How do you get your team to deliver projects on time?
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Delivering projects on time is one of the most important goals for any project manager. However, it can also be one of the most challenging, especially when you have to deal with multiple stakeholders, dependencies, risks, and uncertainties. How can you ensure that your team stays on track and meets the deadlines without compromising quality or scope? Here are some tips that can help you improve your project time and schedule management skills.
Define the project scope and deliverables
The first step to deliver projects on time is to clearly define what you are expected to produce and what are the boundaries and assumptions of your project. This will help you avoid scope creep, which is when the project requirements change or expand during the execution phase, leading to delays and rework. You should also involve your team, your sponsor, and your key stakeholders in defining the project scope and deliverables, and document them in a scope statement or a project charter.
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After the project scope and deliverables are defined and documented I ensure that the entire project team has access to it and that during our meetings we refer to the documentation. This ensures everyone is on the same page and we can all anticipate what is coming next.
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I would also add creating a single pager framework explaining visually all key projects parameters, members and their roles, project scope and deliverables respectively distributed to the timeline so everybody involved can have a fast mind refresher when they need it. Also helps with setting the mindset and overall comprehension of the team and stakeholders.
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Create a realistic and detailed project schedule
The next step is to create a project schedule that outlines the activities, tasks, resources, dependencies, and milestones of your project. A project schedule is a tool that helps you plan, monitor, and control the project progress and performance. You should use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to break down the project deliverables into manageable chunks, and assign durations, costs, and responsibilities to each task. You should also use a network diagram or a Gantt chart to visualize the sequence and dependencies of the tasks, and identify the critical path, which is the longest path of tasks that determines the project completion date.
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Another great tool to leverage is the RACI (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed) matrix to ensure a team wide understanding of roles and responsibilities.
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It is crucial at this step to get input from as many stakeholders as possible. A collaborative plan will be more successful than one created by the PM in their office. At this stage, it is useful to get the project team in a room with sticky notes to map dependencies and timelines visually. This timeline can then be finalized in a tool like Project or Smartsheet.
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Communicate and update the project schedule regularly
The third step is to communicate and update the project schedule regularly with your team and stakeholders. Communication is essential to keep everyone informed, aligned, and engaged in the project. You should establish a communication plan that specifies how, when, and with whom you will share the project schedule information, such as status reports, progress meetings, and feedback sessions. You should also update the project schedule frequently to reflect any changes, issues, or risks that may affect the project timeline, and adjust the tasks, resources, or priorities accordingly.
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My practice is to hold team meetings on Mondays with the objectives of: communicating the plan, recapping milestones achieved in the previous week, reviewing the project schedule, identifying and then removing barriers to success. At the end of the week the team reconvenes to give status updates, communicate barriers, and provide feedback.
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Documentation of a project is imperative. I like reviewing both the big picture and details periodically to ensure that the goals of the project are fresh in my mind - it keeps me motivated! I rely on my calendar and email for meetings and communications, so I've vuolt a convention to help me search up - "[Project xxx] Meeting with Stakeholders" for example.
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Manage the project risks and changes
The fourth step is to manage the project risks and changes that may impact the project schedule. Risks are uncertain events or conditions that may have a positive or negative effect on the project objectives. Changes are requests or modifications to the project scope, deliverables, or requirements. You should identify, analyze, prioritize, and respond to the project risks and changes proactively, using tools such as risk registers, change logs, and change control boards. You should also implement contingency plans and reserve time or resources to deal with unexpected situations or emergencies.
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To avoid frustrating your stakeholders with information they may find tedious, and often repetitive, it is imperative to ensure messaging is pitched at the right level for the various players in your project. Whilst maintaining detailed communications for hands-on project team members is important, project managers often get the balance wrong when is comes to communicating upward. Keep asking what the bottom line messaging should be for your stakeholder groups and ensure there’s a summarised version of any underlying detail.
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One time while managing a project aimed at decreasing length of stay at an intermediate hospital, my team and I anticipated not being able to meet milestones accordingly due to the impending flu season. We all know that when flu season is in full swing at a hospital a lot of times the inpatient nurses are inundated, overworked, or out sick themselves. By managing this risk we were able to address this concern with upper leadership and encourage them to be proactive by securing agency nurses in advance for the 2-3 week project period that was in jeopardy.
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Motivate and empower your team
The fifth step is to motivate and empower your team to deliver the project on time. Your team is your most valuable asset in any project, and their performance, commitment, and satisfaction can make or break the project success. You should provide your team with clear roles, expectations, and feedback, and delegate tasks and decisions appropriately. You should also recognize and reward your team's achievements, celebrate milestones, and foster a positive and collaborative work environment.
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One way to motivate and empower teams is to leverage strengths and skillsets. Generally, people are self-motivated if they are being utilized at their highest potential.
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It starts with understanding what makes each member tick. You know, their strengths and weaknesses. I'm a big fan of those weekly one-on-one chats. It's like our chance to grab a coffee and chat about the week. We can celebrate those wins together but also talk about any hiccups. And brainstorming solutions? That's teamwork at its finest. And here's the secret sauce: getting personal. Not like prying, but learning about their goals and dreams. It's like finding out that Joe wants to learn to code on the side. Knowing this, I can help him connect the dots between his personal goals and the team's projects. It's all about learning and growing, together.
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Monitor and control the project schedule
The final step is to monitor and control the project schedule throughout the project lifecycle. Monitoring and controlling the project schedule involves measuring, comparing, and reporting the actual progress and performance of the project against the planned baseline. You should use tools and techniques such as earned value analysis, variance analysis, schedule performance index, and schedule forecasts to evaluate the project status and health. You should also take corrective or preventive actions to address any deviations, issues, or problems that may affect the project schedule, and ensure that the project deliverables are delivered on time and within budget and scope.
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Picture this: Your project's journey is like a riveting novel, and you're both the author and the reader. Regularly peek into its pages, using tools like earned value analysis and variance analysis, as your crystal balls. Spot any plot twists? Course correct! Keep that story on track and aim for the perfect ending - on time, within budget, and just as envisioned! 📘🔍🌟
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This is a crucial step in ensuring the success of any project. Utilizing tools like earned value analysis, variance analysis, schedule performance index, and schedule forecasts helps to assess the project's progress and performance against its planned baseline. Taking corrective or preventive actions is essential to address any deviations, issues, or problems that might impact the project schedule. Ultimately, delivering the project deliverables on time and within budget and scope is key. Well done on highlighting these important aspects!
Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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The issue revolves around multiple aspects of human behavior and the only strategy that results in improving every aspect of team functionality and it's simple: one must purposefully choose to "partner" with their team rather than manage, direct, or over-plan. It serves to build relationships, mentoring, and causes the team to have open communication and shifts their perspective from "my obligations" to "our responsibilities". Over time that causes the team to accept "ownership" individually and jointly... Abstract tasks then become necessary functions of the team's agreed upon project plan. "Let's take a look at this together" rather than "I need this by Friday, let me see what you have on Thursday".
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It is vital to assure all team members that they will be contributed in all intellectual and credit benefits of project success.
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