Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas

Author:Jerry Manas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2010-09-08T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

A word of caution is

needed concerning

the perception that a

new software package

will be a cure-all for

what ails an organization.

The tool won’t

necessarily help if the

underlying processes

aren’t resolved first.

* * *

As project managers, we must find out what barriers stand in the way of our teams’ success. Barriers can take many forms, including inadequate training, lack of the right tools for the job (equipment, clothing, software, etc.), political barriers (conflict among superiors or peers, mixed messages, uncommitted stakeholders, etc.), or process barriers (excessive bureaucracy, interruptions, multitasking, etc.). A word of caution is needed concerning the perception that a new software package will be a cure-all for what ails an organization. The tool won’t necessarily help if the underlying processes aren’t resolved first. We must first remove the barriers of ineffective processes and excessive bureaucracy, and then we can choose a tool that best suits our new way of working. By removing barriers up front, we can tip the scales in our favor before we even begin.

Although removing barriers up front can help, resistance can return very quickly as the project proceeds. We must constantly keep an eye out for things that are impacting our team: conflicts, difficulty solving a problem, constant interruptions, or any other barriers. A significant part of a project manager’s job is removing barriers—another reason that it is a good idea to have a Project Control Specialist who can maintain the project schedule, manage the issues list and risk plan, and perform other functions that can weigh down the project manager.

In summary, by getting stakeholders on board; having the right training, processes, and tools in place; and continuously removing any other barriers for our team (political or otherwise), we can reduce resistance for our project. We can now examine another element to consider when trying to achieve speed: increasing urgency.

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