Managing Multiple Projects

Managing multiple projects presents many unique challenges to a project manager. In addition to developing an integrated plan for a single project, the project manager must satisfy conflicting stakeholder needs and balance resources and schedules in a multiple project environment. Shared resources must be managed through project prioritization.

When evaluating and selecting projects, key business drivers and the organization strategic goals are often not considered. Learning to apply a set of “filters” to assess all projects prior to making a “go-no-go” decision to commence a specific project is one of the key skills. Another is the application of scheduling techniques such as buffer management, which can aid the project manager in producing more realistic schedules.

Challenges

Many organizations have adopted project management best practices to manage projects more effectively, but project management on its own will not bring about the changes in improved performance that organizations are looking for. Project managers might try to compete for resources that are working on other projects in order to force their own projects ahead of schedule. Some of the consequences are:

· Other projects are delayed even more.
· Key staff members are working 60-hour work-weeks.
· Priority projects that only require two months of effort now take two
years to complete.
· Most projects run late.

Where to Start?

The first step in managing multiple projects is to assess the long list of potential projects and apply a system to help in the selection of projects.

Projects are often selected and prioritized based on filters and criteria like:
· Business Case
· Strategic importance
· Benefit or value to the organization
· Return on Investment
· Feasibility
Project managers then prepare a report and make a “Go” or “No Go” decision with key decision makers to commit to doing the project.

Selection Techniques

The selection and prioritization of projects is a two-step process:

1) Develop a balanced portfolio of projects. By categorizing projects, senior management recognizes that there are separate and distinct types and classes of projects and can assign teh right people to the right projects.

2) To promote the organization's long-term health and growth, it needs to invest in projects from each category. Project selection becomes a strategic business decision.

Dance Your Way to Project Management Success

RUMBA- The Fail Proof Project Management Dance

To interact with another is a complicated endeavour; project management is likened to dancing; it is a complicated, yet unified balance which requires total focus and complete awareness. RUMBA is a key component in the success of managing an efficient project.

REASONABLE- Interaction and direction within a project team should be Reasonable at all times; communicating reasonable goals aide in the balance between progress and success of the project with the importance of personnel management. Creating reasonable goals or ideas, staff will “buy in” and personalize the task at hand.

UNDERSTANDABLE- By verbalising tasks, goals and directions in an understandable way, you will ensure that your staff and Project Team are on the same page. Many times, it will take a variety of meetings or communicative methods to unify; by providing the communication in an Understandable and clear way, success is right around the corner!

MEASURABLE- When the goal is too large or the message is too broad, teams can become disillusioned and will often give up, making it a complicated challenge for the best Project Managers. By offering ideas and messages that are measurable and realistic, the team will be able to understand how and when they will reach the goal. Once the Goal is attained and measured, there will be a sense of accomplishment and pride through the group. By creating MEASURABLE goals for your group, they will feel inspired and will continue to work towards the next measurable task.

BELIEVABLE- Believe in your project! Set the stage and demonstrate your belief in what the end result is and what the success of the project will mean. If the role, goal or direction is not a subject that is believable, what would be the point of trying to accomplish it? The best Project Managers instil a belief and expectation that this goal and project can be and will be successful. When you create belief for the project and vision, connection grows; when teams have a connection to the project, they will want to see it succeed.

ACHIEVABLE- Project Managers often lay out the plan for the whole project at the kick off meetings, yet they often leave out the crucial aspect of explaining specific and achievable milestones. How can a team buy into a goal that has a scope that is too broad? Why would they want to? A goal that is achievable is definable, measurable and offers incentive; an achievable goal should offer personal connection to stimulate the personal achievement. In order to create achievable goals, Project Managers should communicate specific milestones and offer assistance for the achievement of the small milestones and large, completed project.

RUMBA is a dance that Project Managers will need to be experts at in order to create a team that works towards the project goal as efficiently and systematically as the Project Manger does, although in this dance, someone’s got to lead! To Learn More about RUMBA and how to enhance your Project Management skills, Advance Corporate Training offers many advanced courses in the Project Management field. Contact us at our office at 604.521.5473 for more information on how you can fine tune YOUR Project Management Skills!

How Advance Corporate Training incorporates brain-based learning

Advance Corporate Training Ltd. (ACT) is a brain-based learning specialist - our logo represents the six key secrets to ensuring learning takes hold in the learner and can transfer back to the workplace. Here are the six secrets and why engaging each one of them encourages higher learning levels.

Personal Relevance
(Association Cortex)
When we associate learning with what we already know, we are more open to a new idea. Info that supports our existing knowledge is better retained and transferred on-the-job.

Kinesthetic Learning
(Motor Cortex)
When we are engaged physically while learning, our brain operates more efficiently and we are better able to apply learned skills consistently.

Emotion & Engagement
(Somatosensory Cortex)
Emotion is often missing in many adult learning environments. When we emotionally connect to the material we learn more and deeper. ACT designs all its courses to engage this cortex.

Auditory Learning
(Auditory Cortex)
When we listen and speak we deepen our understanding. This cortex needs time to engage, so the start of all conversations should be “losable” data.

Visual Learning
(Visual Cortex)
We all need to have visual stimulation to be energized by learning. If we visualize our changed performance, we are more able to achieve it.

Broca's Area
Our ability to communicate clearly and to understand complex concepts is controlled here. Without learning that engages this area of the brain, we know but we don't understand and can't share our knowledge. True learning occurs after we achieve understanding, and performance change can not occur without understanding. This area was identified in 1861 by Pierre Paul Broca to be the “seat of articulation”.

Quick lesson on leadership

Here is a great "quick read" on leadership...

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Employee Orientations: Get the Party Started

Too often in today’s workplace, a celebration is thrown when an employee leaves an organization, but little is done to recognize the new employee joining the company. After all, this is the person you will be motivating and engaging for the next two, five or (hopefully) more years. Why not start doing so right away?

A new employee’s first impression of your organization is equally as important as your first impression of the employee. An orientation party is just one tool to put in your work belt to make an impact on new employees. In this article I will go into further detail and give you practical tips on how to maximize an employee’s first two days on the job, which is the most crucial period when it comes to establishing whether a new employee will be a superstar employee or lame duck.

Day 1

What is the first task you remember doing when you joined your organization? Odds are, it involves reading a thick manual, filling out forms and signing employee agreements. Nothing says “Welcome!” like sitting in a room reading page after page of information that ends up flying right over your heard. To maximize absorption of this plethora of new information, let your new employees take these documents home and bring them back the next day.

Instead of this wasted time, meet with new employees to determine how much training they require and what they would like to get out of their orientation process. At this stage you should also set specific objectives and measures as well as a development plan for their first few months. Ask them how you can make their new position their “dream job,” and then do everything you can to make it happen!

Upon their arrival, ensure that new employees have their email address, passwords, telephone number and identification card ready for use. It’s also a great idea to courier new employees their business cards the day before their first day.

Assign new employees a “mentor” who will give them a detailed tour around the office. The mentor should be a manager, not an HR employee, because it shows the importance of their assimilation to the company and gives the manager a sense of accountability for getting the employee productive as soon as possible. Make sure the tour involves a stop at the CEO’s office as well as the offices of other key upper management personnel. An excellent conclusion to the tour would be at their surprise welcome party!

If a cake, candles and balloons seems a little over the top, a luncheon or potluck will also do. This is where you will give the new employees a welcome card signed by their coworkers that contains a gift certificate for dinner at a nice restaurant (where you already made reservations), so they can take their spouse/friend out for dinner and talk about their great first day!


Day 2

The helpfulness of coworkers is a huge aspect of an effective employee orientation, so here’s a tip to give incentives for coworkers to answer questions and offer suggestions and tips: before new employees arrive for their second day of work, place an envelope full of gift certificates or movie coupons on their desk. Encourage them to give the rewards away to coworkers who do a great job of easing the transition.

Schedule a department or team meeting that involves new employees. Not only will the meeting give them a chance to get to know their coworkers better, but it will make them feel important and valued.

Towards the end of the day, have a meeting with new employees so you can evaluate how the orientation process is progressing. Make sure you quickly solve any problems that have arisen. It is also a good idea at this point to ask them if there is anybody they would like to meet with, and then schedule these meetings yourself right away. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure any existing remorse concerning accepting their position is eliminated and they are excited about their new job. At the meeting’s conclusion, schedule similar weekly gatherings.

Unhappy workers will not hesitate to leave your organization after a dreadful orientation. Sadly, that may be the best-picture scenario. Would you rather offer the position to the second-best applicant or devote countless time and resources orienting and training an employee that isn’t motivated, isn’t engaged and certainly isn’t putting maximum heart and effort into his or her work?

Your work belt is now full of tools that you can use to get your new employees as productive as possible, as soon as possible. Go ahead and use them, and see the results for yourself.

After all, who doesn’t love a good party?

Advance Corporate Training Ltd. provides active, participant-centered training and consulting to performance-driven businesses, institutions and organizations. Visit www.actraining.com for more info on how we can design, deliver and implement an employee orientation program customized for your workplace. Janet Dean can be reached directly at dean@actraining.com.

5 Steps to help a group do it's best

While surfing, I discovered Edward Hallowell (Harvard Psychiatrist – author of Connect – 12 Vital Ties....) and his thesis for a book he is working on. It is as follows...

"My basic thesis is that the human connection, which is so threatened by the style of modern life, is the key to peak performance of all kinds, as well as emotional stability and physical health."

Here are the 5 steps that any manager can use to help a group do its very best.

Connecting is step one.
Step two is to wonder, or to play.
Step three is to grapple with the issue at hand.
Step four is to make progress and achieve mastery, or the beginnings of mastery.
Step five is to gain recognition from others.

Over the next few postings, I will try to share examples and strategies for each of these steps.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome to ACT Online!

We believe in helping others learn, change and grow through self-discovery and experiential learning. To this end we would like to encourage you to visit our blog regularly, comment on our postings and let us know how we can help meet your learning needs.

This “Practise Not Perfect” blog is a forum for you to get your questions answered, gather deeper insight or find supplemental resources in ACT’s main knowledge areas:

• Leadership and Management
• Communications
• Team Skills
• Project Management
• Sales and Customer Service
• Coaching
• Human Resources

You’ll read about best practices and case studies across industries and borders, deepen your ability to create the change you want in your organization.

Your authors are Advance Corporate Training Ltd. trainers and consultants.

Brigitte Winterhoff

Communications expert and retail Master Trainer, Brigitte has a unique perspective on “the human side”.

Shelly Nizar

Technical and soft skills trainer. Shelly has worked around the world helping individuals and organizations solve people problems and grow and change.

Alanna Burk

Alanna’s project background and foundational belief in quality service sharpens her pencil when it comes to stories and resources to help you get projects done on time and on budget.

Guest postings from additional trainers will round out our regular columnists.

Let me know if there is someone in particular you’d like to hear from. (admin@actraining.com)

You’ll hear from me next quarter when I check back in with an administrative update.

Enjoy!