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Understanding Risks Through Links to Your Project’s Triple Constraints

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Newsletter Picture (1920 x 1080 px)To make good, informed decisions both before and during a project, stakeholders have to really understand the project’s risks. One approach is to describe the impact of each risk to one or more of the project constraints—scope, time, or cost. Linking risks to the triple constraints provides the following benefits:

  • Meaningful descriptions of potential impacts. A description of risk impact like “creates more complexity” or “strains a resource” might not mean much to most stakeholders. But a cost, time, or scope impact statement makes the risk’s potential effect universally understood. It can also help resolve debates between stakeholders with competing scope ideas. In addition to debating business benefits, stakeholders can discuss the potential impact of the different scopes to facilitate a more balanced discussion.
  • Expanded risk identification. Anything that inspires thinking about potential risks is worthwhile. Asking questions like “What circumstances could increase our costs?” or “What could happen that would increase build time?” can identify more risks. This simple but different way of thinking might identify risks the team might not consider otherwise.
  • Risk prioritization. There is usually a priority to the triple constraints. For example, if a legal requirement must be met by a specific date, time and scope become higher priorities than cost. If the budget is tight and a quick fix is desired, the project priorities would be cost and scope. Categorizing risks by how they impact the triple constraints ensures that risks are handled in alignment with organizational priorities. This means that resources like contingency funds or skilled experts can be allocated appropriately to address the most critical risks.
  • Demonstrate overall project risk. Assigning the overall project risk as high, medium, or low doesn’t say much. Instead, describing the risk level for scope, time, and cost facilitates better decision-making about the project. It also enables better project portfolio management. Examining each project’s time, cost, and scope risk is a straightforward way to compare the viability of one project versus another.

Take one of your past or present projects and have a go at linking their risks to the project constraints. Does it help identify other risks? Are the impacts easier to understand?

For more about risk management, check out Bob McGannon’s Project Management Foundations: Risk course.

 

Coming Up

A day in the life of a project manager can seem like an endless parade of problems, which can turn almost anyone into a pessimist. Reframing problems into opportunities and a sincere search for solutions can significantly improve performance: yours, your team’s, and your projects’. Join Jason Mackenzie and I for Office Hours on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 9am MT, we’ll discuss how positive reframing can improve communication and results at all levels. Click here to join!

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 89,000 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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How to Speed Up a Tardy Team 

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Newsletter Graphic Advice The PM is INDear Bonnie,

I have a problem with delivering on schedule. My technical team eventually gets their job done, but it takes them forever to complete anything. How can I light a fire under them so I can complete my projects more quickly, and more importantly, on time?

Signed, Is it done yet?

 

Dear Is it done yet,

Ah yes, the elusive on-time tech team—known to inhabit the wilds of your organization like a snuggle of sloths: adorable and clearly not in a rush. (I looked it up. That cute curled up pile of sloths is called a snuggle.)

Let’s start with a revolutionary concept: maybe they aren’t a snuggle but, rather, a scurry of squirrels (yup, checked that one too) doing other stuff. You’re teed off that your project is moving slower than a sloth on a NyQuil drip, while they could be buried by higher priority acorns that someone (probably with more clout and an intimidating glare) told them to finish first. Try asking them nicely what’s going on and, even better, if there’s anything you can do to clear their path. Bribing them with nutty snacks can’t hurt.

Next, remember that tech teams are usually zip-tying the entire infrastructure together while fending off the latest “urgent” request from someone who yells and also thinks their mouse is a dysfunctional laser pointer. If your project is languishing on the “once the network stops crashing” list, you have two options: yell louder than the others (not recommended) or consider hiring a contractor whose job it is to care about your project because you’re paying them to.

And finally, the nuclear option: sponsors. You know, the people who can send a single email, which prompts the team to act like they’re in a Red Bull commercial. If your project has real value (at least in your opinion), get your sponsor involved. Nothing lights a fire under a slothful tech team like a VP breathing down their neck like a caffeinated Komodo dragon. If your team is scurrying, you can earn their everlasting loyalty by coaxing your sponsor to protect your team’s time and sanity like a mama bear warding off unreasonably demanding stakeholders.

Good luck! If all else fails, you can say that the delays are part of your “iterative process.”

Cheers,

Bonnie

I sincerely apologize to any species I’ve offended by omitting them from the metaphors in this article.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 89,000 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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Helping Your Sponsor to Be More Helpful

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3 sponsor effectiveness

Sponsors often aren’t effective because they don’t know what to do besides kick off a project. Here are things you can do to help your sponsor be more helpful to the project.

  • Facilitate meetings with influential stakeholders. First, you analyze stakeholders to determine the project’s most influential ones. Set up small group or 1-on-1 meetings with those stakeholders and the sponsor, prioritizing those with the most influence. Prepare an agenda and review it with the sponsor in advance, helping the sponsor develop appropriate messaging for each session. Note: Some of the most critical meetings could be with influential stakeholders who aren’t engaged in the project but should be. If possible, set up meetings with those stakeholders as well.
  • Recommend creating a steering committee. An ideal sponsor has the necessary funding, control over project resources, and the business process and technical skills to guide the project manager and team members. It’s rare for an individual to have all of these, but a sponsorship committee with more than one person can. If the individual sponsor hasn’t realized that they need support, you can recommend a steering committee with that person as chairperson – and they act as the public-facing sponsor. You can also draft terms of engagement for the sponsorship committee, prepare agendas, and take minutes to support the sponsor.
  • Help the sponsor communicate adjustments to the project vision. Things change as projects progress. Approved project changes can change scope. With agile, the project’s direction can change substantially as business and technical team members learn from each other and the products they create. Project managers or scrum leaders can work proactively with sponsors (or product owners) to keep their understanding up to date and help them communicate effectively with key stakeholders.
  • Help assess and adjust work priorities. Most project teams work against an ongoing battle of priorities. Team members typically have day-to-day operational responsibilities to fulfill with project duties allocated on top of those. Yet, they rarely get clear guidance on what to work on when. Prioritization of project vs. operational work is left to the individual project team member. To manage the schedule, project managers can collect data and inform sponsors about the planned versus actual hours people dedicate to the project. Once the sponsor has this data, they are usually more willing to work with the project manager and team members to determine whether operational and project work priorities support business needs or whether adjustments are needed.

Do you have any tips for making a sponsor more helpful to the project? Or need advice for working with a challenging sponsor? Share with us in the comments section.

For more about sponsors, check out Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez’s How to Be an Effective Project Sponsor course.

 

Coming Up

Looking to set up agile projects for success, as well as creating custom fields to track elements unique to the agile project method. My updated Agile Project Management with Microsoft Project course has been published! Click here to watch.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 88,000 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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GanttPro: Another Online PM Tool That’s Worth a Look

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Newsletter Picture (1920 x 1080 px)I took a look at GanttPro, an online project management tool that isn’t covered in my LinkedIn Learning course. It’s a medium-level PM tool at a competitive price. It offers quite a few features without bombarding you with a suite of applications like some other products. While it lacks some things most PMs would want, they have links on their website asking for suggestion. Here’s a quick overview of what it can do.

Note: I spent about a day experimenting, so I might have missed a few things. I found their help videos and knowledge base quite good when I needed them.

  • Setup. Getting started is super simple. Create an account and it asks you if you want to create a project. You can start from scratch or use one of their templates (categories like consulting, construction, software development, product launch, web design and more). Use “By methodology” to choose either an agile or waterfall template. And when you click the Create new project button, you’ll see the Gantt chart.
  • Create project Gantt charts. It’s called GanttPro, so of course it has a Gantt chart feature. It’s easy to add tasks, subtasks, and milestones. You can indent and outdent to build your task outline. And you can drag tasks around to reorder the list. Or import tasks from an Excel file or Microsoft Project. 
  • Create task dependencies. With GanttPro, you can drag from task bar to task bar to create dependencies, or you can add the Predecessor field to the Gantt table to specify them with task IDs. GanttPro supports all four types of dependencies (FS, SS, FF, SF). Clicking a dependency in the chart opens a dialog box for adding lag or lead. When you change task dates, GanttPro recalculates the schedule.
  • Add other task info. The Gantt chart table starts with basic fields like task name and assigned resources. GanttPro has other fields like priority, duration, start and end date, budget, actual cost, status and more. Custom fields come in all the usual data types, although they are simplistic and sadly (at least for me) without formulas. If you need to make the same type of changes to multiple tasks, click the Checkmark icon just above the Gantt chart table. GanttPro tracks the history of your past actions so you can undo previous steps. (Click the clock face icon at the very top right of the window. Then, you can select an action to see the project before that action was performed.)
  • Manage resources. You can send emails to invite your team to your GanttPro environment. There are also virtual resources to represent roles, skills, materials, costs. You can assign cost rates to resources, a project calendar, or a personal calendar for specific resources. It indicates resource overallocations with a red person icon in the Gantt table as well as in the Workload view.
  • Track time. There’s a time tracker for logging time spent on assignments. People can run a timer as they work, or they can enter hours after the fact.

2 GanttPro workload

 

  • Display scheduling features. You can save baselines and then display the current schedule compared to the baseline, as shown below. You can also click buttons at the top to display the critical path, show overdue tasks, or expand or collapse the list. Say you have people who want to see status, but you don’t want them to see all the dirty laundry. In GanttPro, a filtered view shows what you want to show your client. Then, you can create a shared private link to that filtered view, so anyone with the link has view-only access to it.
  • More views. Like other software, it has Board, List, Calendar, Workload, and Dashboard views. As you navigate through the tool, you’ll sometimes see a “Missing a feature?” link, so you can cast your vote for new functionality.

2 GanttPro chart w workload

  • View status with reports and a dashboard. There isn’t a lot of reporting: it boils down to filtering tasks with different criteria. When you open the Reports screen and click Reports under development, you can tell GanttPro what types of reports you want. The Dashboard has widgets that you can turn on or off and reorganize, but you can’t create your own.
  • Manage budgets and portfolios. With estimates and actual costs, you can track income and expenses in projects. Like other tools, this cost management might not satisfy accounting nerds, but it’s a start. GanttPro doesn’t have any integration with other financial apps either. You can add projects to different portfolios and then review them with a portfolio Gantt chart, List, Workload, and Dashboard view. 

2 GanttPro dashboard

  • Communicate with the team. People involved with projects, whether internal or external to your organization, can collaborate by commenting, mentioning people, and attaching files. Click a task to open the side panel and then leave a comment or click Attach files. @mentioning works the usual way. You can also create a link to the task when you want someone to review it.
  • Integrate with other software. GanttPro integrates with a few major players, including Slack, OneDrive, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Jira Cloud. But it’s not the long list of integrations offered by other tools. 
  • Help and support.  When you point at icons above the Gantt chart, a popup box describes the feature. Click Learn more to jump into a new browser tab with the GanttPro knowledge base. There are dozens of videos that show you how or you can search the knowledge base for articles.

To sum up, GanttPro could be a good fit for small businesses working on small to medium-sized projects without big demands for customization. It would also be a good Gantt chart add-on if you already have other PM software that doesn’t offer a Gantt chart feature.

If this sounds interesting, here’s info on pricing as of March 2025. The core plan doesn’t offer a lot, so the Advanced plan is a good place to start at $10 per user per month (paid annually). If you need resource management or portfolio management, you’ll want the Business plan ($17 per user per month paid annually). There’s also an Enterprise plan, which I didn’t look at. Their 14-day free trial gives you time to see which level works for you.

For more about other online project management tools, check out my Project Management: Choosing the Right Online Tool course.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 88,000 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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Why Introverts Make Great Project Managers

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1 introverted project managers

There’s a common myth that great project managers have to be loud, outgoing, and constantly in the spotlight. In reality? Some of the best project managers are introverts. This article by Anna Lung’aho Anderson explains not only why but how introverts can lean into their strengths to manage projects.

Think about it. Introverts are natural deep thinkers. They are strong listeners and thoughtful communicators. They don’t just talk; they observe, analyze, and strategize. These qualities make for incredibly effective leadership, even in a role that requires managing teams and engaging with stakeholders.

But here’s where it gets tricky. Many introverts hesitate to step into leadership roles because they assume they’re at a disadvantage.  They see their extroverted peers effortlessly commanding attention in meetings, networking with ease, and jumping into conversations without hesitation. It’s easy to think, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe this is not for me.”

It turns out that introverts don’t have to change who they are to succeed as project managers. They just need to lean into their natural strengths.

  • Deep listening leads to better problem-solving. While others rush to speak, introverts take time to truly understand issues, leading to more thoughtful decision-making.
  • Strategic thinking makes them proactive leaders. Instead of reacting impulsively, introverts plan ahead, minimizing risks before they become problems.
  • Thoughtful communication fosters strong relationships. Introverts might not be the loudest in the room, but when they speak, people listen—because their words are intentional and impactful.

The key isn’t becoming more extroverted. It’s about leveraging what already makes you great. Confidence in leadership comes from knowing how to lead in your own way. 

If you’ve ever doubted that you can succeed as a project manager because you’re an introvert, know this: your quiet strengths can make you an exceptional leader.

Here are some FAQs asked at a recent Office Hours LinkedIn broadcast that Anna and Bonnie did:

  1. How important is setting boundaries as an introvert while still showing confidence?
    • Very important! Boundaries help you protect your energy and focus. Setting them confidently shows leadership, not weakness.
  2. What if focused thinking time is misunderstood as isolating?
    • Communicate upfront: “I’m taking an hour to strategize and will circle back.” That shows leadership, not isolation.
  3. How can introverts lead meetings effectively?
    • Prepare a clear agenda, guide the conversation with purpose, and summarize decisions. You don’t have to be loud to lead well.
  4. Are there other ways to grow as a leader besides meeting prep?
    • Daily reflection, practicing assertive communication, taking small leadership roles, and finding a mentor are great ways to build leadership muscle.
  5. How do I network on LinkedIn when recruiters are overwhelmed?
    • Personalized messages are key. Reach out to peers and recruiters with genuine curiosity, not just job asks. Make connections intentional and not transactional. Add a note when connecting and be ready to utilize the time to build relationships.
  6. How do I present confidently in high-stake meetings?
    • Prepare, speak clearly and concisely, and don’t be afraid to pause before answering. Visual aids help, too.
  7. How do I prep for meetings without working late?
    • Block time during the day, use templates, prioritize, and delegate when possible.
  8. Does family management count as project management experience?
    • Yes! Organizing, budgeting, and coordinating are real PM skills. Frame them that way!

Does this resonate with you? What’s been your biggest challenge (or advantage) as an introverted project manager?

What’s one strength you’re ready to embrace as an introverted PM?

We’re cheering you on!

For more about how to put your introvert strength to work in project management, check out Anna’s course, Succeeding in Project Management as an Introvert.

 

My course Project Management Foundations was #2 in LinkedIn Learning’s Most Popular courses of 2024. Watch it for free with this link!

 

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 88,000 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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Should You Resurrect That Doomed Project?

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Newsletter Graphic Advice The PM is IN

Dear Bonnie,
I’ve been asked to relaunch a project that flatlined six months ago. Tasks just…stopped happening. Status meetings turned into ghost towns. So, I stopped managing and reporting on it, and—surprise—no one seemed to care. Now, someone wants me to resurrect it. How do I know if this is a great second chance or a reputation-ruining time sink?

Sincerely, Frustrated and Wary

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Dear Frustrated and Wary,

When people lose faith in a project, they can always find more exciting things to do, like rearranging their pens or watching the air conditioning fluff their colleague’s combover. Before you grab the defibrillator and attempt a project revival, let’s determine if this thing even has a pulse.

  1. Who’s behind this reboot request?
    And I don’t mean the person who emailed you. I mean the real puppet master. If it’s the same folks who let it wither before, be skeptical. If it’s someone new, they might actually have the muscle to keep it alive this time.
  2. How much power do they have?
    Can they actually assign resources and secure funding, or are they just optimistic cheerleaders? Also, are they stepping up to be the project sponsor? If not, brace yourself for another round of the “Let’s-Pretend-This-Is-Important” game.
  3. Are they in it for the long haul?
    A sponsor needs to have three things: commitment, knowledge of what this project is supposed to do, and the stamina to see it through. If they’re just looking for a quick win to impress their boss, you might be saddled with another slow-motion failure.
  4. Does the project even make sense anymore?
    If the business case was weak last time, that could explain why everyone abandoned ship. Check if it’s still relevant. Otherwise it’s a sequel to the “Who Can Ignore This the Longest?” franchise.
  5. What’s competing for resources?
    Are there bigger, shinier projects that will drain away your people and budget the moment things get tough? If your project isn’t a priority now, it won’t be six months from now either—except maybe as a future “lessons learned” cautionary tale.

If, after this reality check, the project looks like it might stand on its own two feet, go for it. But don’t keep your findings to yourself—share them with the key players and team members. If you’re skeptical, they probably are too. Better to address doubts upfront than watch history repeat itself.

Good luck—and maybe keep a eulogy handy, just in case.
Bonnie

 

If you have a project-related question, add it in the Comments section or send me a message on LinkedIn.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 87,000 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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Prioritization? What Prioritization?

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Newsletter Graphic Advice The PM is IN

Dear Bonnie,
I’m working on a project whose budget was cut by 50%. I’ve read that prioritizing requirements is one way to handle this. That way, we can reduce scope by delivering only the most important items. When I asked stakeholders to do this, 90% of the requirements came back as priority 1. They didn’t even have the decency to use priority 2. The few that weren’t priority 1 were labeled priority 1A!

How can I deliver successfully after this budget cut?

Signed,
Beg, Borrow, and Steal?

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Dear BB&S,
Oof! Cutting the budget in half is like ordering a new car and getting a 2010 Honda Civic smelling like cat puke.

You’re on the right track asking stakeholders to prioritize their requirements. But you underestimated their ability to consider everything a life-or-death necessity. You need to give them a prioritization model.

Here are two possible approaches:

1) Pairwise Comparison (a.k.a. The Cage Match Method)

This works well when you have a manageable number of requirements. A lot like an MMA cage match, stakeholders pit each requirement against each other to see who walks out unassisted. When you’re done, the ones with the most victories stagger to the top. Here’s an example:

priority pairwise table

 

 

 

 

 

  1. The lower half of the table is blacked out because all the one-on-one comparisons are completed by filling out the top half of the chart. (Comparing Req 1 to Req 2 is the same as comparing Req 2 to Req 1 so you don’t have to do the comparison twice.)
  2. Counting the votes gives you the priority. In this example, the voting is:
  1. Req 2 = 3
  2. Req 3 = 3
  3. Req 1 = 2
  4. Req 4 = 2
  5. Req 5= 0
  1. Two requirements are tied at 3, and two at 2 but you still have a prioritization. Just compare the tied elements to each other! 
  1. When Req 2 was compared to Req 3, Req 3 won, so Req 2 is a lower priority than Req 3
  2. When Req 1 was compared to Req 4, Req 4 won, so Req 1 is lower priority than Req 4
  1. The resulting priority is:
  1. Req 3
  2. Req 2
  3. Req 4
  4. Req 1
  5. Req 5

This process works if you have up to about 40 requirements. More than that, and you’ll have a spreadsheet that looks like a conspiracy theorist’s string diagram.

2) The “Split in Half – Twice” Technique

If you’ve got a boatload of requirements, this method keeps things under control:

  1. Ask stakeholders to cut the list in half—choosing only the requirements they’d keep if they could only have 50%. After doing this, you have two lists – top half and bottom half.
  2. Repeat the process with each half, splitting the top half into two and the bottom half into two. That gives you four priority levels for the requirements.

This approach is brutally effective because it forces stakeholders to make hard choices rather than clinging to their entire wish list like their teddy bear from childhood.

Give one of these methods a shot depending on how many requirements there are. Besides keeping prioritization from turning into an “everything is critical” party, you won’t have to consider selling your (or better idea, the stakeholders’) organs on the black market to make up the difference.

Cheers,
Bonnie

 

If you have a project-related question, add it in the Comments section or send me a message on LinkedIn.

 

Coming Up

Great project managers and salespeople have a lot in common – the most important being the goal of satisfying the customers’ needs. Join Dean Karrel and I for Office Hours on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11am MT/1pm ET, we’ll discuss what project managers and salespeople both need to do in their jobs. We’ll also explore how the skills you might consider “pure sales” can help you be a better project manager. As an added bonus, Dean will share some tips on using technology and AI to handle sales activities more effectively. Click here to join!

My updated version of Agile Project Management with Microsoft Project has been published! Click here to watch.

 

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 87,000 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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Better listening. Better results.

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Improve listeningNo matter how well you already listen, you can increase your success by listening even better. Here are exercises to strengthen your and your team’s listening skills. (And you’ll learn other important things at the same time.)

  • Before a discussion, draft the questions you want to get answered. Take a formal approach to getting the information you want from a discussion. Before a stakeholder meeting, meet with your team to identify what you need to know and understand. Write down the questions you will ask to get that information. If necessary, ask those questions at the stakeholder meeting. After the meeting, follow up with your team members so everyone can share their perspectives. Focus on areas where your perspectives differ. (Someone else might have picked up on something you missed.) Sure, this approach takes a bit more time, but it improves listening skills and builds understanding about stakeholders you don’t know well.
  • Make predictions and track surprises. Write down your prediction of what will be shared during a meeting. After the meeting, document your results. Were your predictions accurate? How were they shared? Were there any surprises, that is, things you didn’t expect to come up? Capture what you learned and what you need to explore further regarding those surprises. To improve, identify questions you could ask to avoid surprises in future meetings with the same stakeholder. This prep and analysis helps you learn your stakeholders’ styles and approaches so you can work with them in a way that’s comfortable for them.
  • Summarize presentations or podcasts. In a business world that relies on multi-tasking, we can’t always be where we want to be. Formally assign a team member to summarize a meeting and share it with others who couldn’t attend. To enhance your team’s knowledge, create a rotation where a team member listens to a podcast and then shares the lessons learned with the team at your weekly team meeting. This exercise provides listening practice and increases the team’s knowledge. Bonus approach: Ask two team members to listen and then compare notes before presenting their summary. This can help them understand items they might not have picked up, which helps improve their listening abilities.
  • Improve notes from an AI note-taking tool. AI note-taking tools are great efficiency enhancers, but they present a risk: We might depend on them rather than honing our listening skills. Take the time to listen to a meeting discussion. Focus on aspects that AI tools can overlook, like subtle emotions from tone or body language. This improves listening skills and gives you perspectives you can share regarding the strengths and weaknesses of your note-taking tool.

For more about listening skills, check out Dorie Clark’s course Improve Your Listening Skills or Tatiana Kolovou and Brenda Bailey-Hughes’ course Effective Listening.

 

My course Project Management Foundations was #2 in LinkedIn Learning’s Most Popular courses of 2024. Watch it for free with this link!

 

 

 

 

Coming Up

Great project managers and salespeople have a lot in common – the most important being the goal of satisfying the customers’ needs. Join Dean Karrel and I for Office Hours on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11am MT/1pm ET, we’ll discuss what project managers and salespeople both need to do in their jobs. We’ll also explore how the skills you might consider “pure sales” can help you be a better project manager. As an added bonus, Dean will share some tips on using technology and AI to handle sales activities more effectively. Click here to join!

My updated version of Agile Project Management with Microsoft Project has been published! Click here to watch.

_______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 87,000 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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How to Get Buy-in from Non-management Stakeholders

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Non-management motivatorsThe business case that management uses to justify a project might not motivate non-management stakeholders to buy into the project’s outcomes (think new technology, new ways of working, possible job cuts). To get unenthusiastic stakeholders on board, try designing motivators for these stakeholders into the project (if possible).

  • Efficiencies WITH growth opportunities. Saving time and money are common project justifications, but they could turn off non-management stakeholders, particularly if a project outcome puts the stakeholder’s job at risk. When a project is launched to increase business efficiency, look for opportunities that the project offers for these stakeholders to increase their value to the business. For example, changing what their current role offers or moving to a different, more impactful role in the business. The lesson here is not to stop at pitching the business benefits. Go further to develop and share plans with stakeholders so they can appreciate the personal outcomes they can realize.

Here’s a real-life example: A project is launched to implement a new computer system that would eliminate 6 positions. The sponsors say they will create a program to educate and shift the 6 people affected. Those people oppose the project, and others support them because the proposed retraining program isn’t part of the project. Without a commitment for the retraining program, people are going to be wary. So, if the retraining program is genuine, include it in the initial project. That way, you can get buy-in from the affected people and their supporters.

  • Helping customers more. Many people base their work satisfaction on their ability to help others. Whether working with internal or external customers, a sense of purpose providing for customers is motivational. Soliciting ways in which stakeholders can better support customers and then demonstrating how a project will produce those improvements is a guaranteed way to generate stakeholder buy-in.
  • Employee satisfaction and retention. In a competitive marketplace, keeping talent is almost priceless. Projects that create a work environment appealing to employees will trigger extraordinary buy-in, such as implementing systems that support working remotely, expanding benefits or processes that make benefits more flexible, like expanding retirement plan options or enhancing education opportunities.
  • Continued market viability. Job security means people are comfortable with their work environment and feel recognized through compensation and acknowledgment of their contributions. However, job security also depends on employee’s confidence in the organization’s future. If they suspect that the company might go out of business, be acquired by a predatory competitor, or retract from poor sales, job security will quickly diminish. Because of that, stakeholders welcome projects that they see as strengthening the company’s market position. 

I remember a meeting in a project I managed where the developers visibly tuned out as the executives tried to boost their morale by talking about how the project’s success would bring in more projects. I could see the thought bubbles over their heads, “Oh, great, more projects, more deadlines, more late nights and weekends away from my family.” When the executives wrapped up, I asked if I could add something. I talked about the new technologies we would be able to learn, how we would have the resources to streamline our efforts, and how we would be able to deliver projects without extraordinary personal sacrifice. The developers perked up thinking about opportunities they hadn’t thought of. Bottom line: executives aren’t likely to think about these types of motivation, but you, as the project manager, can improve buy-in by identifying and promoting stakeholder-centric benefits.   

 

My course Project Management Foundations was #2 in LinkedIn Learning’s Most Popular courses of 2024. Watch it for free with this link!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming Up

Many people believe you need to be an extrovert to be successful as a project manager. But introverts bring valuable strengths like strategic thinking, deep listening, thoughtful communication, and more. Anna Lung’aho Anderson and I both get questions from people who are scared of project management because they’re introverts. Join us for Office Hours on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 11am MT/12pm CT, we’ll talk about how introverted project managers can leverage their strengths, overcome their challenges, and at the same time develop confidence in leadership, stakeholder engagement, and other people skills. Click here to join!

Great project managers and salespeople have a lot in common – the most important being the goal of satisfying the customers’ needs. Join Dean Karrel and I for Office Hours on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 11am MT/1pm ET, we’ll discuss what project managers and salespeople both need to do in their jobs. We’ll also explore how the skills you might consider “pure sales” can help you be a better project manager. As an added bonus, Dean will share some tips on using technology and AI to handle sales activities more effectively. Click here to join!

My updated version of Agile Project Management with Microsoft Project has been published! Click here to watch.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 86,000 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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Developing Realistic Risk Responses

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Realistic risk responsesProject managers often fall short with planning risk responses, because the risk responses aren’t realistic or can’t be acted on. Here’s a checklist to ensure risk responses are realistic and will help the project succeed. 

  • Do key stakeholders understand the risk response? Risk responses must be written using vocabulary familiar to a broad set of stakeholders. Avoid jargon or terms familiar only to technical teams. Schedule open meetings about risks and planned responses, allowing stakeholders to ask questions and provide input. This will both improve understanding and increase buy-in.
  • Do responses Include clear and agreed-upon execution conditions? A realistic risk response must have a well-defined trigger point or conditions for activation. This ensures that the response is implemented in circumstances agreed to by relevant stakeholders. For example, if a risk involves potential supply chain disruptions, the response might be triggered when lead times exceed a certain threshold. With clearly defined execution points, the project team can act proactively and decisively. 
  • Is the funding source identified? Risk responses must include details on where the funding is coming from, such as a contingency budget, a specific risk management fund, or an agreement to reallocate resources from other project areas. There needs to be a pre-defined process for releasing those funds as well. 
  • Does the response align with the project goal and scope?  If a risk response significantly alters the project’s direction, it isn’t realistic. Responses need to align with and support the project goal. For example, if a project to develop a new software product has an objective to build in-house expertise, a risk response to outsource core development work is detrimental.
  • Do responses include measurable outcomes and targets? Measurable outcomes with a defined target help the project team assess the effectiveness of the response and adjust if needed. Examples of measurable outcomes might include a reduced probability of risk occurrence, decreased potential impact, or improved project KPIs. 
  • Do complex risk responses have a mini-implementation plan? This plan outlines the steps required to execute the response, assign responsibilities, and set timelines. Think of it as a project within a project. For instance, if a risk response involves switching to an alternative supplier, the mini plan might include steps for vendor evaluation, contract negotiation, and transition of operations. This level of detail ensures that complex responses are actionable.

Of course, you need other information about risk responses: who owns the risk, how it impacts the project, and so on. Try creating a risk response template that includes basic 411 about the response along with these checklist items.

For more about risk responses, check out Bob McGannon’s Project Management Foundations: Risk course.

 

My course Project Management Foundations was #2 in LinkedIn Learning’s Most Popular courses of 2024. Watch it for free with this link!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming Up

Many people believe you need to be an extrovert to be successful as a project manager. But introverts bring valuable strengths like strategic thinking, deep listening, thoughtful communication, and more. Bonnie Biafore and Anna Lung’aho Anderson both get questions from people who are scared of project management because they’re introverts. Join us for Office Hours on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 11am MT/12pm CT, we’ll talk about how introverted project managers can leverage their strengths, overcome their challenges, and at the same time develop confidence in leadership, stakeholder engagement, and other people skills. Click here to join!

 

My updated version of Agile Project Management with Microsoft Project has been published! Click here to watch.

_______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 86,000 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.

_______________________________________