How to be a Great Project Leader

Being a fantastic leader is all about the way you motivate and inspire your team. Take these five tips to boost your leadership skills:

1: Set Clear Goals

Whether it’s building the pyramids, landing on the moon or winning the NBA final, every great Project Leader in history has set very clear goals for their team.

Keep your goals “smart” (i.e. specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time bound). Only set 2-3 goals. Keep them short, punchy and meaningful. The key is that everyone in your team must be able to remember the goals set, without writing them down. If you can do that, then you’re already on the road to success.

2. Motivate Individually

Find out exactly what it is that motivates every person in your team. For some it’s money, for others it’s doing work that they enjoy and for others it’s working with a great team.

If you know what it is that motivates every individual in your team, then you can do what it takes to keep them motivated throughout the project. Implementing just one approach to motivating your team (e.g. team building exercises) is not enough. You need to mix it up. That way you can match everyone’s individual needs, to keep them pumped and working as hard as possible towards the project goals.

3. Track Progress Clearly

As well as setting goals and motivating your team to achieve them, you need to monitor progress each week to make sure you’re on track. Make sure you tell your team every week-what they’ve achieved and what they haven’t. Talk through the wins and losses, the challenges and issues. Get their feedback to ensure buy-in.

4. Reward Good Performance

Great Project Leaders always reward and recognize great performance in the team. You need to constantly think of new ways of rewarding your team for the right behaviour.

Implement two types of reward systems. The first are rewards that are provided when the team achieve certain targets. For instance you might hold a team dinner or social function if the team complete Phase 1 of the project delivery on time.

The second type of reward system is more personal. For those team members that perform at exceptionally high levels, offer them special rewards for good performance. Remember that rewards don’t have to be expensive. It’s usually the thought that counts and the recognition that goes with it.

5. Professional Development

Great Project Leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve how they lead the team. So keep working on your presentation, communication and documentation skills each week by taking time out to learn on the web, watch videos and taking training courses.

If you improve your professional skills every week, then so will those within your team-boosting your chances of success.

So that’s it. If you can set clear goals, track progress, reward and recognize your team and improve your professional skills-then you’re sure to become a Great Project Leader!

 

How to Deliver Challenging Projects

Every project is a challenge, but if you have tight deadlines, limited funding and are short of resource then you may have a tougher challenge than you think! To help you succeed, read these tips on…

There are 5 classic signs of a “challenging” project. We’ve described them below and offer you advice for managing them:

Tight Deadlines
If your project deadline is practically unachievable, then here’s what to do. First, try and get it delayed. If you can’t, then immediately replan your project so you know by how much you will be late. If it’s more than 10% then try and find more resource to help you deliver it more quickly. And if you can’t get the resource, then reduce your scope. Identify non-critical deliverables and get your sponsor to agree that you can complete those deliverables after the deadline has passed.
Otherwise, you need to revisit the tasks in your plan to see if you can produce the same deliverables, with less tasks and effort than before.

Limited Budget
If your budget has been cut back, then try and find another sponsor in your business to provide the additional funding required. If cashflow is the problem, then negotiate with suppliers to take delayed payments. Use internal resource rather than external contractors, as they are usually cheaper. Rent equipment rather than buy. Re-negotiate with your suppliers to reduce their deliverables and therefore, their costs. And lastly, reduce staff overtime and offer them unpaid leave when they have down time.

Resource Shortage
If you don’t have sufficient resource to complete the project, then take these steps. Review your deliverables and ensure you focus on the critical ones first. Try and find people in your business who can be succonded to your project, without you being charged. If you can’t, then you need to work incredibly smart. So take time out each day to prioritize your tasks and ensure everyone is spending their time wisely. Work extra hours if necessary, but don’t burn out. You can only work smart if you’re “as fresh as a daisy”.

Scope Changes
If your scope is constantly changing, then you need to nail it down. Start by identifying the tasks on the “critical path” and sticking to them, regardless of the change requests that arise. Identify your project priorities and get them approved by your sponsor. Make sure each priority is linked to a business objective, so that they are harder to change.

Being a Super-Hero
Does everyone expect you to be a super-hero by delivering your project with less time, budget and resource than you need? If so, don’t worry – it’s normal. The trick is to manage people’s expectations, by under promising and over delivering. Keep people well informed, so they know what you’ll deliver, how and by when.

By taking these tips, you can deliver challenging projects with a smile, and gain a reputation for super-hero like qualities!

5 Tips to Monitor Your Projects

You need to carefully monitor your project, if you want to stay on track. So read these…

Tip 1: Time Management is Critical
If you want to deliver your project on-time, then you need to have a good understanding of what your team spend their time doing. That makes sense, right?
Start by using time tracking software to record time spent. Make sure that every team member records the tasks they are working on and the time they have spent, every day of the project.
You need to then review that time and make sure that it’s appropriate. Are they spending the right amount of time on the right tasks, to achieve the right outcomes?
As well as monitoring the time spent, you need to understand the time remaining. So update your project plan weekly with the revised planned finish dates. Only then can you calculate the actual vs. planned progress of the project.

Tip 2: Track Percent Complete
One of the easiest ways to monitor the project is to keep an eye on the overall “percent complete”. You need to identify the actual % complete of every task and then compare it to the planned % complete (i.e. what the % complete should be as of today).
If overall, your project should be 50% complete and yet you are only 43% complete, then you have a lot of work to do, to get back on track.
Tools like ProjectManager.com can monitor this for you automatically.

Tip 3: Monitor Spend vs. Budget
You also need to continually monitor the current cost of the project vs. the budget set. Record:
One-off expenses, using “Expense Forms”.
The cost of your resources by calculating the cost per hour of each person in your team, times the number of hours spent working on project tasks.
All miscellaneous, recurring and ongoing expenses.
Summarize your project expenses every week and compare them to budget.

Tip 4: Keep one eye on tasks and the other on your team
Projects are always stressful. Your team has too much work to do and limited time in which to do it. So given that your team will be under stress for the length of the project, you need to monitor their motivation levels at all times.
Every week, hold a team meeting and while communicating the status of the project, find out where their motivation levels are at? Are they happy, fired up and ready to kick-ass? Or are they de-motivated and don’t really care?
Motivation comes from having shared goals and enjoying the experience in achieving them. If your team has low morale or poor staff satisfaction then they will not meet the goals set. So keep an eye on team motivation constantly and run “up-beat” workshops to get them excited about the next phase ahead.

Tip 5: Changes are the Death of Projects
The biggest risk of the project is that the business wants to change the goalposts, the minute they are set. Seen this before?
How could you win a game of football, if the goalposts constantly change? The trick is to record every change that is requested and monitor the effects of those changes on the project. If they are likely to impact on the timescales, budget or our objectives, then tell the customer upfront and request more time, resources or budget in which to do it.

One easy way to monitor your projects is to use ProjectManager.com

5 Tips for Delivering Under Budget

Every project has a budget. It is one of those things that makes a “project” a project.
The challenge for a Project Manager is often that by the time they are assigned to a project, the budget has already been set and the Project Manager does not have any real “say” in the matter. So how to can you manage your project within budget, when you have not created the budget in the first place? Here’s how…

Tip 1: Revise the Budget
As soon as you are assigned to a project, make it one of your first jobs to revise the budget set. Is it sufficient, does it include contingency (if so, how much?) and does it account for the size, complexity and risk of the project? Challenge your boss immediately if you’re not comfortable with the budget set and explain why you need more money if it’s required. If they say “no” then at least you’ve raised it upfront.
A Project Charter is like an architectural drawing for a building project. It tells the builder what the end result is going to look like, so the client knows what they will receive and the project manager knows what has to be delivered and by when.
It helps you to direct your team towards the end goal, so everyone is on the same page.
Tip 2: Create a Financial Plan
Then, create a project plan and calculate the forecast cost of every task ahead. Use software to do this, as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets will quickly get out of hand.
Tip 3: Baseline the Plan
Then baseline your plan, which means saving a copy so that you can compare the actual expense of the project day today, to the original plan set.
Tip 4: Track Progress Daily
Every day, you need to calculate the total cost of the project vs. the total budget set. If you use online software to do this, then you can see in a graphical dashboard a task which tells you whether you are under budget or over budget at every step in the journey. Because it’s online, you can view the status of your project real-time.
Tip 5: Get Serious
If you notice that you’re consistently running over budget each week, then you may need to immediately stop and take action. This may include; informing your boss, asking for a larger budget (and justifying the reason for it) reducing the scope of the project or trimming expenses and trying to do more with less.

As you’ve probably realized already, the key to success is having software which tells you every day at a glance whether you are currently under or over budget.
Great decisions are based on great information. Use Project Software to get the right information for your projects, at the right time like ProjectManager.com

How to Manage Your Project Finances?

Every project needs to deliver “under budget”. But when you have to oversee people, contractors, equipment and materials on a daily basis, how can you track the cost of all of this easily? Read this article to find out…

Step 1: Set the Budget
The first step towards managing your project finances is to set a budget. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. You need to forecast the total amount of people, equipment, materials and other expenses, needed to deliver the project. You then need to work out when in the project plan, these expenses will take place. By doing this, you can get a picture of your “project cashflow” which tells you the amount of money you need for every week in the project.

Step 2: Backup Funding
Before you need it, find backup funding in the business. This is additional funding that can be used to deliver your project, if you need it. Few Project Managers actually do this in advance, but if you have almost completed a major deliverable and you suddenly run out of money, then that backup funding might “make or break” the project. You are always in a better position to get backup funding before you need it, rather than asking for more cash when you’ve already overspent. Get backup funding as early in the Project Life Cycle as possible. It will be sure to reduce your stress.

Step 3: Weekly Tracking
The next step after setting your budget and securing backup funding is to start tracking your daily spend on the project. You need to track every expense that occurs. Ask your team to complete expense forms and submit them to you for approval. If you can get your team to wait until you have approved an expense before it is incurred, then you can more easily control expenditure on the project. Next, you need to track your people expenses. This is easy in www.ProjectManager.com because every person is assigned an hourly rate. The total cost of the hours undertaken by those people is automatically shown on the Project Dashboard, so you can see whether your people cost is under or over budget.

Step 4: Realignment
When you start spending more than your budget, you have 3 options available to help you stay within budget:
- Re-forecast your expenses and present a new budget to your Sponsor for approval.
- Start reducing costs immediately. This means spending less to get the same job done. Or alternatively, see if your Sponsor will agree to a reduced scope, so that you have less to produce for them.
- Start using your backup funding to get you through the crux of the project.

Step 5: Cashflow Management
Make sure you always have enough funds available to cover your spending over the months ahead. Cashflow management is about managing the cash needed to deliver your project. So make sure your Sponsor has approved the next 1-2 months of work ahead of time, and that the funds needed to manage the project have been made available. Then track the spending of that funding every week.

If you want a simple way to manage project finances…
Sign Up to Project Manager.com

5 Tips on Project Reporting

As a Project Manager, now that the New Year has started you will need to report on the status of your projects. Your Project Sponsor will want to know if you’re on track and when their project will be complete. To help you do this, read these…

1) Project status: Create a weekly Project Status Report to show your actual vs. planned effort, percent complete and actual vs. forecast spend. Specify the number of open risks, changes and issues, and state whether action by your Sponsor is required to resolve them. Also show the forecast amount of time, effort and money required to finish the project. Always try and forecast as accurately as possible. Never forecast optimistically, always conservatively.

2) Task completion: You need to regularly show your Sponsor your progress against the tasks listed on your schedule. Create a summarized view of your project plan and update it to reflect the percent complete for every task. Then append this summary view to your Project Status Report. This way, your Sponsor can drill down to see further information about each task, if they want to.
By offering your Project Sponsor both summary and detailed information weekly makes them feel like your project is an “open book”. They will have all of the information about your project at their finger-tips. This way, you will get more buy-in from your Sponsor and more support when it’s needed.

3) Milestones: You need to add Milestones to your project plan to show when the major project deliverables will be produced. You then need to report on the progress of each milestone to your Sponsor. Show the percent complete of each milestone, and again, forecast the completion dates.
Here’s another tip: You will get more out of your team if you motivate them to complete milestones, as opposed to tasks. That’s because people are usually proud of the things that they have achieved in life (i.e. milestones), as opposed to the things they have done to achieve them (i.e. the tasks).

4) Getting help: Project Sponsors don’t always want to hear “we’re on track and under budget” in their project reports. They just want to hear the truth. So if you’re behind schedule and you need help to get back on track, then tell your Sponsor about it in your project reports.
State exactly what you need from them. Show them that you’re doing the best you can and that you’re the best person for the job, but that you still need their help to deliver the project. If you need more time, money or resources, then ask for it. Don’t be afraid. And remember, the best time to ask for help is before you really need it. This gives you contingency, because it always takes time for help to arrive.

5) One version of the truth: Your project reports need to depict “one version of the truth” to your team. Keep them 100% accurate and be as open as possible about real issues that are affecting your team. Remember that if you communicate an issue to your Sponsor, then it becomes their issue to fix as well. Reporting issues is a great way to share the responsibility for fixing them.

So there you have it, 5 unique tips for reporting on projects. To take the hassle out of project reporting, use www.ProjectManager.com

Tips for Running Project Meetings

Everyone dislikes meetings that drag on. So your job is to make it focused, highly driven and to add a sense of purpose. If you do this, then you’ll boost team motivation and morale. Here are 5 tips to help you…

Tip 1: Plan wisely

To make sure you get the most out of your meetings, you need to plan them wisely. Prior to each meeting, write down 3 goals that you want from the meeting. Here are some examples:
“I want the team to know we’re on track”
“I want any issues or risks to be raised”
“I want them to feel valued and motivated”
Then you need to work out how you’re going to achieve your goals. The next few tips will help you with this…

Tip 2: Open and close carefully

Like in theatre, people most remember the opening and the closure the most. So open and close your meetings carefully. When you open the meeting, tell them what the purpose of the meeting is, what you want to get out of it and why it’s important. This gets their attention and sets the scene. When you close the meeting, tell them what has been agreed / achieved in the meeting and the next steps going forward.

Tip 3: Control the conversation

You need to be in complete control of the meeting at all times, to ensure that:
- The meeting follows the agenda
- You never get stuck on a single issue
- One person doesn’t dominate it
- Everyone has their say
Start by standing or sitting in a prominent place in the room. Raise your voice a little to add presence. Jump in frequently when people talk too long. Be polite but strong. Control the meeting as a coach would control a football team – by constantly watching, listening and directing the team. If possible, ask someone else to record the minutes. This gives you the time needed to control the conversation so that the agenda and your 3 goals are met.

Tip 4: Park it and move on

Often in meetings, a single issue can consume the majority of the meeting time. If the issue is not related to your specific meeting goals, then tell the team to “park it and move on”. Record the issue on a whiteboard or paper and address it with the relevant team members separately after the meeting. This keeps your meetings short and focused.

Tip 5: Keep it action orientated

Projects are all about “getting things done”. So make sure that where possible, every discussion results in an action to be completed. Focusing on the actions that are needed, is a great way of reducing the length of meetings.

Site meeting in progress at Kuala Lumpur 2007

Keep your team focused by using this Project Methodology. You can use it in meetings to step your team through the project life cycle, so they know what they have to do, how and by when. And they will have the tools needed to succeed.

How to Kick Start Your Project

Most Projects Managers get tired at some point in their project. After all, managing people, money and time is exhausting. But if you’re not at the top of your game for the whole length of the project, then your team can get stressed and timeframes can start slipping. So here are 5 tips for kick starting your project to rejuvenate it and give it a new lease of life…

Tip 1: Stop and get a grip
Projects are always ahead in some areas and behind in others. Stop and take the time to get a firm handle on the project progress. Make a list of all of the areas that you’re behind in. Then prioritize the list and calculate the amount of effort needed to get them back on track. Are there any tasks that can be completed by others outside your team? If there are non-critical tasks that you can outsource, then now is the time to consider it. Use whatever resources you can find to complete these late tasks as soon as possible.

Tip 2: Rework the plan
Once you’ve caught up, revisit your Project Plan. Update every task in the plan and recreate your schedule ahead. You need to revitalize your team and to do this, you need a newly worked project plan that shows how you’re going to deliver the rest of the project on time. This will boost motivation and enthusiasm for completing the revitalized plan. Especially if your team can see that it’s actually achievable.

Tip 3: The Road Ahead
Now that you have a crystal clear plan ahead, you’re ready to get the team behind it. Take your team out for lunch. Walk them through the remaining challenges and the timeframes in which they must be achieved. Try not to talk about the prior period or any failures to date. Instead, be positive and focus on the road ahead to gather their support. If possible, ask a customer to come along, to impress on your staff what it is that they need to deliver and by when. Tell them you’re proud of them and what they’re capable of achieving.

Tip 4: Individualization
The trick now is to make each person feel like they are a critical cog in the wheel. Meet them individually, reward their successes and recognize achievement whenever you see it.

Tip 5: Quick wins
A winning team like to know they are winning right from the start. Focus on delivering a couple of critical tasks early, then shout about the success. Then get more quick wins under your belt and shout out about your successes again. This creates the feeling of achievement and it creates momentum in the team. Sure, the project may not be finished until you’ve crossed the finishing line, but half the fun should be in getting there.

By taking these 5 tips, you can kick start your projects to boost motivation to an all time high.
To invigorate your team, use these refreshing new Project Management Templates.
They include all of the documents you need to help your team deliver the project on time. Download from Method123.com

Create a Project Plan in 3 easy steps!

The Project Plan lists all of the activities required to complete the project as well as the milestones, dependencies, resources and timeframes involved. The following diagram depicts the 3 critical steps involved in creating a Project Plan:

To create a Project Plan, you first need to define the Work Breakdown Structure (“WBS”). The WBS lists each of the phases, activities and tasks required to undertake a project. You will then identify the resources required to carry out each activity listed. And finally, you will construct a Project Schedule which describes the flow of tasks and the timeframes involved in completing each task specified. A more detailed description of each of these steps follows:

Step 1: Define the Work Breakdown Structure
The first step taken when creating a detailed Project Plan for your project, is to create a comprehensive Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The WBS lists all the phases, activities and tasks required to undertake the project. Identify and describe each phase, activity and task required to complete the project successfully. Depict the order in which the tasks must be undertaken and identify any key internal and external project dependencies. Also list the critical project milestones, such as the completion of key project deliverables.

Step 2: Identify the Required Resources
Having listed all of the tasks required to undertake the project, you now need to identify the generic resources required to complete each task. Examples of types of resource include: full-time and part-time staff, contractors, equipment and materials. For each resource type, identify the quantity required, the delivery dates and the project tasks in the WBS that the resource will be used to help complete.

Step 3: Construct a Project Schedule
You have now collated all of the information required to build a detailed Project Schedule. To construct your schedule, you need to:
- List the phases, activities and tasks
- Sequence the phases, activities and tasks
- Add key internal and external dependencies
- Allocate relevant completion timeframes
- Add additional contingency to mitigate risk
- Assign resources required to complete tasks
- List critical delivery milestones
- Specify any assumptions and constraints

And there you have it! By following these 3 simple steps, you can create a comprehensive Project Plan to increase the likelihood of success of your project. If you would like to download a Project Plan template to help you to create Project Plans quickly and easily, then click here.

The Role of a Project Manager

The role of a Project Manager is to “Deliver the project on time, within budget and to specification”. So in other words, you need to specify clearly upfront what must be delivered by the project, and then you need to produce it within the schedule and budget assigned.
But it’s not that simple. You might meet this objective but totally fail as a “top notch Project Manager”. We believe your role is much more than that. It is also…
1: To recruit the best
Great projects are delivered by a great team. Your role is to recruit the best people you can find and make sure that their skill sets are perfectly complimentary so that you have all of the experience you need to deliver the project successfully.
You need to document a detailed Job Description for every person in your team so that they all know what is expected of them, at every step in the journey. Only with a great team and everyone knowing what is expected of them, will you deliver a great result.
2: To motivate and lead
You need to be the one “cracking the whip” so that everyone knows what is to be done and by when. You need to be strict and make sure that every task is done on time and doesn’t slip. If it does slip, then you need to identify the slippage immediately and have contingency plans so you can get back on track.
As well as cracking the whip, you need to be positive and supportive towards your team so they know you also care. You need to lead by example and motivate others to do the same. If you want others to work hard, then you need to work harder than they do.
Lead by giving them direction, motivating them to work hard and showing you care along the way.
3: To manage the finances
Every project has a budget, whether it’s clearly defined or not. You need to ensure that you don’t spend more than you’re entitled to, or your sponsor / client will be dissatisfied with the end result. Manage finances carefully by listing every expense and ensuring that they are budgeted upfront. If unbudgeted expenditure takes place, tell your client as soon as possible to avoid complications down the track. If you need more budget, then don’t be afraid to ask for it!
4: To control change
You need to be the one who controls all change to the project scope, tightly. “Scope creep” kills projects. Define the scope of the project upfront and then review it each week to make sure that you’re not doing un-authorized work at any time. Your customer will ask for change throughout the project. Don’t always give in. Stay your ground and when this happens, ask for more time or budget to cater for it. Remember—no matter how many changes they ask you for, they will still beat you up if you’re late or over budget. So control change when you see it.
5: Communicate
It’s your job as a Project Manager to communicate the status of the project regularly. If people know it’s on track it will motivate them. If they know it’s late it will motivate them even more. But they will only know if it’s on time or late if you communicate this to them.
You need to communicate the project status to your team, project sponsor and client every week of the project life cycle. Never miss a week. Always document the status accurately. Never exaggerate. Communicate the right messages t the right people at the right time.

Project manager at site

There you have it! If you want a Job Description template to learn more about the role of a Project Manager then go to www.Method123.com
Or get the Project Management Kit of templates. It includes all of the templates you need to perform your role as a Project Manager, and more…