success considers all viewpoints and is agreed to by everyone. Constructive conflicts end with an agreed-to resolution and a method for measuring whether the resolution was successful. The metrics should be focused on the issues or concerns stakeholders brought to the conflict. For example, a stakeholder agrees to a resolution but is concerned that it might increase costs for a part of the project. You should include separate cost tracking measures to focus on those expenditures. This demonstrates support for the stakeholders and confirmation that their concerns are valid.

Extra credit if you realize that this article includes hints for ways to turn an unconstructive conflict into a constructive one. Share your examples of the constructive conflicts you’re experienced – or tips for making discussions more constructive.

For more about dealing with conflict, check out the Develop Conflict Management Skills learning path.

Coming Up

I finished recording the update to my Advanced Microsoft Project course and I’m really excited about it. The videos are more to the point, and the course has a new, more substantial example project. It should be out in a few months!

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 46,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Make Your Project a Positive Place to Work

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Make Your Project a Positive Place to Work

Photo by Zach Lucero on Unsplash

You’ve probably heard “the leader sets the tone.” This tone is all about the environment you create for your project team. Here are things you can do – TODAY – to make your project a positive (and attractive) place to work. And that helps you make your project a success.

  • Receive news, both good and bad, with a constructive attitude. Managing a project means understanding the news: task completions, delays, stakeholder conversations, new ideas, and conflicts. To understand the news, you need to hear about it. And that happens only if you support your teams. Make it difficult or unpleasant for team members to share news with you (think of the phrase “shooting the messenger”) and you won’t know what’s happening on your project. Thank people who share information, whether it’s good or bad. That way, you can respond proactively to project issues, instead of reacting to the truth bomb a key stakeholder drops in your office because your team didn’t share the issue with you.
  • Build a team. Yes, even for a short project. Come up with a team name — not the project business name. (Nobody wants to work on the Amalgamated Velcro Production and Efficiency Management Project…but they might enjoy being on the “Better Rip and Stick” team!) Act as if YOU are part of the team (because you are) and promote teamwork to get tasks done. Share accountability. Celebrate little victories. You’ll get dedicated team members who will want to work with you…now and in the future.
  • Make sure team members understand the business relevance of their tasks. Team members will be more engaged when they know how their work packages fit into the big picture. The work is more meaningful and more satisfying to them! Talking about the purpose of tasks can also decrease errors. Team members will raise potential issues more readily when they understand the context of their work. You’ll get better deliverables and more dedication from your team.
  • Help team members feel like they belong. A diverse team is good, but that’s only step one. Include all your team members in decision-making and planning your project. Beyond that, take time to understand who they are, what goals they have, and what project experiences will be most meaningful to them. Help them achieve those goals when possible.

What tips do you have for building a positive project environment? What benefits have you gained from offering team members a positive environment to work in?

For more about working with teams, check out Daniel Stanton’s Project Management Foundations: Teams course.

Coming Up

Join Chris Croft and me on August 22, 2023, at 9am MT for our live broadcast “Do You Need Project Management Certifications, and If So, Which Ones?”

One of the most frequent questions Chris Croft and I get is “Do I need project management certification?” quickly followed by “Which certification or certifications should I get?” Everyone’s journey is different, just like Chris and I took very different paths. So, we’re going to explore whether project management certifications are valuable, what else you can do to make yourself stand out, and finally, which certifications to look at if you decide you need them. Bring your questions to this informative and fun session. By the way, this topic is just one that we explore in our new course, How to Launch a Career in Project Management. 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 45,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Learning to Love Project Constraints

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Learning to Love Project Constraints

Photo by Kevin Ku on Upsplash

Limited budgets, required scope, hard and fast deadlines, and quality standards. These constraints make project delivery challenging! Wouldn’t it be great to manage projects without the pressure of constraints? Not so fast. Here’s how constraints help us deliver our projects. 

  • Budgets drive perceived value. A non-profit I volunteered for used to hold an intro training session free of charge. People would sign up and then no-show. When we began charging $5 for the session, the same number of people would sign up and show up! Likewise, an unlimited budget for producing project deliverables might lead to stakeholders taking what we deliver for granted. We would get endless change requests to add more functions and capabilities to our deliverables. Completing a project would become a minor miracle!
  • Scope guides us to the finish line. Without a well-defined scope, we would never know when we were finished. New business demands could lead to endless mandatory requirements. Sure, we want to be responsive to new business demands. We also need to deliver and stabilize products before addressing additional requirements. In an agile environment, you can do this promptly, but not if delivered features aren’t yet working as intended. Scope definition and management helps us ensure business capability moves forward in a stable fashion. Leaps in capability are limited to what stakeholders can absorb, and organizational change management can be effective.
  • Deadlines drive priorities and project staffing. How many times have you had staff start working on tasks at the last minute? When operational personnel step out of their day-to-day roles to work on projects, the organization struggles to deal with their absence. So, managers try to avoid that stress as long as possible. Without managed schedules and deadlines, getting staff for project work would become even more difficult than it already is. We need deadlines to set expectations for when business change will occur and to prioritize staff assignments.
  • Quality standards guide task definition and testing criteria. The quality needs of stakeholders helps define project activities. And those activities vary based on the quality required. Without quality standards, we can’t be confident that we have appropriate tasks and test plans. For example, word-processing software doesn’t require perfection. A glitch in a word processor isn’t likely to cause significant risk or expense. In contrast, an anomaly in air traffic control software could be devastating on people’s lives. Therefore, an air traffic control systems requires more testing and performance verification tasks, driven by the need for quality. 

What other reasons have you found to love project constraints? Share with us in the comments section.

For more about project constraints, check out my Project Management Foundations course.

Coming Up

Join Chris Croft and me on August 22, 2023, at 9am MT for our live broadcast “Do You Need Project Management Certifications, and If So, Which Ones?”

One of the most frequent questions Chris Croft and I get is “Do I need project management certification?” quickly followed by “Which certification or certifications should I get?” Everyone’s journey is different, just like Chris and I took very different paths. So, we’re going to explore whether project management certifications are valuable, what else you can do to make yourself stand out, and finally, which certifications to look at if you decide you need them. Bring your questions to this informative and fun session. By the way, this topic is just one that we explore in our new course, How to Launch a Career in Project Management. 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 44,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Objectives for Successful Testing

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Objectives for Successful Testing

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Testing your project’s products is a critical step in delivering successful projects – testing is one way to confirm that your project accomplishes what it’s supposed to. An effective testing scheme must meet the following objectives.

  • Validate that requirements are satisfied. There should be a specific test for every requirement to confirm that it has been satisfied. If any requirement proves difficult to verify, revisit the requirement to ensure it meets the SMART test (specific, measurable, agreed-upon, attainable, realistic, and time-constrained). It’s a good idea to use a spreadsheet or tool to track requirements, verification test details, and test status (not completed, completed with error(s), completed and closed). That way, you can ensure that all requirements have a test plan and you haven’t overlooked any tests. 
  • Find and repair defects. Well-structured tests find a defect, if a defect exists, and don’t find a defect if everything works as it should. To ensure your tests work this way, identify what successful test results look like and what errors might occur. That way, when a test produces an error, it should indicate the repair that’s needed. For example, a test for a sales voucher would confirm “boundary dates”. Does an expiration date of July 1st mean that the voucher can be used on July 1st, or that it should be used by June 30? Specific tests will validate that the system correctly interprets the intent for the voucher expiration.
  • Build confidence in the overall solution. In the later stages of testing, schedule test sessions for stakeholders to use and become familiar with new systems and processes. This will increase stakeholder confidence — even when small defects occur in those sessions. Capturing, understanding, and promptly correcting errors can increase confidence. Work with your organizational change management team to schedule these test sessions when you believe products are nearly error-free, at a convenient time and place for your stakeholders. 
  • Improve the product development process. A good testing process notes trends in the types and causes of errors. Analyze the root cause of errors to decrease the number of errors in future projects. Business analysts participating in the testing process can help. As they learn the cause of errors, they can produce requirement details that avoid errors in the future. For example, they can specify that a sales voucher expiration date is the last date on which the voucher can be used. This provides clarity around whether the expiration date mentioned earlier would be June 30 or July 1st.

How do you plan and track your testing? What are the challenges and best practices you’ve found? Share with us in the comments section.

For more about testing, check out Greta Blash’s Business Analysis Foundations course.

Coming Up

Join Chris Croft and me on August 22, 2023 at 9am MT for our live broadcast “Do You Need Project Management Certifications, and If So, Which Ones?”

One of the most frequent questions Chris Croft and I get is “Do I need project management certification?” quickly followed by “Which certification or certifications should I get?” Everyone’s journey is different, just like Chris and I took very different paths. So, we’re going to explore whether project management certifications are valuable, what else you can do to make yourself stand out, and finally, which certifications to look at if you decide you need them. Bring your questions to this informative and fun session. By the way, this topic is just one that we explore in our new course, How to Launch a Career in Project Management. 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 43,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Win-Win: Increasing Project Delivery Capability by Providing Opportunity to Your Teams

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Win-Win: Increasing Project Delivery Capability by Providing Opportunity to Your Teams

Photo by Mapbox on Unsplash

Providing opportunities to team members makes them individually more capable, which leads to more organizational capability for delivering projects. Here are things you can do – TODAY – to create this win-win environment. 

  • Encourage sharing of risks and issues that may arise. Project status can change based on what’s been completed, what’s delayed, what stakeholders are talking about, new ideas, and risks that arise. And you’re more likely to hear about them when you support your teams. Here’s how. Whether updates are positive or negative, thank people who share this information. Your first response should be “Does something need fixing?” followed by “What can we learn from this?” That way, you not only address project issues, but also create learning and growth opportunities for your project team members.
  • Build in discussions of risk and learning. One agenda item for every project status meeting should be the status of existing risks and potential new risks. Periodically, include an agenda item for a team member to share something they’ve learned. This presents project work as a way for project team members to learn and grow. It also improves your project outcomes and provides incentive for people to join your project teams in the future.
  • Help team members understand the business relevance of their project work. A WBS and short task names don’t convey the relevance of tasks to your team members. Take the time to help them understand how their deliverables fit into the big picture to improve the business. The deliverables you receive will be on target and your project team members will expand their business knowledge and opportunities for growth.
  • Share the business’s impressions of your project. Often, project managers shield their project teams from business stakeholders, especially when business pressures cause wild reactions to status changes or preliminary project change ideas. But you, as project manager, should share how the business views the project and how its outcomes will be used. That deeper perspective helps the team grasp the strategic relevance of the project and builds capacity to produce results on future projects.

I’m a big fan of win-win approaches, so I know this is an abbreviated list of how to promote and benefit from a win-win focus. How have you promoted win-win in your organization and what other benefits have the organization and individuals received?

For more about working with teams, check out Daniel Station’s Project Management Foundations: Teams course.

Coming Up

One of the most frequent questions Chris Croft and I get is “Do I need project management certification?” quickly followed by “Which certification or certifications should I get?” Everyone’s journey is different, just like Chris and I took very different paths. So, we’re going to explore whether project management certifications are valuable, what else you can do to make yourself stand out, and finally, which certifications to look at if you decide you need them. Bring your questions to this informative and fun session. By the way, this topic is just one that we explore in our new course, How to Launch a Career in Project Management.

Register for the Office Hours session here. (The session recording is available on the event page after the live broadcast ends.)

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 42,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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What Conditions Must Be Met to Close Out a Change Request?

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What Conditions Must Be Met to Close Out a Change Request?

Photo by Microsoft Edge on Upsplash

In project change management, stakeholders might request a change to introduce new functions, modify a requirement, or resolve an issue. Many project managers close a change record when the change control board approves the change to proceed. Others when the change has been completed and included in the project deliverables. Neither approach is valid, because the reason for approving the change request in the first place might not have come to fruition. So, what conditions must be met to properly close a project change?

  • The change is completed within an acceptable cost range. When management approves a change based on estimated costs, they believe the benefits justify the cost. If the change has exceeded estimated costs, you need to re-evaluate the validity of the change request’s business case. That is, does a positive business case still exist for keeping the change in place?
    • If the change will produce value that justifies the cost of the change, close the change request        record.
    • If the value provided doesn’t justify the cost, keep the change request record open for further action. For example, you might back out the change from the project to avoid downstream risks or issues with increased solution complexity.
  • Tests prove the installed change satisfies the stated business need. Business stakeholders should test the products created to satisfy the requirements of the project change request. Also, determine whether stakeholders can follow the instructions in any user documentation produced for those products. You can close the change request record only if both activities have been completed successfully. If not, determine whether corrections can be made as part of the current change request record. Or you can create a new change request record to address modifications required to satisfy business stakeholders.
  • The change doesn’t introduce unanticipated risks/issues. A change request approval process includes estimated costs, confirms the approach for making the change, and highlights risks. If the design, construction, or implementation of a change introduces unanticipated risks or issues, keep the change request record open. Then, determine how to address the issue or mitigate the risks. Review your plan to address the issue/risk with key stakeholders. If stakeholders approve of your plan, take those actions, and close the change request record. If the stakeholders aren’t satisfied, rework the plan until the stakeholders are satisfied. You can close the change request record only when unanticipated issues and risks have been addressed to the stakeholders’ satisfaction.
  • The change doesn’t affect other constraints. A change request might affect other project constraints. For instance, implementing a change might require other changes to make it work. This form of scope creep can be expensive. So, watch out for a change domino effect to get something to work. Quality concerns can also arise from the results of a change. What if an added function in a solution leads to occasional operational errors? Answering that question can be difficult and contentious. Finally, a change might increase the cost of ownership of the product(s) the project produces. Of course, this is something that should have been identified during the analysis of the change request before its approval. If something was missed, re-evaluate the change to determine whether the increased support costs are worth the business gains.

Do you have questions or tips for closing out change requests? Share with us in the comments section.

For more about managing project change requests, check out Claudine Peet’s Change Management for Projects course.

Coming Up

Office Hours: Gen AI: The Project Manager’s Edge July 19, 2023, 9am MT

AI is transforming project management in several ways, such as taking over the creation of complex and realistic schedules through analysis of all available data. As a project manager, you may wonder how to harness generative AI applications in your work and how to implement them successfully. Join me and my fellow LinkedIn instructors, Doug Rose, Dave Birss, and Christina Charenkova to explore how to put AI to work on your projects. Sign up here.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than xx,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Refining Your Project Resource Plans

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The people who work on your project are both a significant factor in its success and a significant cost. So, it’s a good idea to analyze resource plans with an eye to maximizing success while minimizing cost. Here are a few things to think about to make your resource plans shine.

  • Get skill levels just right. Most project managers are concerned about not having enough skilled team members. Turns out, being over-skilled can lead to problems, too. It’s great that highly-skilled folks will “do things right the first time.” But they might not do the job any faster. So, a higher-skilled person (who usually costs more) can increase your project cost without shortening the schedule. For the nest results, review your resource plans to make sure you have the right mix of skills you need. If necessary, supplement skills with contractors.
  • Are your resources really available? You might rejoice when you get a talented staff member assigned to your project. But these rock stars are often busy with day-to-day operational tasks. Work with management to confirm that “the talent” will be available to your project over the long term.

If their longer-term availability isn’t assured, consider a different approach. For example, assign a lower-skilled, yet capable team member to the project. And arrange for the higher-skilled person to review their work. That way, you’re more likely to stay on schedule while still obtaining the benefit of the talented team member’s knowledge.

  • When projects run in parallel. Team members can be pulled into multiple projects. If several projects need the same critical resources, plan your project alongside your fellow project managers. This avoids resource conflicts and undesirable schedule delays.
  • How do key stakeholders perceive your team members. Skill isn’t the only criterion for selecting team members. The right attitude and how key stakeholders perceive them is important, too. When key stakeholders don’t trust someone on your team, their confidence in the project could be low.

What if you need someone with critical, scarce skills who doesn’t have the best reputation with stakeholder? Build and share stakeholder management               plans that address the trust issues and maintain confidence in the project. For example, you might include additional reviews of their work or help the team member communicate more effectively.

  • Leverage contractors to build skill. Project requirements might necessitate hiring contractors because the appropriate skills aren’t available within your organization. To maximize long-term benefits, require contractors to provide skills training for your staff. That way, skill-building becomes part of the resource plan, expanding capabilities and reducing costs.

Note: Some people aren’t good at training others. If you’re going to have contractors provide training, require that the companies you contract with provide people with training experience.

Do you have questions about resource plans or tips for crafting awesome resource plans? Share with us in the comments section.

For more about resource plans, check out Chris Croft’s Managing Resources Across Project Teams course.

Coming Up

Office Hours: Great Meetings Build Great Teams July 11, 2023, 11am MT

Although great meetings won’t guarantee project success, poorly run meetings could lead to project problems. In this Office Hours broadcast, I’ll be talking with Jim Stewart, PMP and Rich Malzman, PMP about how to keep your necessary meetings from becoming necessary evils. Join us for a fun and informative session. (Bring your questions for a chance to win a complimentary eBook of Great Meetings Build Great Teams. Sign up here:

 

Office Hours: Gen AI: The Project Manager’s Edge July 19, 2023, 9am MT

AI is transforming project management in several ways, such as taking over the creation of complex and realistic schedules through analysis of all available data. As a project manager, you may wonder how to harness generative AI applications in your work and how to implement them successfully. Join me and my fellow LinkedIn instructors, Doug Rose, Dave Birss, and Christina Charenkova to explore how to put AI to work on your projects. Sign up here.

 _______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 41,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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