3 experts have described difficult decisions they had to take in one project.
Now think about what was important for them in taking the decision the took. Would they act differently in a different context? Why?
(If you are part of an ongoing PM bootcamp cohort on DEXA, also copy your comment to your group)
Making certain critical decisions concerning a project is usually not easy, however, the project manager must look into the benefits and effects of such decisions on team members and the project before making the decision.
I believe every difficult situation has to be treated by its own peculiar circumstances. So, on if they would have acted differently? it depends on the circumstance of the case.
Above all, collaboration, open mindedness, communication and good negotiation skills are required to scale through.
What was important to the three project managers was to ensure that they they reaches the goal of the project despite the obstacles. Their approach to addressing their peculiar obstacle worked out well. They ensured delivery, time management, resource management and well communicated information.
The three Managers responded to the challenges differently and obviously based on their respective track records of experience and engaging in related projects tasks.
The third manager with language barrier and difficulty could have hired a linguistic expert to help guide him in taking key decision as the project progress.
“communication is about 80%”…this highlights the importance of the key skill of. Communication to a Project Manager.
Bringing stakeholders together and passing information to them at critical moments requires high tact and tentative skill set.
1) PM was interested in getting all stakeholders on the same page despite the difficult circumstance of project termination. She would act differently if she were in a position of finding her self on the defensive if termination was blamed on her shortcomings or if stakeholders were not receptive to a discussion.
2) Finding a solution that was mutually acceptable to both event hosts was priority for this PM. He would have acted differently if one or both of the hosts were unwilling to reach a compromise because that would have made him have to look towards making the project success a priority.
3) Communication is always important for a PM but if he was in an environment were language was not a barrier, his approach to such projects would have been different in that more energy would be focused on other areas since there would be little gap in communication.
The objective of the project and its impact on stakeholders were the most important factors in the decision-making process for all three project managers. I believe that they would all make different decisions in different contexts, given the same project requirements and resources.
As a professional project manager, taking a decision must build good rapport with all the stakeholders in to Forster future business relationship.
Manager1: cancelling a project is not a good idea. The client might size your ability with that and not like to do business with you in the future. To me, you can partner with another manager in order to complete the project. With this , technical know out can be shared and make you a better manager
Manager2: This manager handled the situation they way I will do, try to schedule meeting upon meeting in order to get the best.
Manager3: Language barrier shouldn’t hinder project execution. I will learn simple language terms of that country, employ interpreter and sign gestures can be of help.
In all honesty, I can’t imagine a scenario where they could or should have acted differently. they did the best (at that moment) for the organisation and team members
Communication was a common factor for the three project managers (PMs) to take the various decisions. Taking a look at the different scenarios painted by the PMs:
1. PM1 – she had to speak with the various stakeholders on the project so as to know their stance before canceling or continuing with the project. After which she discussed the lessons learnt (skills, tools and knowledge acquired) from the failed project with her team.
2. PM2 – at the point where the team encountered a difficulty, he had to set up a meeting to communicate the issue with the conflicting parties so as to know the way forward with the project.
3. PM3 – had to learn the communication style or languages of the team members so as to be able to bring them to work together.
They may likely act differently in a different context because the approach to tackling or dealing with difficult decisions may vary depending on the type of project or the stakeholders involved.