Boss: DEV, THE CUSTOMER HAS RAISED QUALITY CONCERNS ON THE CODE. WE NEED TO TAKE QUICK ACTION TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE.

Dev: DON'T WORRY, BOSS. WE HAVE GOT ADDITTIONAL QUALITY RESOURCES FOR THIS PROJECT.

A few weeks later, quality concerns still continue.

Boss: DEV, WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHY IS THE CLIENT STILL UNHAPPY?

Boss: DID WE NOT GET MORE QUALITY RESOURCES ON THE PROJECT?

Dev: BOSS, I HAVE A SOLUTION. I THINK WE SHOULD HIRE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE GOOD AT CODING.

Boss(Thinking): NOT SURE ABOUT QUALITY PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPERS BUT I THINK I SHOULD HAVE DEFINITELY HIRED A GOOD QUALITY PROJECT MANAGER IN THE FRIST PLACE.

Plan, Manage and Control the Quality of Deliverables
As a project manager, one should determine the quality standard required for project deliverables, recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps, and continually survey and control project deliverable quality.

Boss: HEY DEV, I SEE YOU WORKING LATE HOURS EVERY DAY. IS EVERYTHINK OK?

Dev: I AM WORKING ON TEMPLATES FR RISK REGISTER AND WORK BREADOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)

Boss: CREATING FROM SCRATCH?

Dev: YES, BOSS! CREATING TEMPLATES FOR THE RISK REGISTER AND WBS FROM SCRATCH TAKES TIME.

PMI Membership
Do not reinvent the wheel. Become a PMI member and get access to 1000+ free tools and templates that help you to be more efficient and productive.

Boss: DEV, I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN LEAVING OFFICE EARLIER THAN THE STIPULATED TIME. ANY SPECIFIC REASON?

Dev: I AM INVESTING THAT TIME IN IMPROVING MY LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS...

Dev: WATCHING INSPIRATIONAL DOCUMENTARIES ON NETFLIX TO IMPROVE THESE SKILLS.

Boss(Thinking): ARE THERE ANY MOVIES TO IMPROVE COMMON SENSE TOO?

Role of a Project Manager
While technical skills are core to project management, companies are seeking added skills in leadership and business intelligence - competencies that can support longer-range strategic objectives that contribute to the bottom line.

One on One Meeting between Supervisor and Project Manager

Boss: JAY, THIS MEETING IS TO DEEP DIVE INTO THE REASONS FOR PROJECT FAILURE. FIRSTLY, YOU NEED TO BE PRESPICACIOUS TO DEAL WITH CONVOLUTED PROJECTS. ALSO, REMAIN LIMPID DESPITE CABBALISTIC SITUATIONS...

(BLAH, BLAH, BLAH)

HOPE YOU GOT THE DRIFT

Jay: NOT EXACTLY, BOSS ACTUALLY, I DRIFTED AWAY AS YOU WERE SPEAKING.

Project Communications Management
Project leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations, and feedback. Communicating in a clear and precise manner is paramount to understanding the key messages.

Boss: HARRY, IS THE PROJECT RISK REGISTER UP-TO-DATE? I SEE ONLY ONE RISK. CAN YOU ELABORATE?

Harry: BOSS, MANAGING CIENT ESCALATIONS IS ANY PROJECT'S ULTIMATE TRUTH. AND THIS RISK PRACTICALLY COVER ALL RISKS.

Boss: HUH!

Risk Register
A risk register is a document that is used as a risk management tool to identify potential setbacks within a project. This process aims to collectively identify, analyze, and solve risks before they become problems. And effective risk identification with appropriate mitigation helps in meeting client expectations

Boss: DEV, IN EVERY REVIEW, YOUR PROJECT IS SLIDING SOUTH RAPIDLY. WE NEED TO ARREST THE DECLINE. WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE?

Dev: I HAVE AN IDEA!

Boss: AND WHAT'S THAT DEV?

Dev: IT'S SIMPLE. LET US REPRESENT THE DELAY IN WEEKS INSTEAD OF DAYS.

Project Monitoring and Controlling
Setting a threshold limit for any deviation from the planned events and measurable values will enable swift decision-making when things don't go as planned. Also, important to determine appropriate governance and define escalation paths to facilitate early project recovery.

Boss: TEAM, OUR LEADERSHIP HAS DECIDED TO IMBIBE A "STARTUP CULTURE" TO FOSTER INNOVATION AND AGILITY

Team-members: YAY! THAT MEANS... CASUAL DRESSING, TT TABLE, FLEXIBLE HOURS, SLEEPING PODS, FREE SNACKS...

Boss: WELL, I MEANT A STARTUP WITH LIMITED FUNDING. LONG WORKING HOURS, LIMITED RESOURCES, TAKING OWNERSHIP, AND POSSIBLY MORE STRESS!

Jay(Thinking): HUH!

Work Culture
Organizational culture is made up of the attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors of its leaders and employees and underlying assumptions. Changing an organization’s culture could be an uphill battle. Like any organizational culture change, there will be those who embrace the change and others who don't. Be prepared for both, and your efforts will be a success.

Boss: DEV, REGARDS THE NEW PROJECT, I WANT YOU TO WORK ALL NIGHT AND PROVIDE ME WITH THE PROJECT CHARTER DRAFT DOCUMENT. IT'S URGENT.

Dev(Thinking): AARGH!!! IS HE OFF THE CHARTS! ASKING ME TO PREPARE A CRITICAL DOCUMENT FOR THIS PRIME PROJECT IN SO LESS TIME.

Project Charter
It is an important document and is the basis for how the project can evolve. The charter includes high-level information such as the purpose, business needs, scope, objectives and constraints, main stakeholders, risks identified, benefits, and a general overview of the budget.

Boss: DEV, I HAVE YOU THE BEST TEAM FOR YOUR PROJECT. HOW COME IT IS BEHIND SCHEDULE?

Boss: WHAT DID WE MISS HERE?

Dev: THE RIGHT SKILLS!!!

Building a team
Appraise stakeholder skills and deduce project resource requirements. Then continuously assess and refresh team skills to meet project needs.

A team member has resigned and the knowledge transfer process is being discussed.

Boss: HOW ARE WE MANAGING THE KNOWLWDGE TRANSFER BEFORE GARY'S NOTICE PERIOD ENDS?

Dev: DON'T WORRY, BOSS! IT'S UNDER CONTROL. I AM RECORDING ALL THE SESSIONS.

Boss: THAT'S GREAT! THE NEW JOINEE SHOULD BENEFIT FROM THE SAME.

Dev: YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME!

Gary's notice period has come to an end.

Boss: HOW IS THE ONBOARDING PROCESS COMING ALONG WITH THE NEW JOINEE.  HOPE ALL IS UNDER CONTROL!

Dev: NOT REALLY, BOSS...

Dev: ...SOMEHOW THE RECORDED SESSIONS DID NOT GET SAVED IN THE REPOSITORY. ICAN'T FIND THE SAVED FILES NOR LOCATE GARY.

Boss (Thinking): ONLY GOD CAN SAVE YOU AND THE SAVED FILES, NOW!!!

Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity
Discuss project responsibilities within the team, outline expectations for the working environment and confirm the approached for knowledge transfers.

Boss: MAYA, I AGREE THAT YOU AND DEV HAVE THE SAME POTENTIAL AND CAPABILITIES AND DEV GETS PAID MORE THAN YOU.

Maya: THEN WHY DON'T YOU MAKE IT EQUAL?

Boss: DEV HAS A WIFE AND KIDS TO SUPPORT AND YOU DON'T!

Maya(Thinking): AARGH! THAT'S THE WORST EXPLANATION I HAVE HEARD!!!

Promote team member's performance
Appraise team member performance against key performance indicators. Support and recognize all team members and their growth and development equally and without any bias.

Review meeting with a junior project team member

Boss: SHYAM, HAVE WE IDENTIFIED THE PROJECT RISKS? IF SO I WOULD LIKE TO GO THROUGH THEM.

Shyam: BOSS, I DON'T THINK THAT'S NEEDED.

Boss: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT NEEDED?

Shyam: RISK ACCEPTANCE IS MY MANTRA AND THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS IS THAT THERE IS NO RISK REGISTER REQUOIRED.

Risk Identification
Identification of risk is important and even more critical is to create a risk response strategy for each of the identified risks in the risk register.

Boss: TINA, DID YOU MANAGE TO CONACT OUT TECHNICAL ARCHITECT FOR THAT ISSUE WHICH WASN'T GETTING RESOLVED

Tina: I DID TRY CALLING HIM. HE IS NEITHER PICKING UP HIS PHONE NOR RESPONDING TO MY CALLS.

Boss: HAVE YOU TRIED REACHING HIM THROUGH WHATSAPP?

Tina: SORRY, BUT THAT CHANNEL IS NOT COMMUNICATION PLAN.

Project Communication Management
Planning the project communications is important to the ultimate success of any project. Inadequate communications planning may lead to problems such as delay in message delivery which can lead to escalation of unresolved issues.

Boss: DEV, THE CLIENT HAS BEEN COMPLANINIG ABOUT PROBLEMS PRESISTING IN THE APP. YOU AID THEY HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.

Dev: YES, BOSS! THEY HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED ALREADY.

Dev: HE MAY BE REFERRING TO THE ONES WHICH WE HAVE NOT YET OBSERVED.

Boss: OR WHICH YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE COMPLETELY MISSED!

Collaborate with stakeholders
Evaluate engagement needs for stakeholders and optimize alignment between stakeholder needs, expectations, and project objectives

Review meeting in progress about project schedule

Boss: SAM, I REVIEWED THE BASELINE PLANE THAT YOU SHARED WIH ME CAN YOU EXPLAINE WHY SO MANY DEVIATIONS AND WHY IS THE PLAN FLUCTUATING SO MUCH?

Sam: DON'T WORRY, BOSS! WE ARE FOLLOWING A NIMBLE AN AGILE STRATEGY. THAT COULD BE THE REASON!

WHAT???

Schedule Baseline
The schedule baseline is used to measure and monitor the performance of a project: the delivered work at a point in time or over a period of time is compared against the baselined planned work at that time.

Boss: TINA, JAY IS COMPLANING ABOUT AN APPARENT CONFLICT BETWEEN HIM AND YOU. ACTUALLY, CONFLICTS WIHIN A TEAM ARE NOT GOOD.

Tina: YES BOSS, I KNOW. BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REASON COULD BE

Boss: HE SAYS THAT YOU ARE NOT RESPONDING TO ANY OF HIS PROJECT RELATED MESSAGES ON TEAMS

Tina: BOSS, HOW WILL I RESPOND WHEN TEAMS IS NOT INSTALLED ON MY MACHINE I DON'T USE IT.

Team Conflicts
Improve team performance and facilitate conflict resolutions by setting appropriate expectations with the team at project onset.

Maya: HI JOHN, CAN WE HAVE THE WORK ITEMS PRIORITIZED, PLEASE? IT HELPS TO SEQUENCE THEM BASED ON CRITICALITY.

John: SURE, MAYA. I WILL SEND THE DOCUMENT RIGH AWAY.

Maya: JOHN, I JUST CHECKED THE DOCUMENT YOU SHARED. LOOKS LIKE ALL ITEMS HAVE THE SAME PRIORITY.

John: YES, MAYA! I REALIZED LATER, WHY PRIORITIZE WHEN ALL NEED TO BE DONE WITH EQUAL URGENCY.

Work Items Prioritization
Work items include requirements, defects, and other non-functionality-oriented work such as training, vacations, and assisting other teams. All of work needs to be prioritized based on business value, amount of work involved, associated risks and dependencies, etc. it is not just about the implementation of requirements.

Review in progress for a newly started project

YES, BOSS. WE DO HAVE A MAJOR RISK. LOKKS LIKE THIS PROJECT IS RUNNING WITHOUT COMPETENT TEAM MEMBERS.

DEV, DO YOU FORESEE ANY NEW RISKS ON THIS PROJECT?

HUH!

Manage Project Issues
The key is to know the difference between an "issue" and a risk. A risk is an event that has not happened yet but may; an issue is something that has already happened. It is important to recognize when a risk becomes an issue.

Boss: DEV, WE RECEIVED AN ESCALATION FROM THE CLIENT ON YESTERDAY'S DELIVERY.

Dev: I WONDER WHY, BOSS!

Dev: IS IT BECAUSE WE DELIVERED THE PROJECT ON TIME AND THAT WAS BEYOND THE CLIENT'S EXPECTATION?

Boss: NO. DELIVERING A BUGGY PROJECT WAS BEYOND HIS EXPECTATIONS.

Plan and manage the quality of products/ deliverables
Determine quality standards required for project deliverables. Recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps and continually survey project deliverable quality.

THE BOSS IS ADDRESSING THE TEAM DURING A VIRTUAL TOWN HALL MEETING

Boss: DUE TO A SUDDEN SPIKE IN THE NUMBER OF SICK LEAVES THE MANAGEMENT IS INTRODUCING AN INNOVATIVE HEALTH APP WHICH IS MANDATORY FOR ALL TO USE.

Boss: YOU BREATHE INTO THE APPLICATION AND IT WILL DETECT ANY FEVER YOU MAY HAVE. ALSO, IT WILL FIND OUT WHETHER YOU ARE GENUINELY SICK OR FAKING IT!

Address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
A true project leader analyzes the needs of key project stakeholders and determines critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team. He/she prioritizes them and uses networks to implement solutions to remove impediments.

BOSS IS DISCUSSING WITH TEAM MEMBER ON A CONFLICT

Boss: OH! I'M SO SORRY SAM. I WASN'T LISTENING. I GOT BUSY CHECKING MY PHONE. CAN YOU REPEAT EVERYTHING YOU'VE SAID SINCE WE GOT ON THIS "CONFLICT RESOLUTION" CALL

Sam: WELL...
UMM...IT

Boss: WELL...NEVER MIND WE SHALL DISCUSS THAT IN THE NEXT CALL...I HAVE TO JUMP INTO ANOTHER MEETING NOW

Manage Conflict
A project leader should interpret the source and stage of the conflict. Then analyze the context for the conflict and then evaluate/recommend/reconcile the appropriate conflict resolution solution.

Dev: BOSS, THE TEAM IS HAPPY AND MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKING REMOTELY. WHY THIS SUDDEN DECISION TO WORK FROM THE OFFICE?

Boss: DEV, I WANT TO BRING BACK THE FEELING OF BONDING AND COHESIVENESS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, MY MICROMANAGING SKILLS HAVE BECOME A BI RUSTY.

Dev: ALSO, THE NEW VIRUS IS SPREADIN FAST.

Engage and support virtual teams
Examine virtual team member needs (e.g., environment, geography, culture, global, etc.) and investigate alternatives (e.g., communication tools, colocation) for virtual team member engagement and implement them. Also, continually evaluate the effectiveness of the same.

A rather livid Business Head calls the Project Manager

Boss: DEV, ARE YOU REALLY ON TOP OF THE THINGS IN OUR PROJECT?

Dev: YES, BOSS! WHY??

Boss: YESTERDAY I SENT YOU A MESSAGE MARKED AS URGENT AND IMPORTANT ON OUR COLLABORATION PLATFORM. NO REPLY FROM YOU EVEN NOW.

Boss: BUT BOSS, I THROUGHT WE ARE USING THE IN-HOUSE TOOL USED BY MOST OF US.

Manage Communications
Analyze communication needs of all stakeholders then clearly determine frequency, and level of details for all stakeholders. Communicate project information and updates effectively and confirm communication is understood and feedback is received.

Project manager with his supervisor during the review meeting.

Boss: JAY, HOPE THE TEAM'S TECHNICAL TRAINING IS GOING SMOOTHLY?

Jay: YES, BOSS!

A couple of months latter...

Boss: JAY, THE TEAM'S PERFORMANCE HAS NOT IMPROVED EVEN AFTER THE INTENSE TRAINING WE INVESTED IN.

Jay: BOSS, THAT'S QUITE SURPRISING TO ME TOO BECAUSE THE TEAM'S ATTENDANCE WAS 100% ALL THROUGH THE TRAINING.

Training
Not only is it important for team members to be adequately trained but it is also crucial to measure the training outcomes.

IN A VIRTUAL PROJECT REVIEW MEETING

Dev: CAN YOU ALL TURN ON YOUR VIDEO CAMERAS FOR TODAY'S MEETING, PLEASE?

Team members start the video.

Dev:  WHY AM I SEEING YOU ALL IN A SUPERMAN AND SUPERWOMAN COSTUMES?

Team member: IT IS THE NEED OF THE HOUR FOR THIS PROJECT, DEV!

Address and remove impediments for the team
Determine and prioritize critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team. Use the network to implement solutions to remove them and re-assess continually to ensure these impediments are being addressed.

Boss: SAM, YOUR VACATION WAS ONLY FOR A WEEK YOU SAID. BUT YOU'VE BEEN AWAY FOR OVER A WEEK NOW. WHEN ARE YOU RESUMING OFFICE?

Sam: SO SORRY BOSS. I JUST FORGOT TO INFORM THAT I'VE EXTENDED MY VACATION

Boss: WHAT! WHAT HAPPENS TO THE NEW INITIATIVE SCHEDULED TO START SOON?

Sam: THEY SAY SOME OFF OUR BEST IDEAS COME WHEN WE'RE OUTSIDE OFFICE. SO I'M TESTING THAT THEORY.

Define Team Ground Rules
As a project leader, communicate organizational principles with team and external stakeholders. Establish an environment that fosters adherence to the ground rules. And manage and rectify ground-rule violations.

Maya: HEY, TINA! HOPE ALL IS WELL! YOU ASKED ME TO CALL YOU URGENTLY. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN HELP YOU WITH?

Tina: I'M OK, MAYA, BUT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING HAS HAPPENDED TO OUR BOSS.

Maya: WHY, WHAT HAPPENED?

Tina: FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS, THE BOSS MADE ME FEEL VALUED AND RESPECTED FOR MY WORK. I'M OVERWHELMED AND WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE!


Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence
Assess behavior and analyze personality indicators and adjust to the emotional needs of key project stakeholders.

Dev: BOSS, THE OFFICE LAPTOP THAT I'VE BEEN USING FOR THEPAST MANY YEARS IS RUNNING SLOW. IT'S HAMPERING MY PRODUCTIVITY. KINDLY REQUEST A REPLACEMENT

Boss: OH, DEV, SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU. THERE HAS BEEN A BUDGET FREEZE. AS FOR PRODUCTIVITY, WHY DON'T YOU PUT IN EXTRA HOURSE OVER THE WEEKEND

REALLY! WHAT DOES HE THINK I HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THIS WHILE?


Address and Remove Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers for the Team
A project Leader must determine, prioritize, and use networks to implement solutions to remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team. Also, re-assess continually to ensure they are being addressed.

Katy: BOSS, A GLOBAL SURVEY SAYS THAT EVERY ORGANISATION SHOULD HAVE DIVERSITY IN RECRUITMENT AS IT LEADS TO CREATIVITY AND BETTER PERFORMANCE. BUT I FIND IT MISSING HERE SOMEHOW.

Boss: OF COURSE NOT, KATY! WE DO HAVEA PRETTY DIVERSE WORKFOURCE. WE HAVE SOME PROCRASTINTINATORS, SOME BOOTLICKERS, SOME MICRO-MANAGERS, SOME ENTITLED FOLKS. YOU NAME IT AND WE HAVE THEM AMONG US!

Diversity In Workforce
Self-awareness is the frist step toword understanding what perspectives are lacking, appreciating other experiences and viewpoints, and building more diverse and inclusive organizations.

INTRODUCING TO THE NEW HR MANAGER

Boss: TEAM, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR NEW HR MANAGER, KATY. SHE IS AN EXPERT IN HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY. SHE HAS BEEN HIRED TO...

Boss: ...HELP THE EMPLOYEES FEEL MOTIVATED IN SPITE OF THE LONG WORK HOURS, LOW PAY AND LOW TEAM ENGAGEMENT

Katy: HI! EVERYONE!


Leading a team
One of the key responsibilities of a project leader is to inspire, motivate, and influence team members/stakeholders and at the same time address and remove any impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team.

TEAM MEETING IN PROGRESS

Dev: TEAM, WE ARE LOOKING AT BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS FOR BOOSTING EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY. ANY SUGGESTIONS?


Swami: HOW ABOUT DOUBLING OUR PAY?

Lead a Team
Inspire, motivate, and influence team (e.g., team contract, social contract, reward system) according to key stakeholder's needs.

Boss: HARRY, YOUR PROJECT HAS GONE FROM BAD TO WORSE. THE CLIENT GAVE ME AN EARFUL YESTERDAY BECAUSE OF THE RISKS THAT YOU HAVE IGNORED IN THE PROJECT.


Harry: JUST DON'T WORRY BOSS. THEY SAY, THINGS ALWAYS GET WORSE BEFORE THEY GET BETTER. JUST STAY HOPEFUL AND LEAVE THE REST TO ME.

Boss: HUH!

Assess and Manage Risks
Ignoring project risk analysis can lead to project failures. For e.g.  The tendency to be overly optimistic about the outcome of planned actions. The right thing to do is to determine risk management options and interactively assess and prioritize risks.

Boss: AND WITH THAT MY FRIENDS, I END MY TWO-HOUR THOUGHT-PROVOKING PRESENTATION. HOPE YOU FOUND THOSE FIFTY SLIDES INSIGHTFUL.

Tina: HUH!

Dev: MY MIND IS NUMB!

Maya: THOUGHT-PROVOKING INDEED! I THOUGHT OF MANY CREATIVES IDEAS ON HOW TO SIT THROUGH A BORING PRESENTATION AND STILL STAY AWAKE AND ALIVE!

Engage and Support Virtual Teams
Examine virtual team member needs (e.g., environment, geography, culture, global, etc.) Then, investigate alternatives for virtual team member engagement. Implement options and continually evaluate the effectiveness of virtual team member engagement

Boss: HEY TINA! WHAT'S WITH THAT HUGE BOX SITTING NEXT TO YOU? EVERY TIME I'M ON CALL WITH YOU I NEVER FAIL TO NOTICE IT.

Tina: OH THIS BOX? WELL, WHENEVER I HIT A CREATVE WALL...

Tina: THIS BOX GIVES ME A SENSE OF FEELING OF ME 'THINKING OUT OF THE BOX' AND THAT BOOSTS MY MORALE

Boss: HUH!

Project Resource Management
In today's innovation-driven economy, understanding how to generate great ideas has become an urgent managerial priority. The leader's job is not to be the source of ideas but to encourage and champion ideas. Leaders must tap the imagination of employees and ask inspiring questions. They also need to incorporate diverse perspectives, which spur creative insights, and facilitate creative collaboration.

Tina: BOSS, I FEEL LIKE A TOTAL FAILURE AT WORK. MY PERSONAL COUNSELOR HAS SUGGESTED I FOCUS ON ENCOURAGING AND POSITIVE WORDS.

Boss: TINA, I AGREE. THIS IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE LOW SELF-ESTEEM. YOU TEND TO FOCUS MORE ON NEGATIVITY AND MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A 'BIG LOSER' EVEN MORE.

Tina(Thinking): IT CAN'T GET ANY WORSE THAN THIS

Leading a Team
Determine an appropriate leadership style for your team members and stakeholders and distinguish various options to inspire, motivate and influence them accordingly.

Team Member: BOSS, DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR A QUICK CALL. I NEED CLARITY ON OUR UPCOMING PROJECT. IT IS CRITICAL.

Boss: NOPE! I'M BUSY! BUT LET ME CHECK MY CALENDER IF I CAN SPARE 10 MINUTES FOR YOU.

9:45 am to 10:30 am | Thinking of excuses to avoid getting into an upcoming meeting

10:30 am to 11:00 am | Super quick stand-up meeting

11:00 am to 12:00 am | Gathering my thoughts after getting distracted by a meeting

12:00 pm to 12:30 pm | Meeting to discuss causes of team low-productivity

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Lunch Meeting

200 pm to 3:00 pm | Meeting on how to improve team time management

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Meeting to check on all the team members

Manage Communications
It is important to analyze the communication needs of all stakeholders and determine communication methods, channels, frequency, and level of detail for all stakeholders. Though meetings are one of the critical tools throughout the lifecycle of the project, they can unfortunately become ineffective, and fail to benefit the project in the required manner If not handled efficiently.

Boss: DEV, HOPE THE REQUIREMENTS GATHERING PROCESS HAS BEEN INITIATED?

Dev: SORRY, BOSS! I COULD NOT. THE CLIENT HAS ASKED US TO FIGURE OUT THE REQUIREMENTS OURSELVES

Boss: WHAT! WHY?

Dev: THE CLIENT SAID THAT OUR COMPANY KEEPS PROCLAIMING OUR STRENGTHS AS PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERTS WHO ARE SELF-RELIANT, PROFICIENT, AND PERCEPTIVE. THEY THINK WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT OURSELVES

Project Requirements
Collect Requirements is the process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs & requirements to meet project objectives. Hence, in this process, the first step is to identify stakeholders’ needs. Second, document these needs & requirements. And then, manage them throughout the project to meet project goals.

Boss: TINA, LET ME HAVE A LOOK AT THE FIRST CUT OF THE ONLINE STORE DESING BEFORE WE SHOW IT TO THE CLIENT


Tina: SURE, BOSS! SHARING THE SCREEN RIGHT AWAY! IS IT VISIBLE?


Boss: ARE YOU SHOWING ME THE RIGHT SCREEN? I CAN ONLY SEE THE 'BUY NOW' BUTTON IN THIS DESING


Tina: THIS IS THE MVP VERSION. WE WILL WAIT FOR COSTOMER FEEDBACK BEFORE ADDING ANY OTHER ELEMENTS.


Minimum Viable Product
It is an investment in creating a new product or service. Created to explore a hypothesis. Often starts as a functional prototype where some functionality is simulated or performed manually. Aim is to do just enough work to get something in front of potential customers to learn what they really want.

Client update meeting in progress

Sam: JAY, GIVEN THE CURRENT VELOCITY AND THE BANDWIDTH OF THE TEAM AND ALL THE ANTICIPATED ROADBLOCKS THERE IS A CHANCE OF SCOPE CREEP...

Jay: UNDOUBTEDLY, WE NEED TO GET OUR DUCKS IN A ROW. WE WILL CREATE SWIM LANES TO DISTINGUISH JOB SHARING AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Jay(Thinking): WAS THAT A PROJECT STATUS UPDATE OR PROJECT MANAGEMENT MUMBAI JUMBO!

Communicate project information & updates effectively
Quite often, the biggest challenge is surrounding the language used to deliver the project related information. It needs to be clear and without usage of any project management jargon. It needs to clearly convey the project status or highlight any problems/issues to the stakeholders.

Boss: THIS IS NOT WHAT WE MEANT IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION WHEN WE SAID WE ARE LOOKING FOR PROJECT MANAGERS WHO CAN WEAR MAY HATS!

huh!

Key skills of a good Project Manager
A good project manager is expected to have exceptional organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with others. Superior critical thinking capabilities and comfortable with quickly changing priorities along with a high level of adaptability and flexibility.

Boss: DEV, LOOKS LIKE YOUR PROJECT IS ON TRACK AND GOING WELL. THAT'S WONDERFUL!

Dev: WELL, BOSS...NOT REALLY!

Boss: I AM LOOKING THE PROJECT DASHBOARD ROGHT NOW AND LOOKS LIKE NOTHING IS PENDING AT YOUR END. HOW IS THAT?

Dev: SUCCESSFUL DELEGATION OF TASKS IS A SIGN OF GOOD LEADERSHIP, ALL MY TASKS HAVE BEEN DELEGATED TO THE TEAM.

Boss: OH, IS IT? IN THAT CASE, YOU SHOULD ALSO DISTRIBUTE YOUR HOLIDAYS WITHIN YOUR TEAM.

HUH!

LEADING TEAMS
Leadership is not just about delegating. It is to determine critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team. Prioritizing them and using networks to implement solutions to remove them. Also, reassessing continually to ensure they are being addressed.

Boss: SAM, WHY IS THE APPLICATION NOT YET READY FOR DEMO? I ALSO FOUND SOME MAJOR ISSUES IN THERE.

Sam: BOSS, IT IS JUST A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE. TRY LOOKING AT THIS APPLICATION ON A SMALLER DEVICE AND...

Sam: THOSE MAJOR ISSUES WILL AUTOMATICALLY SEEM TRIVIL. JUST GIVE IT A TRY.

Boss: HUH

Plan and manage the quality of products/deliverables
As a project manager, it is important to correctly determine the quality standard required for project deliverables, recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps and continually survey the project deliverable quality

Boss: HARRY, THE PROJECT HAS GONE INTO THE RED. DIDN'T WE SEE THESE RISKS COMING?

Harry: BOSS, PROJECT RISKS ARE INEVITABLE.

Boss: YES HARRY, I UNDERSTAND. BUT DID WE NOT PLAN ANY RISK MITIGATION STRATEGIES?

Harry: BOSS, ACCEPTANCE IS THE KEY. I HAVE HEARD THIS SHARED BY A POPULAR FIGURE - "WISDOM IS MOVING FROM FIGHTING THE HURDLES TO EMBRACING THEM."

Project Risk Management
A project manager should have the ability to oversee risks that might come up in the future. It's impossible to predict every potential risk but with strategic planning and collecting information beforehand, project managers can develop control measures that can help them to deal with the risks more effectively.

Boss: DEV, ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW WE CAN INCREASE THE COMPLETION RATE OF OUR PROJECTS?

Dev: BOSS, I HAVE A HIT IDEA. WHY DON'T WE USE THE CRASHING TECHNIQUE?

Boss(Thinking): I WAS EXPECTING AN IDEA THAT WILL HIT A SIX AND NOT A BRICK WALL.

Project Crashing
Crashing is a schedule compression technique used to shorten the schedule duration by adding resources and without reducing the project scope. Crashing work only for activities on the critical path where additional resources will shorten the activity's duration.

Boss: DEV, HOW MANY ISSUES ARE OPEN? HOW MANY ARE CRITICAL?

Dev: BOSS, THE NUMBER IS SIGNIFICANT. BUT THE GOOD PART IS THAT THE CRITICLE ISSUES ARE FEW AND LESS CRITICAL ONES ARE MORE.

Boss: WHICH TOOL WE ARE USING FOR RESOLVING THE ISSUES?

Dev: AT THE MOMENT, WE ARE USING AN INTERNET COLLABORATION SOFTWARE TOOL THAT NO ONE USES.

Project Collaboration Tools
While selecting the collaboration tools, make a list of requirements with a clear understanding of must-have functionalities and the preferences of the project team. It is important to choose the right tools as it makes it easier to manage projects.

Dev: HOW WAS TODAY'S LEARNING SESSION, JAY?

Jay: DEV, THE SESSION WAS INFORMATIVE BUT I WAS WONDERING...

Jay: WHY IS THIS SWOT ANALYSIS SESSION IMPORTANT FOR US NEWBIES?

Dev: TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL RISKS IN CHOOSING YOU AS PROJECT MANAGER FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. AND YOU KNOW IF YOU STAND ANY CHANCE TO LEAD ANY PROJECT.

SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis in project management helps to plan out of the project and consider factors that may help or hinder its success. The purpose of SWOT is to identify risk areas as well as controllable factors that one needs to pay attention to and monitor throughout the project. It is only effective if the right information is gathered and used in order to take appropriate action.

Boss: TINA, YOUR PROJECT IS LAGGING BEHIND AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH REGARD TO YOUR PRODUCTIVITY.

Tina: BOSS, I CAN EXPLAIN. RECENTLY I STUMBLED UPON A BLOG AND IT STATED THAT....

BEING PRODUCTIVE STARTS WITH DOING NOTHING. THAT WAS SO IMPACTFUL THAT WAS SO IMPACTFUL THAT I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THAT MANTRA EVER SINCE. I AM SURE IT WILL START SHOWING RESULTS SOONS!

Boss: HUH!

Project Resource Management
Appropriate  project staffing is crucial, yet improperly allocating resources tops the list of most common project management mistakes. Not having people with the right attitude and skills for the project can totally derail it. All the planning and best tools and technologies in the word won't overcome an insufficiency of talent and skills.

Dev: GOOD MORNING, TEAM!

LET US START WITH OUR SPRINT RETROSPECTIVE.

SO WHO HAS NOTED DOWN THE LIST OF ACTION ITEMS FROM THE LAST RETROSPECTIVE SESSION?

Tina: HUH! I THOUGHT MAYA WOULD HAVE NOTED.

Sam: HUH! ACTION ITEMS?

Maya: SAM IS SENIOR AMONG US… HE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THAT ONUS.
 
Importance of Sprint Retrospective
The Retrospective completes an Agile Iteration and is a vital part of the Agile Feedback Loop. Team and Product Owners usually are stating and demonstrating the value created during the last iteration and discuss what went well, what could be improved upon and how. To inspect people, process, the definition of done, and other ways of working, and adapt to new ways of working by identifying actionable improvement items to act upon.

INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS

Boss: AJAY, OUR REQUIREMENT IS FOR AN EXPERIENCED AGILE PROJECT MANAGER AND YOUR RESUME LOOKS NEAT WITH MORE THAN TEN YEARS OF AGILE EXPERIENCE. TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE.

Ajay: I CONDUCT STAND-UP MEETINGS, I WORK IN SPRINTS AND I USE KANBAN BOARD EXTENSIVELY.

Key skills of a good Agile project manager
A good agile project manager is expected to have exceptional organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with others. Also, superior critical thinking capabilities and comfort with quickly changing priorities ad a high level of adaptability and flexibility.

During a virtual Town Hall meeting

Boss: TEAM, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE ON BEHALF OF THE ORGANISATION

Dev(Thinking): WE HAVE MANAGED TO ACHIEVE OUR NUMBERS FOR THE YEAR AFTER MUCH HARD WORK. HOPE THIS IS ABOUT EMPLOYEE BONUS OR INCREMENTS.

Maya: PROMOTION

Honey: SALARY HIKE

Tina: RECOGNITION

THE TEAM STARTS GUESSIING!

Boss: I AM HAPPY THAT WE MET OUR LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS. I AM REALLY PROUD OF THE TEAM.

Boss: GIVEN YOUR ENTHUSIASM, TEAM SPIRIT, AND SUPERHUMAN EFFORTS WE ARE DOUBLING OUR SALES TARGETS FOR THE NEW YEAR.

Leading Teams
Different people can have quite different  motivators. Therefore, when leading teams, it's important to identify what motivates each of them. Motivation can inspire, encourage, and stimulate individuals and project teams to achieve great accomplishments.

Team is working on bug fixing sprint...

Boss: DEV, PLEASE UPDATE ME ON THE BUG FIXES. IT'S URGENT!

Dev: BOSS, IT'S GOING STEADY. ACTUALLY, WE ARE CLOSING THEM REGULARLY!.

Dev: BUT THE REOPENED CASES ARE JUST AS MANY AS THE CLOSED ONES. WHERE IS THE PROGRESS?

Boss: BOSS, I THOUGHT YOU ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE MANTRA OF STRIKING A RIGHT BALANCE IN LIFE.

Plan, Manage and Control the Quality of Deliverables
As a project manager, one should determine the quality standard required for project deliverables, recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps and continually survey and control project deliverable quality.

AFTER THE DEMO TO THE CLIENT IS OVER...

Boss: DEV, I'M SORRY TO SAY BUT THE CLIENT WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE DEMO.

Dev: I WONDER WHY?!! THROUGHT THE DEMO WAS STUNNING.

Boss: MAYBE PRESENTING STATIC SCREENS INSTEAD OF DYNAMIC INTERFACE WAS NOT WHAT THEY EXPECTED AND HENCE WERE STUNNED.

Dev: AND I THOUGHT THE LOOK WAS BECAUSE OF OUR IMPACTFUL DEMO.

Manage Stakeholder Expectations
One of the main reasons project fail or get delayed is because the deliverables were not what the stakeholders wanted or did not meet their needs. Hence, engaging stakeholders during and especially at the beginning of the project is extremely important.

Boss: HEY DEV, HOW IS THE PROJECT’S BUSINESS CASE COMING ALONG? I HOPE YOU GOT OUR BUSINESS CASE TEMPLATE THAT YOU NEED TO FOLLOW

Dev: YES BOSS, GOT THE TEMPLATE AND WORKING ON ITS SECTIONS. I WILL SHARE IT TODAY ITSELF.

The business case document is shared with the Boss later in the day…

Boss: HEY DEV, I RECEIVED THE BUSINESS CASE DOCUMENT BUT I SEE SOME INFORMATION MISSING IN SOME CRITICAL SECTIONS.

Dev: WELL, THOSE SECTIONS WILL EVOLVE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME. AS YOU KNOW OUR ORGANIZATION BELIEVES IN AN AGILE WAY OF WORKING.

Boss(Thinking): HUH!

Business Case
A Business Case identifies the business need for doing a project. With a clear Business Case, the project’s stakeholders can monitor both the project and the projects environment to determine if the project continues to make organizational sense.

Dev: GOOD MORNING, TEAM! LET US START WITH OUR WEEKLY PROJECT STATUS MEETING. MAYA, LET'S BEGIN WITH YOU.

Maya: DEV, AS MENTIONED IN THE LAST MEETING, THE PROJECT IS GOING REALLY SLOW IT'S THE TEAM OF FRESHERS ASSIGNED TO MY PROJECT.....
I NEED SOME EXPERIENCED MEMBERS ONBOARD.

Dev: OK, MAYA. THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATES! MOVING TO SO SAM, WHAT'S THE STATUS AT THE MOMENT?

Maya: DEV, AS MENTIONED IN THE LAST MEETING, WE ARE HAVING SERVER ISSUES. HENCE, UNABLE TO PUSH THE CODE. ALSO, WE HAVE A DEMO WITH THE CLIENT NEXT WEEK AND WE NEED TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE ASAP.

After having taken the updates from all team members...

Dev: GREAT! THANKS TEAM FOR SHARING YOUR PROJECT UPDATES... UNTILE WE MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEK..SAME TIME...CHEERS!

Team members: HUH!MEETING OVER ALREADY?

Maya: I WONDER IF THIS STATUS MEETING IS TO CHALLENGE THE PROJECT SATATUS QUO OR MAINTAIN IT

ADDRESS AND REMOVE IMPEDIMENTS FOR THE TEAM
As a project manager, determine critical impediments, obstacles and blockers for the team. Prioritize them and use your network to implement solutions to remove them. Also, reassess continually to ensure they are being addressed.

Boss: DEV, A REMINDER TO SEND THE RISK ANALYSIS OF OUR NEW PROJECT. NEED IT URGENTLY.

Dev: YES, BOSS! UNDERSTAND. SOMEHOW, I CANNOT FIND THE RISK REGISTER.

Boss(Thinking): HUH! NOW, THIS LOOKS LIKE A BIG RISK WE MAY NOT HAVE ANTICIPATED AND NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST.

Risk Register
Created during the early stages of a project. The Risk Register is a tool that helps to track issues and address them as they arise. it is the responsibility of the project manager to update the document whenever necessary

Employee: Boss, I'M SORRY BUT I WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTEND THIS CALL. IT IS CONFLICTING WITH A PRIOR COMMITMENT.

Boss: IF I MAY ASK, WHICH PRIOR COMMITMENT?

Employee: BOSS, I HAVE MY YOGA CLASS TO ATTEND DURING THAT TIME SLOT.

Boss: HOW COME YOU ARE ATTENDING A YOGA CLASS DURING OFFICE HOURS?

Employee: DEV HAS GIVEN FEEDBACK THAT I NEED TO BECOME AGILE AS OUR NEXT PROJECT WILL NEED THOSE SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES.

Boss(Thinking): NOW I GET IT! BUT I THINK SHE NEEDS BRAIN YOGA MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!

PROJECT MANAGER'S COMPETENCIES
As the business world is getting faster and more intense, it is leading to a demand for projects to be completed quicker. To that end, project managers will need to decide which approach is most appropriate for the project and adapt and transition their skills based on the type of project on hand.

A DEMO IS PLANNED FOR THE CLIENT LATER IN THE WEEK.

Dev: TEAM, WE HAVE AN IMPORTANT DEMO COMING UP, LET'S MAKE IT A SUCCESS.

Team members: YES, DEV! WE ARE ALL SET FOR IT!

DEMO STARTS AS PLANNED WITH NEW FACES PARTICIPATING IN THE MEETING

Dev(thinking): WHO ARE THESE NEW FACES FROM THE CLIENT-SIDE?

Client: DEV AND TEAM, I HOPE YOU ARE ALL SET TO SHOW US THE DEMO. BUT BEFORE THAT, I WANT YOU ALL TO MEET THE END-USERS OF THIS PRODUCT.

HALFWAY THROUGH THE DEMO

Dev(thinking): WHERE ON EARTH HAVE THEY BEEN ALL THIS WHILE? THEIR FEEDBACK WILL TAKE MANY WEEKS TO IMPLEMENT.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
It is important for project manager to analyze the stakeholders, categorize them based on their influence and impact and engage them based on their category.

Maya: HEY, DID YOU SEE OUR PROJECT MANAGER TODAY?
HE HAS BEEN GOING AROUND HUGGING OUR TEAM MEMBERS EVER SINCE HE STEPPED INTO THE OFFICE.

Team member: HUH, WHY?

Maya: APPARENTLY, HE READ SOMEWHERE THAT HUGGING REDUCES STRESS, PROMOTES BONDING, IMPROVES WELL-BEING, AND INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY.

Team member: WHY AM I ALREADY THINKING OF WHYS TO ESCAPE THIS BEAR HUG?


Leading a Team
As a project manager, there are better ways to lead your team that include determining an appropriate leadership style (e.g., directive, collaborative), inspiring, motivating, influencing team members, and distinguishing various options to lead different types of team members.

Team member: HEY DEV, WHAT'S WITH THE SUPERMAN CAPE?

Dev: OUR BOSS THINKS THAT AS A PROJECT MANAGER I HAVE THE POWERS TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT WITHIN TIME AND BUDGET AND ALSO...

...DELEVER THE EXPECTED BENEFITS. AND ALL THIS WHEN THE PROJECT DOES NOT ALIGN WITH STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES. SO I AM TRYING TO FAKE IT TILL I CAN MAKE IT!

Strategic Alignment of Project portfolio
Research suggests that many projects are doomed to failure long before project managers even get involved. Strategic alignment between business goals and project to be undertaken helps significantly to improve project success rates and in turn, enhances the ability of the organization to better address customer needs and expectations.

Due to critical project timeline, Sam has to work from home even weekends

Team Member: HONEY, SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPENED IN OUR DAUGHTET'S ONLINE CLASS YESTERDAY...

Sam: CAN WE TALK ON THAT LATER? I'M WORKING ON A PROJECT

Team Member: SAM, HOW MANY WEEKENDS WILL YOU CONTINUE TO WORK FROM HOME. IT'S TIME WE WORKED ON OUR FAMILY LIFE FOR A CHANGE.

Sam: HUH!!!

Work-Life Balance
In the current context, the Work-Life Balance seems more elusive than ever with technology allowing employees to be accessible every hour of every day. Work-Life Balance is about achieving integration between work life & personal life that helps you feel happy and healthy, overall.

Maya(Thinking): JUST 5 MORE MINUTES FOR MY OFFICE MEETING TO END AND I CAN ATTEND MY KID'S PTA MEETING.

Boss: I JUST HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR THE TEAM BEFORE WE WRAP THE CALL. I WILL TAKE 15 MORE MINUTES SO, MAYA...

Maya: ARRGGHHH!!

Work-Life Balance
Many team members feel like their lives are overcommitted and see no relief in sight. Nowadays, work-life balance can seem like an unrealistic objective. As leaders, project managers should allow flexibility in how team members get the job done. It's a matter of giving a choice and empowerment to employees to manage their own time

Interviewing new candidate

Boss: MR GILL, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE WE WRAP THIS INTERVIEW. IF GIVEN A PROJECT, WHAT'S THE SMALLEST BUDGET YOU CAN MANAGE ON?

Gill: THE MOST YOU CAN GIVE ME

Negotiation Skills
Project Managers wear multiple hats and one of them is that of a Negotiator. It is a critical skill as it helps to create win-win situations with stakeholders, have better relationships with customers, and guarantee a more positive work environment.

Boss: SHYAM, YOUR PROJECT MANAGER WAS COMPLAINING THAT YOU NEVER DELIVER YOUR TASKS ON TIME WHICH AFFECTS THE PROJECT TIMELINES. ... SO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T PUT THINGS OFF

Shyam: OH IS IT?
OK, I SHALL STOP PUTTING THINGS OFF... STARTING TOMORROW

Project Team - Roles & Responsibilities
The team's productivity habits are one of the magic ingredients of a project's success. Likewise, procrastination or Student Syndrome in project management can actually act as one of the project constraints. It proves that human behaviour plays a crucial role in project delivery.

Monthly project review meeting

Boss: DEV, THE CUSTOMER IS COMPLAINING THAT HIS PROJECT IS LAGGING. JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW DONE ARE YOU?

Dev: WELL, BOSS... THE THING IS NOT ONLY DEALY BUT THERE ARE COST OVERRUNS TOO. AND ALL I CAN SAY IS, WE SHALL BE DONE ONLY AFTER WE ARE DONE

Scope Creep
The PMBOK® Guide describes scope creep as "adding features and functionality (project scope) without addressing the effects on the time, costs, and resources, or without customer approval". That could mean time and cost overruns to finish the authorized parts of the scope.

Maya: AAH! FINALLY I GOT MY KID ENGAGED IN SOME PRODUCTIVE TASKS. NOW I CAN SIT THROUGH MY CLIENT CALL WITHOUT ANY INTERRUPTIONS

The client call has just started, when...

Maya Kid: MOMMY!! LOOKS I CAN FLY!!

Maya(Thinking): I GUESS I SAID THAT TOO SOON

Project Resource Management
Working from home with kids in current times can be challenging. In such cases, it is important to create a schedule, communicate your needs, be transparent about your situation, manage expectations with your colleagues and take breaks or create special time for kids.

Boss: TEAM, THIS IS A MEETING TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. WE WILL BE SOON EMBARKING ON A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY GIVEN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

Dev: WHAT EXACTLY WILL WE BE DOING IN THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY?

Boss: OH, NOTHING. JUST UPGRADING OUR TECHNOLOGIES!

Digital Transformation
Digital Transformation is to understand how to take the capabilities that digital offers to fundamentally change the way organization will operate to better serve the customers, to better manage the employee & to drive organization into a more effective & successful organization in the future

MEETING IN PROGRESS

Boss: TEAM, WE HAVE MULTIPLE PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES IN FRONT OF US AND WE WANT MANAGERS TO DO AN APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.

Harry: SURE, WE WILL!

AFEW DAYS LATER...

Boss: OK TEAM, LET'S EVALUATE THESE OPPORTUNITIES ON DECIDED PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA...

BY THE WAY, HARRY, WHY HAVE YOU CLOSED YOUR EYES?

Harry: I'M LISTENING TO MY INNER VOICE FOR THE MUCH NEEDED GUIDANCE HERE.

LAST TIME I LISTENED TO MY GUT INSTINCTS AND IT HELPED ME SELECT THE APPROPRIATE PROJECT AND IT WENT ON TO BECOME A SUCCESS

Project Selection Method
It is important for organizations to ensure that project investments are safe and will result in good returns and benefits for the organizations. Hence, there is a need to thoroughly analyze all-new project opportunities to validate decisions based on benefits and feasibility.

Dev: HEY, HARRY! HOW DID THE MEETING GO? AS YOU KNOW, SOMETHING CAME UP AND I COULD NOT JOIN THE CALL.

Herry: IT WAS A PRODUCTIVE CALL AND WENT ON FOR THE FULL HOURS.

Dev: HOPE YOU HAVE RECORDED THE CALL FOR FUTURE REFERENCE AS THE CLIENT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS NOW.

Herry: OOPS, SLIPPED MY MIND

Dev: NEVER MIND. HOPE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HAVE BEEN PROPERLY RECORDED

Herry: HMM, KIND OF!

Dev: HARRY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT ??

I DID TAKE THE NOTES...

Herry: BUT NOW AS I AM GOING THROUGH THE NOTES THE WRITING SEEMS LIKE A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION TO ME.

Project Communication Management
The meeting minutes is a tool that helps project managers to build trust with their stakeholder. It captures decisions made, tasks assigned, and discussed issues. It really is important to do the meeting minutes right because otherwise information gets lost and things do not happen as intended.

Dev: HARRY, ANY SPECIFIC UPDATES YOU WANT TO SHARE SINCE THE LAST REVIEW

Harry: I AM AFRAID WE ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE

Dev: SO WHAT ARE THE PLANS TO BRING THE PROJECT ON TRACK? HAVE YOU CONSIDERED FAST-TARCKING?

Harry: IS THAT A NEW PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE?

Fast-Tracking Technique
As per the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition, fast-tracking is a schedule compression technique in which activities or phases normally performed in a sequence, are done in parallel for at least a portion of their duration.

Dev: BOSS, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK HEADS UO ON THE PROJECT STATUS.

Boss: OK DEV, MAKE IT QUICK!

Dev: WE'RE ALREADY DELAYED ON THE PROJECT AND MANY RESOURCES WILL BE GOING ON LEAVE NEXT MONTH FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS AND HENCE WE NEED TO ADD MORE RESOURCES NOW.

OTHERWISE, I DON'T THINK WE WILL MEET THE PROJECT DEADLINE. HENCE, SUGGESTING PROJECT CRASHING.

Boss: DEV, PROJECT CRASHING! WHAT IS THAT? I HERE SOME ALARM BELLS RINGING ALREADY!

Dev(Thinking): ALARM BELLS!? PROJECT CRASHING IS TO SALVAGE THE SINKING PROJECT. HOPE HE UNDERSTANDS THIS IS OUR LAST RESORT!

Project Crashing
It is schedule compression technique in which costs and schedule tradeoffs are analyzed to determine how to obtain the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost, for e.g. Overtime, hiring additional resources, etc.

Maya: BOSS, AS SUGGESTED I'VE DONE THE RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT AND IDENTIFIED SOME UNFORESEEN RISKS AS WELL.

Boss: THAT'S GREATE! CAN YOU QUICKLY RUN ME THROUGH THOSE OVER THIS CALL?

BLAH...BLAH...BLAH!

Maya: SO GOING BY THE UNREALISTIC TIMELINES SET FOR THIS PROJECT, THE ONLY MAJOR RISKS ARE THE RISK OF LOSING MY SANITY AND RUNNING MY HEALTH.

Boss: MAYA, CAN WE TALK LATER! I HAVE JUMP TO ANOTHER CALL.

Risk Asssessment
Risk analysis involves examining how project outcomes and objectives might change due to the impact of the risk event.

Once the risks are identified, they are analysed to identify the qualitative and quantitative impact of the risk on the project so that appropriate steps can be taken to mitigate them.

Boss is Discussing Project  With A ROOKIE PROEJCT MANAGER

Boss: HI TINA, HOW IS THE NEW PROJECT COMMING ALONG? HOPE YOU HAVE MADE WORK BREADOWN STRUCTURE FOR THIS PROJECT?

Tina: IT'S ON TRACK, BOSS. AND YES, WE HAVE CREATED THE W.B.S. FOR THIS PROJECT

Boss: HOPE IT IS BROKEN DOWN TO THE LEVEL.


Tina: YES BOSS, I KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM BREAKS IN TODAY'S TIMES. I HAVE CONSIDERD IT APPROPRIATELY WHILE BREAKING DOWN THEPROJECT WORK.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.

Monthly project review is in progress

Boss: Dev, how is the progress on the new project?

Dev: All good! And we are tracking it weekly?

Boss: Good! So do we have the earned value for this project?

Dev: OfCourse yes! We've earned a lot of appreciation from the client for the project progress so far

Earned Value
It is the Monetary Value of the work that was actually completed by the control date. It provides data for pro-active management action and basis for effective decision-making.

Boss: HARRY!! CLIENT HAS COMPAINTS THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE CONSISTENTLY MISSING THE SPRINT GOAS. HE IS NOT HAPPY WITH THE OVERLALL PROGRESS

Harry: DON'T WORRY BOSS!

Harry: I'M THE SCRUM MASTER. I'LL HANDLE THIS SITUATION

Boss: DON'T WORRY? I HAVE BEGUN TO WONDER NOW, IF I'VE HIRED A SCRUM MASTER OR A 'SCUM' MASTER

Harry: HUH!

Agile Methodologies: Scrum Master
Scrum is an important approach in Agile. It is used for delivering software products with iterative incremental process. Short Sprints are useful for delivering a steady progress in a strong leadership. The leader in Short sprints is referred as Scrum Master.

TEAM, BECAUSE OF WORK FROM HOME, WE ARE SAVING A LOT OF OUR LONG AND BORING OFFICE COMMUTE TIME

SO HOW ARE YOU USING THIS TIME TO BE MORE PROUCTIVE?

Team Member: I'M LEARNING TO CODE

Swami: I'M UPSKILLING ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Team Member: I'M LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE

May: AND...I'M TRYING TO FIND QUIET TIME IN THIS BUSY SCHEDULE


Project Resource Management
In this extremely chaotic times, it's important to create moments of quite for ourselves. Quiet time helps to discover what's important and rediscover what has been neglected.

Boss: Swami, what's going on? The project has gone way past the deadline and the client has escalated the issue. Not a good sign!

Swami: Relax, Boss! In case you have forgotten, we are working on an Agile based project. There is no deadline at all. Don't worry!

Common Myth about Agile
There is a common myth that Agile doesn't work for fixed deadline projects. Instead, Agile requires teams to consider how to finish projects on the time with a greater focus on market feedback and customer's real needs.

Boss: Harry, it has been more than one month since the project began. I have not received updates nor seen any progress. Why?

Harry: Don't worry, Boss! There is progress. You can't see it because it is asymptomatic!

Project Stakeholder Management
Keeping the various stakeholders informed as the project progresses is important to the project's success. While some need detailed information, other merely want brief updates.

Project review meeting with the new project manager

Boss: Sam, I hope the project is on track. Can I see the burn down chart?

Sam: Sure Boss, right away!

Sam: Here you go! The burn down chart of the project!

Burn down Chart
A burn down chart is a graphical representation of work left to do versus time.  Burn down charts are a run chart of outstanding work. It is useful for predicting when all of the work will be completed.

Maya: Honey!! We have a situation here. I can't see my team on the call.. Infact I can't see nothing on this PC.

Maya's Husband: Honey! Just to let you know that you are in the kitchen right now, staring at our micro-oven.

Maya: Huh!

Work Life Balance
In the current context, the work-life balance seems more elusive than ever with technology allowing employees to be accessible every hour of every day. Work-life balance is about achieving harmony or integration between work life and personal life and creating a meaningful life that helps you feel happy and healthy overall.

Boss: Hi Joe, how is the project going? Any new risks or issues, you see in the project?

Joe: Yes, Boss. I identified a new one yesterday and was updating the Risk Register.

Boss: Can you confirm if it is a risk or an issue?

Joe: Well, err..umm..give me a moment. I'll will be right back

Joe(Thinking) : Let me quickly flip the coin to decide...

Joe: Boss, I just confirmed. The newly found one is an issue, for sure.

Project Risk Management
An issue is an event that has already occurred whereas risk is an uncertain event that may or may not happen. Risk register and Issue log are two documents that are often wrongly combined, but they are distinct documents that should contain different information & drive different actions.

Boss: Hello, Maya. I am scheduling a video call in the next 10 minutes for an urgent update I need.

Maya: Hello, Boss

After ten minutes...

Maya(Thinking): Oh God! He could have asked this over email. I wasted my time getting dressed for this call.

Boss: Did you send that presentation to our new client? It is quite urgent and I need to close on that at the earliest.

Project Communications Management
Virtual meeting fatigue is for real. Video meeting are more mentally taxing than writing an email-if it can be an email, just make it one. Unless we're sharing a document or talking through a presentation, it's usually quicker and more productive to make a voice-only call.

Boss: Joe, we have received an escalation from the customer on the quality. Have the regular quality reviews been conducted for the project?

Joe: Of course, Boss! We have a dedicated testing team regularly doing it.

Boss: What about code reviews? And other quality reviews?

Boss: Why is the quality compromised there?

Joe: Well, umm...I thought, Testing = Quality

Joe(Thinking): Looks like testing times are up ahead for me!

Boss: Just make sure, you don't allow it to be a "Average Joe" project.

Project Quality Management
Project quality management involves all the activities involved to determine quality policies, objectives, and procedures in an organization to support continuous process improvement activities.

Monthly project review meeting

Boss: Dev, your project is lagging, aren't we tracking it regularly?

Dev: Yes, we do daily standups

Dev: Yes, Sir. The challenge is that in these online standup meetings, sometimes I can't figure out where the team is standing.

Boss: So, any specific reason why the project is slipping?

Project Management Tools
Apart from daily standup meetings, tools such as dashboards for project monitoring with provision to have real-time visualization with appropriate alerts can make a huge difference in monitoring project status.

Dev: Team, the project's first sprint ends tomorrow. Let's have a retrospective at 5 pm. Make sure you are present.

Team Members: Ok Sure!

Next day at 5 pm

Dev: Team, we are going to play a game in today's retrospective. Any thoughts before we start?

First time to handling Agile projects

Swami: Hmm.. meditation is a good way to retrospect.

Dev: Uh oh!!

What is an Agile Retrospective?
In Agile, the retrospective is a type of session or meeting with the purpose to celebrate success and to reflect upon the last iteration, what went well and what went wrong in order to improve in the upcoming iterations.

Client meeting is about to start

Boss: Dev, Please capture the minutes of the meeting

Dev: Hmm...

Dev: No worries, I will be taking them, Boss!

The virtual client meeting ends

Boss: Please send me the minutes of the meeting for review before we send it to the client

Dev: I will send it to you soon, Boss.

Dev sends the document via email

Boss: Are you sure you have sent me the correct document, Dev?

Dev: Yes Boss! Any problem?

Boss(Thinking): Looks more like a script of a suspense story to me. No mention of decisions made and by whom, no details of the agreed-upon actions. Looks rather unclear to me


Project Communications Management
Key elements of minutes of the meeting that should always be included are, actions agreed (what will be done), action leads (who will do it), deadline (when it will be done by). Other useful information that may be helpful to include is the context for the actions and points of concern raised during the meeting.

Dev: Boss, the project status is not looking good. We are behind schedule and will need an extension

Boss: What? This is not good news at all. May I know the reasons for this?

Boss: Why is the project delayed and not going as planned?

Dev: I am sorry, the internet connection seems bad. I cannot hear you.

(Pretends to show a face which seems frozen)

Boss: Why is the project delayed and not going as planned?

Boss: Dev, maybe you do not have the answer to justify. But don't pretend as if your screen has frozen. Next time, please switch off the fan if you want to use this ruse.

PMI Code Of Ethic
Honesty, responsibility, respect, and fairness are the values that drive ethical conduct for the project management profession. PMI's Code Of Ethics and Professional Conduct applies those values to the real-life practice of project management, where the best outcome is the most ethical one

Dev: Boss, we should adopt this agile project management framework which everyone has been using.

Boss: Why, Dev?

Boss: Oh, yeah! Also, it will give you and your team an excuse for not getting it right the first time!

Boss: It allows the team to fail often and fail fast.

Disciplined Agile (DA) Toolkit
Failing fast is fine, but succeeding early is better. Disciplined Agile makes navigating a wealth of knowledge simple so you can identify solutions sooner. We call this guided continuous improvement.

Dev: Hey, Maya, just called to check on your well-being, since you called in sick yesterday. Hope the symptoms are nothing to worry about.

Maya: Thank you, Dev, for your concern. Nothing to worry..

Maya: I googled my symptoms are apparently, I just need a long break!

Project Resource Management
Shifting to remote work in the wake of the lockdown has made people anxious and also a little disconnected. It is important to be cognizant and realistic in terms of what the team members can deliver to avoid overload and burnout, especially in current times.

Boss: Maya, why haven't you worked on the file yet? What's taking you so long?

Maya(Thinking): I wish my boss could understand that this lockdown is not only making me work from home but work for home, too!

Project Resource Management
For business leaders, learning and practicing collaborative leadership skills is essential amid the current crisis. Practice emotional intelligence and empathy - it will go a long way in keeping virtual teams connected and productive during this transitional period.

Boss: Maya, you are late again for the meeting. You missed some important updates earlier in the call.

Boss: So which excuse have you got for me this time...hmm?

Maya(Thinking): Think! Think! Maya, you need to save your skin again.

Maya: Well, I was going to be very much on time for this meeting but...

Maya: ...on my way to the desk, I stepped on Lego pieces strewn on the floor by my kid and I hurt my foot.

Maya: I had to hobble my way to reach here.

Boss: No Comments!

PMI Code of Ethics
Any choice we make is always associated with several ethical risks. But this should not dissuade us from making hard choices like accepting mistakes and telling the truth. Honesty. Responsibility. Respect. Fairness, are the values that drive ethical behavior for the project management profession, as reflected in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

During a video call..

Dev: Sam had promised that this client pitch presentation would be of few slides and on point.

Dev: But its turning out to be a long drawn ramble...

Dev: I hope the client is not losing his patience...

Dev: ...because he is a no-nonsense guy and stickler for time.

Dev: How I wish this virtual meeting app had a feature to play "Wrap it up" music as a cue like they do at the Oscars.

Project Communications Management
A large majority of a project manager's time is spent on communications throughout all project phases. Meetings being one of them. Meetings can be a waste of time unless they are properly planned, begun on time, have clear objectives, kept on track, conducted with respect for all participants, and items acted on and ended on time.

Virtual meeting in progress

10-10.05 Waiting for the host to start the meeting

10.06 The group starts discussing how it is difficult balancing official and domestic duties

10.10 Someone in the group discovers a new feature of virtual background option and everyone gets excited

Harry: This is Lit!

Maya: wow!!

Team Member: Awesome!!

10.12 - 10.15 The Host is struggling with the audio

Dev: I guess some problem with my audio

Harry: Hey! Dev is finally online But I can hardly hear him

Maya: His voice is cracking

10.16 - 10.30 And Finally the meeting happens

Dev: Ok Team Let's begin the meeting

Maya (Thinking): Just a few minutes left for the meeting to end

Team member: Is he kidding?

Project Communications Management
Virtual meeting also need preparation. This does not just mean setting up the technology, but making clear the purpose of the meeting, the objectives which need to be achieved by the end of the meeting; a timed agenda; and finally, how actions will be documented and followed up after the meeting.

(Throwback) Day 2 of working from home

Boss: Dev, you were late for our client meeting today by almost half an hour.

Boss: You were to set the context for our presentation.

Dev: Sorry for being late, Boss! I got stuck in traffic. It was terrible.

Boss: It was a virtual meeting, Dev. And by the way, we are all working from home since yesterday.

Dev: Oops! I forgot that I could not use that excuse anymore.

PMI Code of Ethics
Honesty. Responsibility. Respect. Fairness. Those are the values that drive ethical behavior for the project management profession, as reflected in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Project managers face decisions and moral dilemmas every day. Ethics is the discipline of "how to do it best."

Boss: Finally, there's my lovely team waiting for me. I am sure, they must have missed me and my presence terribly in the past two months.

Team: Not sure if I am feeling stifled and suffocated because of this protective gear or someone's presence. Somehow work from home felt more liberating!

Leadership v/s Micromanagement
Micromanagement is not only frustrating for the project team members but also completely undermines their authority. Every relationship demands respect, so it is important to establish appropriate and productive relationships with your team.

Boss: Dev, please inform the team that we are now allowed to work from the office with only 50% of staff strength since we are located in the Green Zone.

A few days later in office..

Boss: Dev, in case you have forgotten, we are no longer working from home. These are office premises so please maintain office decorum.

Project Manager's Soft Skills
Effective project management is as much about demonstrating appropriate behaviors as it is about applying project management skills. In today's times, it is more than essential that behavior, emotions, and culture be well understood by project managers.

Dev: Harry! It's the virtual town hall meeting that's going on and you don't seem to be online!

Dev: Boss is asking for you. He is asking for you. He has some important announcement to make to the team

Harry: I was so looking forward to attending this meeting, Dev. Unfortunately, my cable connection is not working since morning. No TV. No Internet.

PMI Code Of Ethics
Honesty, responsibility, respect, and fairness are the values that drive ethical conduct for the project management profession. PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct applies those values to the real-life practice of project management, where the best outcome is the most ethical one.

Boss: Harry, I understand we all have been working from home. But make sure for tomorrow’s client meeting you are dressed as you would in the office conference room.

Next day, before the start of the client meeting

Boss: This is so much better, Harry. It conveys a sense of professionalism

Project Communication Management
Dressing appropriately, especially for giving a presentation or directing a virtual meeting helps to stay focused and in "work" mode. Whether we like it or not, our appearance says a lot about us before we've even had a chance to speak.

Harry's Wife: Honey, our geyser faucet is leaking. We have to do something immediately.

Harry: In case you have forgotten, I am telecommuting. Please do not distract with home chores, I have to submit something important.

Harry's Wife: If we do not attend to it right now, we will be in hot water.

Harry: Huh!

Later in the day...

Maya: Hi Harry, are we ready with that presentation? We have the client demo in some time.

Harry: Sorry, Maya. I am just about finishing it.

Harry: I got delayed as there was a personal task that needed attention...

Maya: But you promised that it will get done as soon as possible.

Harry: ...yes I agree. But if I had not attended to this issue I would have been in deep water.

Maya(Thinking): Why am I getting a sinking feeling suddenly?

Project Communication Management
Communications management is one of the fundamental roles of the project manager. Project managers need to effectively plan and manage communications so that all stakeholders are updated regularly about project status to avoid giving surprises.

Dev: Hello Team! I hope you all are doing fine and managing well on your personal and professional front.

Maya: Dev, all ok though stressed on managing the work-life balance.

Dev: I can understand. Ever since we got forced into this situation of remote working, there has been a decline in productivity...

Dev: ...so as an agile team, I want to know from all, how do you plan to embrace the change and identify new ways of working.

Team(member): Dev, I guess I have been proactive on that front. I have been watching a lot of videos on how to be more effective as an agilist.


Disciplined Agile (DA) Toolkit
Agilists should look at exploring DA toolkit as it harnesses a world of Agile practices to guide you to the best way of working for your team or organization leading to increased productivity.

Dev: Hello Team. if you remember, boss had made it a mandate to take up short online courses and upgrade our skills so that we could get something to the table after this lockdown...
Need a quick update on that from you all

Let's begin with Swami, What have you been learning oflate?

Swami: I have taken up this online course to hone my communication skills so that it would help me with my client calls

Maya: I am doing a short course on Internet of Things so that I am prepped up for all our forthcoming projects which are mostly going to be based on that!

Team member: Sorry team, got a bit late to join this call as my online baking class went on a bit longer today...
so Dev, what's the agenda for this quick call?

Dev(Thinking): Never mind, we kind of got the picture of what exactly you may get to the table after this lockdown...

Project Resource Management
Upgrade your skills and make the most of this time...

Dev: Hey Team, Boss has requested for a quick synch-up call with him in an hour's time.

Team: Oh no again!?

Maya: What! We are practically meeting him 2 to 3 times a day. What is this call for now?

Dev: Now that we have been working from home since the past few weeks he is perhaps missing micro-managing us. This is his way of keeping tabs.

Maya: Can someone please let him know that social-distancing is the buzz word in today's times?

Project Resource Management
Micromanagement is the ultimate controlling management style. It is not only frustrating for the project team members but also completely undermines their authority. Even while managing virtual teams, it is important to establish appropriate and productive relationships with team members.

Boss: Dev, I have an unscheduled call in an hour with our project sponsor. Please coordinate and collect the latest updates on project status.

One hour later...

Boss: Dev, I have not yet received the project updates. My call is about to start.

Dev: I have it almost ready, Boss.

Dev: Then what are you waiting for? This pandemic to blow over!

Dev: The team members have shared updates through different communication platforms. I am just collating it.

Boss: Hope to get it before this lockdown gets over!

Project Communication Management
It is effective if one keeps all the team/client interactions on one platform. The advantage is there will be reduced dependency, information exchange will be streamlined plus anyone can step up to take additional responsibility if the situation demands so.

Dev: Hello Team. We are already in the second week of lockdown. Hope all is well. Let's begin with the weekly updates from Swami.

Dev: Swami, did you manage to collect the requirements for our project from our new client?

Swami: Dev, the call started off with all of us struggling to get our online web conferencing tools to work.

Swami: Finally, when it was all in place I thought it would be polite to lend an empathetic ear to the client's woes in the current difficult times...

Swami: Keeping aside the polite requirements, did you manage to collect the requirements for our project?

Swami: Well, I hope I got them right. The client team members were on speakerphones with bad acoustics.

Swami: Also, their accent was difficult to decipher with all that background noise and echo at their end.

Dev(Thinking): This update is not sounding good to my ears. But given the fluid and unprecedented situations we are in, it is truly a time to play it by ear.

Project Communication Management
Significant portion of a project manager's time is spent in communicating with stakeholders, what is going to be done. For clear and effective communications, one needs to consider all factors like different realities, the space, the communication takes place in, verbal/non-verbal messages, etc.

Dev: Hell Customer Service, I need urgent technical support for this new project. I was put on hold for 30 mins, someone came on call for a few seconds and then kept me on hold again for 30 mins.

Dev: In this Covid 19 crisis situation, can someone throw some light and solve my issue or is it light-years away?

Customer Care: Thank you for your patience so far, Sir. We are understaffed and also inundated with calls right now, please bear with us.

(on-hold music continues)

Business Continuity planning
During times of crisis, business continuity planning becomes critical as it factors in contingencies for mission-critical resources, those whose failure would have a great business impact, and those that have a high probability of failure.

Maya: Hello team, how has been week two of working from home?

Maya: I hope all is well on the health front with you and your family..

Swami: Maya, personal health is fine but not sure I can say the same for our project health.

Maya: What happened Swami?

Swami: This virus crisis has forced me to join newly formed project teams pulling me in multiple directions. My hands are full at the moment to tackle our project.

Maya(Thinking): Just when this virus situation demands us to go "hands-free", my team members have their hands full.

Project Risk Management
In these volatile times, many of our team members are likely to be pulled in multiple directions. To minimize the impact, we need to identify which skills will be scarce in the team or how to access capacity from outside. And apply a streamlined risk management process to predict the uncertainties in the projects.

Dev: Hello Team, hope all well with you. It's been a week since we have been working from home because of this virus that's posing a health hazard around the world.

Dev: Let's begin the call to discuss our project status. Swami, let's start with you. Can you share your updates on the tasks assigned to you in the last call?

Swami: Dev, I need more clarity and time on those tasks. I got pulled into multiple last-minute calls in the past week due to this new situation.

Dev: Huh, what about you Jay?

Jay: Dev, was I even assigned any task to be completed this week? Not sure.

Dev(thinking): Looks like this new temporary policy of working remotely is more difficult to handle than this virus issue.

Most of them don't have an understanding of what they are supposed to do.

Project Communication Management
The move to remote working is a great opportunity for a project team to revisit the fundamentals so as to ensure everyone understands the team objectives, their specific roles, and how each team member contributes to the final results. Leaders need to clarify the goals of each member to stay focused on crucial tasks.

Boss: Hey Team! I have got some news to share. I am sure you will rejoice after hearing the news!

Team (thinking): Yippee! Finally, he has put in his papers. Time to celebrate

Boss: I had sent my nomination for, "Thought Leader of the Year" award. And the management has accepted my nomination in the shortlist.

Dev: I hope the management has second thoughts about the decision.

Swami: Maybe "thought leader" as he keeps thinking about how best he can micro-manage us. Hee hee!

Leadership v/s Micromanagement
Micromanagement is the ultimate controlling management style. It is not only frustrating for the project team members but also completely undermines their authority. Every relationship demands respect, so it is important to establish appropriate and productive relationships with your team.

Dev: Boss, we just received the software application that we had ordered from this new vendor.

Boss: That’s great news! Now get started with your project without wasting a minute.

Dev: But Boss, the bad news is that the software is crashing frequently. In spite of the specifications provided, the software is not compatible with the hardware.

Boss: Oh is it? Why don’t you call them and check? Besides the lowest price, they claimed they had good after-sales services.

Dev: I have been trying several times since the last two days but no solution in sight. I am just being pushed from pillar to post.

Boss: Be patient, Dev. Good things take time.

Dev (thinking): Oh yeah, and so will this project.

Project Procurement Management
The single greatest decision on many projects is selecting a vendor to provide software or services. Sometimes, the method used for soliciting, evaluating and negotiating with vendors, are not done “according to the book” which is when the results of the decisions made are most likely to result in problems during project execution.

Boss: So Dev, how many projects are you having on your plate?

Dev: Well, there are....

Boss: Oh! never mind. There is one new project coming your way. Its a small project and you got two months to deliver it!

Dev: err... but Boss...I....

Dev (thinking): huh!

Boss: Is it just a coincidence that your annual performance review is also due in another two months?

Dev: Ok, Boss! What is this project all about?

Boss (thinking): Wow! That was way easier than I had imagined.

Project Resource Management
Many times, project managers are given more projects than they can handle. Some of the more experienced project managers may push back, telling management that all efforts cannot be achieved. However, many project managers do not do so. The top management needs to take cognizance of the same.

Dev: Boss, workload has doubled but we haven’t received a raise for a long time that justifies our hard work and dedication.

Boss: Don’t be motivated by money. Money doesn’t buy anyone happiness. Let me tell you that!

Dev: Boss, if there is no raise this year, most of the committed project managers will start looking around for better opportunities for sure.

Boss: In which case they have saved me the trouble...

Dev: Huh!

Boss: ...the company is anyway planning to reduce the headcount of the project managers and other high salaried team members

Dev(Thinking): Oh no!

Project Resource Management
There are broadly four types of techniques for motivating team members, techniques that include optimizing human energy, enabling autonomy, providing feedback, and providing reward and recognition. The ability to influence and motivate others is an important skill that a leader must learn to master.

Boss: So Dev, what did you want to talk to me about so urgently?

Dev: I have been reading articles on disruptive technologies and understood how AI is set to take over routing project management functions. It's time we reskill the team on new technologies.

Dev: This way it will allow project managers to focus on social and creative skills, update domain knowledge, and skills where manual intervention may be needed.

Boss: Dev, you and your team are getting lazier by the day. We need to first fix your mindset, forget knowing more about disruptive technologies.

Dev (thinking): I am wondering how to disrupt his conventional mindset.

Project Management Technology Quotient
Understanding the potential uses of technology is as important as understanding process improvement strategies and best practices. PMTQ skillset is the ability to adapt, manage and integrate technology based on the needs of the organization or the project at hand.

Boss: Dev, are we ready for the launch of our new product this weekend?

Dev: Boss, we still have test scripts to run on it. And by the way, we have two more weeks for the launch.

Boss: Dev, we don't have time for test scripts. It's important we launch ahead of our competitors for a first-mover advantage.

But Boss...

Boss: Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

A week after the launch

Boss: Team, we need feedback on why the numbers are not moving as expected on our newly launched product.

Dev (thinking): I think we didn't venture enough to gain enough!

Project Risk Management
As organizations rush to market with new products, it's important to identify potential risks that could impact the new product launch and classify them into categories. Rate each risk based on impact and likelihood and develop a specific action plan to address high priority risks.

Boss: Dev, I heard you have placed the order for new desktop machines with a new vendor.

Dev: Yes, Boss! That's correct.

Boss: Dev, but we already have reliable vendors on our preferred vendor's list. So why go for the new one?

Dev: Because this vendor is least expensive, plus he has committed to deliver our order in two business days. Moreover, he is not going to charge us maintenance fees in the first year.

Boss: How can we rely on him without verifying his credibility? What if he fails to meet our expectations?

Dev: Boss, the deal was too sweet not be explored. Also, I trust my gut feeling on this one.

Boss: Dev, with this sweet deal I hope we don't have to swallow a bitter pill. Forget your gut feeling, this sounds like a gutsy move.

Project Procurement Management
Project managers need to have a clear understanding of supplier capabilities. Placing high expectations on a new supplier to quickly complete a procurement deal beyond their capability can be disastrous eventually if the claims are not verified in advance.

Boss: Dev, we are starting that new IT infrastructure project next month for our client and we need to get new database systems, servers, and desktops.

Dev: Ok, will initiate work on the procurement process.

A few weeks later...

Boss: Dev, what we have received is not up to the mark.

Dev: huh

Dev: Really! We literally juiced blood out of stone from the lowest bidder and got the best price for the products the team asked for. So what went wrong?

Boss: Exactly my point! It looks like we set our sights too low and got what we paid for.

Project Procurement management
It's a common fact that costs play a vital role in the procurement process. We often find businesses focussing on low-cost bids even when the effects are detrimental to the product's quality. In innumerable scenarios, the quality aspect gets short-changed to save cost and management underestimates the impact of quality risk.

Boss: Dev, we have to set up a preliminary meeting with the on-site team to go over all the project related questions and doubts before we embark on the new agile-based project.

Boss: Remember, the project is crucial and we need to kick-off immediately. So get all the doubts addressed on this call itself.

A few days later...

Boss: Hey, how was the call?

Dev: Well, the on-site team sounded zoned out and uninterested. Their communication was unclear.

Boss: What time of the day was the call scheduled?

Dev: It was at 11:30 am IST as that's the time my local team members are in office. Later, I realized my gaffe.

Boss: Dev, how could you expect our on-site team members to be "in the zone" when they sit in a completely different time zone.

Blah...blah...blah

Dev(thinking): I feel like I am in a free-fire zone now. Rather keep quiet.

Project Communications Management
With remote teams becoming the norm, a project manager's usual work-life has taken on new dimension. It has become crucial to have in place, the right tools, and procedures, and communication management strategies for creating a strong team environment and encouraging collaboration.

Dev: ...and the project management effort for this project will be...

Senior: Woah! Hold on Dev. We do not need a Project Manager, because it's an Agile based project and this team is self- managed and self-organized... so

Dev: But don't you think if we have a project manager...

Boss: Now, no ifs and buts, let's get started with this project at the earliest.

Just a month ahead of the deadline

Boss: Dev, we seem to have hit the brakes with project Swift. And we need your support to accelerate it.

Dev: But Boss, it was decided right at the start that there is no need of a project manager as this project was to run as per agile methodologies, isn't it?

Boss: Now are you going to get into the time-wasting, "I told you so..." drill or will you roll up your sleeves like a true project manager and lead the way?

Dev: Huh!

Common Myth about Agile
"Agile doesn't need project managers"- This is one of the most common misconceptions about managing projects in an agile environment. The truth is that agile management needs project managers, but it won't be the job of project managers to tell the team what to do or when to do it. Their role becomes more strategic and as a coach and facilitator.

Appraisal interview

Boss: So Dev, tell me about your accomplishments in the last one year.

Dev: I managed to complete three crucial projects within time and budget. And importantly, I did not ask for additional resources though it was much required.

Boss: Well, it looks like your projects were not challenging enough. Hence you deserve a marginal raise this year.

Dev: And what makes you think they were not challenging?

Boss: Because you finished all your projects within time and budget and you didn’t even complain even once about anything.

Dev: Huh!

Dev(thinking): how do I tell him that though the job itself is rewarding, the salary and benefits leave a lot to be desired.

Project Resource Management
Motivation can inspire, and encourage individuals and project teams to achieve greater accomplishments. Knowing this, it is in the project leader's best interest to understand the demotivation cause in order to drive toward project success.

Dev: Hey Maya, our project deadline is around the corner and I have yet not received any updates from you. What's going on?

Maya: If only I can be at my desk to do that...

Dev: So cut down on the never-ending tea breaks for office gossip sessions. That will get you the required time.

Maya: Correction! Getting pulled into meetings every now and then and where I am not required is eating into my productive time

Maya: Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back on track with this project before I get pulled into another so-called important meeting.

Project Communication Management
A large majority of a project manager's time is spent on communications throughout all project phases. Meetings being one of them. Meetings can be a waste of time unless they are properly planned, begun on time, have clear objectives, kept on track, conducted with respect for all participants, and items acted on and ended on time.

Dev: Are you sure you want all these features in your product? More than half of these don't align with your objectives. It's going to get complex.

Client: Remember, I am the client and I know the best! I want all these features as I want my product to be comprehensive so that it caters to all our customers. It will be a piece of cake, really!

Dev(thinking): I worry that this cake will not be worth the candle.

Project Requirements Management
Collecting requirements for a project is a very vital part. This process forms the basis for project scope definition. This process contributes to the success or failure of a project. It's all about managing stakeholder needs & requirements to meet project objectives.

Dev: Swami, on today's call for gathering the requirements I want you to take charge as I will not be able to join the call.

Dev: Make sure you gather all the possible requirements needed. Getting the client on a long call is rare. He is a busy person, you see.

Swami: Got it!

Next Day...

Dev: Swami, how did the call go?

Swami: Quite productive. I started with small talk on hobbies to warm up the conversation and we realized we both share a common interest... Golf!

Swami: This call was a perfect tee off! But by the time we came around to discuss the requirements, we had run out of time. Don't worry, we plan to meet for a round of golf soon. We will continue the discussion over there.

Dev(thinking): This performance does not even deserve a golf clap.

Swami: Slurrrrrp!!

Project Requirements Management
For requirements gathering, the project manager needs to identify a resource that has facilitation skills, technical skills, domain skills, and listening skills, etc. Collecting requirements for a project is a very vital part. Collect requirements process helps to define project scope during scope management.

Boss: Hey Dev! There is this new challenging project coming up for you!

Dev: I so know how challenging it could be!

Boss: ...with minimum budget, limited resources and tight deadline. So what do you think??

Dev: FAILURE!!

Boss: Dev, remember one thing in life. Optimism is the key to success! So be positive and success will follow you!

Dev: Ok so then let me put it this way! With minimum budget, limited resources and tight deadline, this project is positively, surely & assuredly going to be a BIG FAILURE

Importance of Leadership Skills in Managing Projects
Unreasonable bosses give demanding deadlines as they may not be in tune with the number of hours it takes to achieve the objectives or they may not bother to find out in advance what's reasonable. Also they may be ignorant about the tools or information you may need to accomplish your assignments.

Boss: Hey Dev, why is this project lagging behind schedule?

Dev: That's because every time I focus on it you approach me with tasks that don't concern me at all.

Boss: Please explain.

Dev: You make me attend meetings on your behalf. You make me write codes for your personal projects. You make me...

Boss: Dev, it's all about managing your priorities. I will mentor you on that. Come to me.

Dev: Oh no! I will definitely schedule that as the last item on my priority list.

Project Schedule Management
Prioritization is organizing tasks in terms of importance relative to one another. A project manager deals with contending priorities on a daily basis. All projects, more so large, complex projects - need clear priorities as it affects the success of the project, the engagement with the team, and role of project leader.

Boss: Hey Dev, congrats to you and your team for completing the project ahead of schedule. So sorry that I could not be around to mentor the team as I was traveling extensively.

Dev: And I thank god for that. How do you think we could finish the project on time?

Boss: Dev, did I just hear a whistle from you?

Dev: No Boss, it's just the magic of good news which is music to your ears.

Project Resource Management
Micromanagement is the ultimate controlling management style. It is not only frustrating for the project manager but also completely undermines their authority. Every relationship demands respect, so it is important to establish appropriate and productive relationships with your manager.

Dev: Thank you for joining the meeting. We are here to identify the root cause for the slow progress on our current project.

Dev: Jay, you go first. What do you think is the reason?

Jay: Maya doesn't respond to any of my emails even though they are marked as highest priority.

Maya: All emails from Jay are marked as the highest priority. Moreover, they are too long without any breaks. It's hard to figure out the crux of email.

Sounds from the Meeting Room..
All because of you!
Not me, but you!
Your fault!
Blah.. Blah.. Blah..

Dev: Woah! now if we are done with your blame game session, can we spare some time to put the game face on and find some solutions?

Project Communication Management
Communication is a vital element of a well-managed project. To communicate effectively, project team members must have a good understanding of the communications process. Based on stakeholder analysis, the project manager and the project team can determine the communications that are needed.

Boss: Dev, I just had a call with our client and he has asked for some minor changes in the product features.

Dev: And what did you say?

Boss: Told him that with Dev around, they would be done in jiffy!

Dev: What!!! But Boss, I am going outstation for my Diwali holidays and had already given you the heads up on that a month ago.

Boss: Work smarter and not harder so that you can complete the scope changes and also go for your vacation

Dev: hmmm... ok. What are the changes? Can you share the document?

Boss: There is no document. But, this is what I remember. Please make notes....blah, blah, blah, blah....

Dev: huh!

Boss: I hope this has helped throw light on what you need to do.

Dev (thinking): In spite of the upcoming Diwali festival I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel for this project.

Project Communication Management
Significant portion of a project manager's time is spent in communicating with stakeholders, what is going to be done. For clear and effective communications one needs to consider all factors like different realities, the space the communication takes place in, verbal/non-verbal messages, etc.

Dev: I want to take this project management certification & training. Going by the new projects that we are doing, this will surely help us to run the projects better.

Boss: Whoa, no way!!

Dev: Why Boss?

Boss: If I pay for your training and certification today, tomorrow you will use this knowledge to get a better job

Dev: Huh

Boss: In the current times, be happy you are getting to work on exciting projects

Dev: huh!

Boss: But if you are still motivated then I suggest you pay for it from your pocket.

Dev (thinking): Forget tomorrow, if I can get a job, I will leave this organisation today itself

Project Resource management
Training and certifications are important techniques for developing project teams. They help to improve skills and competencies, and employee motivation, reduces staff turnover rates, and improves overall project performance.

Maya: Boss, I heard that the new hire is getting paid more than me though he has less experience and qualifications. Why, Boss?

Boss: Well Maya, to cut the long story short, the recent studies say that tall people are more intelligent compared to short people. And...

Maya: In spite of my short height it seems like I have hit the ceiling...the glass ceiling!

Boss: Maya, stop grumbling. If you want equal pay then work your way to the top the smarter way.

A few weeks later...

Dev: Hey Maya, what's with the new hairstyle and high heels.

Maya: I am just trying to stand tall in spite of the adversities around me.

Project Resource Management
A project leader needs to use emotional intelligence to increase motivation by identifying, assessing, and controlling sentiments of team members, anticipating their actions and acknowledging their concerns. It helps to improve the morale and confidence of the team members.

Dev: Boss, our new product design is ready for release.

Dev: I designed it with all the features which the client had asked for and also those 'few extra' features that got plied on, along the way.

Dev: With all the scope changes, I am sorry to say that the new product design is ready but looks like a picture of complexity when it should be simple.

Boss: We cannot release this complex product design in its current form. Dev, how about adding a few features to make it "easy to understand'?

Dev (thinking): Oh no! Somehow I am getting that same creepy feeling again.

Project Scope Management
Project scope creep is one of the most devious problems commonly faced by project managers. To avoid it, a clear and well-managed scope is a key element to successful projects. If the product scope and its requirements are not clear and specific, it is a breeding ground for scope creep.

Dev: Swami, I am getting a lot of complaints about you not being a team player. Your toxic negativity is decreasing the team's effectiveness and it's output. Do you have anything to say on this for justification!

Swami: All I want to say is that my fellow team members are experiencing illusions caused by my inordinate wisdom and their limited competence. And thus, I rest my case here!

Dev: eh!!

Project Resource Management
Clashes and incompatibilities amongst team members is often a challenge for project managers to deal with. The project manager has an important role in molding this group of individuals into a focused, coordinated, high-performance team.

Boss: Dev, why haven't you started with our new project yet?

Dev: That's because I haven’t yet got a buy-in on the proposal from one of our key stakeholders who is apparently vacationing!

Boss: You get started with this project anyways or else we may lose out on our time.

Dev: That stakeholder buy-in is very important. What if the stakeholder asks for a major change!... All our efforts will go waste!

Boss: Remember Dev, change is the only constant. So learn to embrace it and now, hit the ground running!

Dev (thinking): I have learnt to embrace the changes long back now is the time to learn to embrace the storms in this project... Someone, please wish me luck!

Project Stakeholder Management
One of the main reasons projects fail is because the deliverables were not what the stakeholders wanted or did not meet their needs. Hence, engaging stakeholders during and especially at the beginning of the project is extremely important as it will help reduce and uncover risks and increase their "buy-in".

Boss: Tina, as you are aware, Hari quit last week and you have been hired to take over his project.

Tina: Yes, I understand. May I see the project documentation for reference to begin with?

Boss: There is no project documentation created as this project is being executed as per agile methodologies to avoid all such bureaucratic hassles. Isn't that a wise move?

Tina (thinking): I have doubts about whether joining this organization was a wise move or not.

Common Myth About Agile
It's a general misconception that Agile means no or less documentation. Documentation in project management is critical as it lays the foundation for quality, traceability, and history not just for the individual document but even adds value to organizational process assets.

Maya: Boss, I am going on maternity leave from next month. We haven't yet found a project manager to fill in for my role. I am a little anxious.

Maya: I checked with Jack but he is also not available.

Boss: No problem, I will check with Dev and request him to take over..

A few minutes later...

Dev: Boss, there's no way I can take over this project. I am already up to my neck with multiple projects.

Later in the day...

Boss: Maya, we do not have any project managers available to take up this project. How about switching this project to an agile mode. That way there is no project manager required on this project.

Boss: Isn't that quick thinking which you guys sorely lack!

Common Myth about Agile
"Agile doesn't need project managers" - This is one of the most common misconceptions about managing projects in an agile environment.

The truth is that agile management needs project managers, but it won't be the job of project managers to tell the team what to do or when to do it. Their role becomes more strategic and as a coach and facilitator.

Boss: Team, I have an important announcement.

Dev (thinking): Hope we are not being fired.

Boss: Henceforth, we are going to use agile principles to manage all our projects.

Dev: Experts have said time and again that the nature and characteristics of the project must...

Dev: ...dictate the type of project management approach. As there can't be "one size - fits all" approach to managing projects.

Boss: Dev, don't worry. That's sorted. I have bought multiple copies of the book - Being Agile for Dummies. It is written by an expert.

Boss: The team can soak all knowledge on agile project management and get cracking.

Dev (thinking): I wish he understood that "going by the book" will not help us manage the projects the agile way.

Project Management using Agile Methodologies
When applied, agile principles save time and expedite teamwork on projects. However, it is not something that can be understood by reading a book. Also, it is not the answer to all project management problems.

Dev: Boss, you must have noticed that I have been working round the clock for the past few months on Project Harmony and...

Dev: it has ironically created disharmony in my life. I need some time-off badly.

Dev: I am already having health issues due to sleep deprivation and I don't want you to face awkward situations in case anything untoward happens to me.

Boss(Thinking): Oh no!

Boss: Woah, hold on young man! We totally appreciate your hard work. Why don't you take a week's leave, take some good rest and come back with recharged batteries?

Dev(Thinking): Looks like Boss could not handle the fizz. And all I had to do was to lift the lid on my bottled-up feelings to get that much-deserved break.

Project Resource Management
Work-life balance though elusive in today's times is not an unrealistic objective. Project leaders overseeing projects should not only track project progress but also monitor the well-being of those managing projects. Because work-life balance is crucial not just for the manager herself but also for everything she is responsible for.

Dev: Boss, given the scope of the new project, I would need at least two more resources in the team.

Boss: Dev, why don't you manage this project just the way you did the last one.

Dev: Boss, the last one didn't have the same complexities and challenges associated as this one. Moreover,....

Boss: Ok fine. We will arrange two additional resources but make sure we get the desired results.

The next week...

Boss: Dev, meet your new team members. Here is Iffy and the one behind her is Bugs

Boss: Both are rookies but all excited to be part of this project. They will provide you that much needed additional support.

Dev: Boss, don't you think they are way too inexperienced for this project? I would rather not get them on board as I will spend more time handholding them.

Boss: Dev, don't you think you are getting way too demanding now.

Project Resource Management
Appropriate project staffing is crucial, yet improperly allocating resources tops the list of most common project management mistakes. Not having people with the right skills on the project can totally derail it. All the planning and best tools and technologies in the world won't overcome an insufficiency of talent and skills.

Boss: Dev, there is this urgent proposal that you have to complete by tomorrow evening. It is for a big organization so we have to make it impressive.

Dev: Oh, ok!

Dev: If you need it by tomorrow evening then I would prefer to work from home tomorrow. I can focus better with less interference and distractions.

Boss: How can I let you work from home? I need to see what you are doing.

Dev: Boss, looks like you didn't get my point.

Boss: Dev, there is no time for pointless discussions. Be in office tomorrow.

Dev(Thinking): I wish he was sharp enough to get my broad hints and stopped micro managing.

Project Resource Management
Micromanaging may work in specific cases but it often misses the bigger picture. It reduces staff's morale and working memory, makes it difficult for employees to develop fresh skills, acclimatize to new situations, and proves to be a huge distraction. Eventually, it may also result in loss of good employees.

Boss: Team, looking at your dedication and hard work, the management has conveyed that job well done will be rewarded.

A couple of weeks later...

Dev: Boss, my team has worked late nights and weekends to finish our project one week ahead of schedule.

Boss: Kudos! That's great, Dev. On that wonderful note, I suggest you and the team take on a couple of assignments that need to be finished by next week. I just mailed you the details.

Dev: But, Boss...you had said that job well done will be rewarded. So...

Boss: Of course, I said that job well done will be rewarded...with some more meaningful work. And I have already kept my word.

Dev(Thinking): Yes, empty words indeed that came from a forked tongue.

Project Resource Management
If a project is to succeed it must have a motivated project team. People are motivated if they feel they are valued in the organization, whether through tangible or intangible rewards.