By performing the previous parts of Step 4 you understand your project’s progress, you understand issues and risks and the changes that are being asked for. You have all the information you need to manage the project, but managing a project is not simply about understanding it, it is about taking action.
There are always lots of things to do on a project: tasks that need to be completed, issues that need to be resolved, risk and changes that need to be analysed, and customers who need to be briefed on progress. There is sometimes a temptation for the project manager to get involved in doing the work and not focus on managing it.
The title project manager is a deliberate one – it is not project doer, project team member, or project worker. The role is to manage the project – and it is an essential role. If people simply work on a project without someone looking over, co-ordinating, directing and controlling all the different activities it is unlikely to be a success unless it is a very simple task.
Of course you may be working on a project by yourself, or it may be a very small project, in which case you do not have a full-time project manager, and you will get involved in doing the tasks on the plan as well. However, even in this situation, do not confuse the work of doing tasks with managing the project.
A good analogy is with the conductor of an orchestra. No-one expects a great conductor to pick up an instrument halfway through a concert and start playing. Everyone understands that his or her role is to conduct, and that this is a critical role. The same should be true for a project manager, your role is to manage the project and this is an essential role.
Be the project manager!
Key drivers for success 6
Action can take many forms: you may need to ask permission to access a building; you may need to phone someone to check they are doing the work they are meant to be doing; you may need to buy some stationery for the project team; you may need to hire a contractor to get some work done more quickly; you may need to talk to a project team member to motivate them to work faster, and so on. The actions will cover the spec- trum from large and complex tasks through to simple, quick acts.
Whatever the actions are, they do not just need to be decided upon and planned, you need to make sure they happen!
Some project managers have the false impression that project manage- ment is about monitoring and reporting, with some supporting admin- istration. These are important parts of project management, but the key role of the project manager is to keep progress going on the project and to take whatever actions are necessary to keep this happening.
The action you take depends on what the information you have collected shows. You must assess it all and decide what needs to be done and implement the action in the most appropriate manner. Project management processes and tools show when you need to take action (for example, to recover time so you are not late or to overcome issues) but they cannot tell you how to do this. Now is the time to use your common sense and experience to come up with solutions – and having determined solutions, to implement them.
Table 4.6 shows some examples of typical problems on projects and what actions can be taken to overcome them.
Typical problems Constructive actions
When the project team starts to ● Get the project team to succinctly define create a deliverable, they find the the area(s) of ambiguity.
definition provided by the customer ● Arrange a short workshop with the is not clear enough. customer to clarify all ambiguous
definitions.
When the project team starts to ● Generate three versions of the Project create a deliverable, they find that it Plan, Budget and Definition:
cannot easily be created in the way 1. A revised plan and budget for it is defined without significant delay the deliverable as described
or cost. 2. A revised definition to meet the
original cost and time.
3. A recommended balance between the two.
● Present the options to the customer and agree which to follow.
A member of the project team is ● Assume the illness will last, i.e. do not unavailable due to illness and it is be over optimistic on speed of recovery.
unclear how long the individual will ● Assess the impact on the project of not
be unavailable for. having this person.
● If impact is significant then look for alternative ways of getting the work done:
1. Can you get another person easily?
2. Is it possible for other team members to do the work, possibly paying for overtime?
3. Can you find and use a contractor?
4. Is it possible to buy a service in from an external company?
● Select best option and implement.
The project is running late. ● Determine if the delay in progress is important or not (some lateness may not be a problem, it depends on the indi- vidual situation).
● Review the plan and determine if the time can be recovered as the project progresses, or by using contingency.
● Identify other options to recover time.
● Assess if any option is viable and which is best.
● Implement chosen option.