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Project Management Foundations - Establishing Project Rhythm

November 15, 2011 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Best Practices

Project Management Foundations - Establishing Project Rhythm
By Steve Hart

As a project manager, you often rely as heavily on your “soft skills” as a project leader, as you do on your core knowledge as a project manager. This is particularly true during the transition from project planning to execution. It is the time period when you are on-boarding the entire project team, and moving from “planning the work” to “doing the work”. As you make this transition, you must establish a good rhythm on the project team. This rhythm involves three important elements of effective project execution:

  1. Teamwork – People on the project are working together to accomplish a common goal.
  2. Cadence – Work is getting done on-time, and in the sequence that it should.
  3. Communication – People are informed and engaged at the right time about relevant topics.

If the foundation for these three elements of project execution is created during this transition period, when the unexpected occurs on a project, the project team will be equipped to respond appropriately and continue moving the project in the right direction.

Why Is Project Rhythm So Important?

The project team works more efficiently and effectively with a common understanding of the goals and the plan to “get there”.

  • Team members are more likely to be well-informed, and actively participate in decision making when strong communication and collaboration processes and tools are established.
  • Team dynamics & satisfaction are improved on a team that understands what progress looks like.
  • Bottom line: Good project rhythm improves project delivery outcomes.

How Is Project Rhythm Established?

  1. Ensure the team understands the baseline plan
    • Communicate the plan in a manner that everyone hears the key messages (scope, schedule, constraints, assumptions, risks /issues).
    • Find ways to reinforce the messages (team meetings, one on one interactions, collaboration tools).
    • Ensure that the plan “lives”, and is an on-going point of reference for the team.

    Important Elements of the Plan and Their Key Messages to the Project Team

    Figure 1: Important Elements of the Plan and Their Key Messages to the Project Team

  2. Establish the appropriate communication vehicles

    • Establish regular project team meetings (communication & engagement “across” the project team).
    • Conduct timely project sponsor updates (communication & engagement “up” to the project sponsors).
    • Distribute meaningful project status reports (see my last blog for a more detailed discussion of this best practice area).
    • Implement tools and processes for project team collaboration (a central location for the team to reference and collaborate for project work).

    Sample Collaboration Tool

    Figure 2: Sample Collaboration Tool

  3. Capture & report project progress in a timely manner

    • Establish progress update processes that meet the needs of the team (dependent on the size and complexity of the project team).
    • Ensure that the progress update process is linked to (or integrated with) other project related processes (time reporting, team meetings, status reporting).
    • Upon completion of each project progress update, review/analyze the project data with the team to determine:
      • Why are tasks behind plan?
      • Are corrective actions required?
      • Are adjustments to the plan appropriate?

Summary

Performed well, the project manager facilitates creating the project rhythm during the project planning to execution transition without the team even noticing. As the transition is complete, and project work is underway, the project rhythm enables the team to quickly gain momentum, reduce overall project risk, and move down the path to successfully deliver on the goals of the project.

Steve Hart, PMP is the Practice Manager responsible for project leadership & delivery services for the Cardinal Solutions Group in the RTP area. He has 25 years of project management and technical leadership roles, and has developed an extensive practical knowledge that spans a wide variety of industries, and project delivery approaches. Steve recently transferred to the North Carolina Chapter of PMI from the Dayton Ohio PMI Chapter, where he was active as the editor of the chapter newsletter, and PMP certification instructor. You can read more from Steve Hart on his blog.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 and is filed under Project Management Best Practices. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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