How to be an Effective Project Manager

“Being an effective project manager today means finding solutions to complete complex, multifunctional tasks on time and within budget. You can’t do it alone. Having the ability to plan, coordinate and deliver these projects means utilizing the necessary leadership skills to influence others to get the job done.”

• Clearly define the scope of the project upfront. Take the “wants” and “needs” of the project initiator and turn them into concrete objectives and parameters. That’s the best way to avoid “scope creep” and having the project grow out of control.

• Set realistic schedules that keep you on target. Develop these in collaboration with your team members and those for whom the project is being done. “Realistic” is the key word, since you won’t get team buy-in unless your members believe that they can deliver on time.

• Break down a project into smaller, manageable tasks. This makes the work less intimidating to team members and allows you to complete one group of tasks at a time.

• Delegate based on member strengths. Know the strengths that members bring to the project and assign tasks based on individual capability. Monitor work to ensure that tasks are done as anticipated.

• Estimate cost impact associated with the project. The project manager needs to estimate all costs up front in order to begin assessing the required resources.

• Be enthusiastic about the project. A leader’s enthusiasm inspires others, making it easier to keep the team motivated and involved. Remain optimistic. Don’t drag down team morale if the team effort stumbles. Help the group overcome emotional downs by being upbeat yourself.

• Instill a team spirit. Members of your team should be proud to be a part of your group. When they aren’t enthusiastic about past accomplishments and new goals, they aren’t likely to pull together. This will create problems for you and make it more difficult to complete the team’s objective.

• Anticipate obstacles. All projects encounter problems. Develop and prioritize contingency plans up front and know what the “trigger points” are to implement them. This will reduce the need “to put out fires” and ensure successful completion of the project.

• Plan for changes. Throughout the span of a project, changes will be necessary. An effective project manager will have a formal change management process in place to help adapt quickly.

• Keep the big picture insight. Instead of focusing on the myriad of tasks that must be done, focus on the end goal. That way, you are less likely to stall midstream when a disappointment occurs. Keep a clear vision and steer the project through difficult times.

• Keep your finger on the pulse. As a leader you have an obligation to monitor the team’s progress in terms of tasks accomplished and resources used. Don’t micromanage. Your continuing involvement will help keep things on track.

PASS

• Sales savvy.  Sandy clearly demonstrated that she knew the bridal market industry and how to sell to both customers and vendors. She was poised, confident, intelligent and creative in how she sold the concept to vendors and customers. Successful salespeople are positive, passionate and creative, and they understand their product, market and customers.
   

• Marketing savvy.  Sandy provided the winning marketing strategy of the episode: e-mailing an announcement for the trunk show to more than 23,000 brides to be from New York, capitalizing on theknot.com's New York database. This was their direct target market and resulted in dozens of brides eager to spend their bridal dollars with Mosaic.
   

• Give away power to get power.  Kelly did not hoard his power as the project manager. He prudently relied on Sandy as the expert to provide his team with direction and vision. He demonstrated his trust and respect for her experience and abilities, thereby empowering her to take ownership of their team task. He shared his power with her, allowing her to take the lead in the procurement process and the design layout for the show.

  The more people recognize that they have power and influence on a team, the more ownership they have in the team's success. This results in team members who feel valued, admired, enthusiastic, respected, capable and committed. The payoff is in results for the organization.

  FAIL

• Believe in your team.  Chris began his team leadership role with his head in his hands, claiming the task was "impossible." Chris gave up the game before the kickoff coin was tossed.

  He communicated to his team members his vision that they were doomed to fail. They believed him and acted accordingly. Negative expectations almost always yield negative results. Without a confident leader, feelings of potentially crippling self-doubt appear on a team. You can't win the game when you are on your back with a white flag raised.

  High-performing teams have leaders who inspire with their positive attitude, enthusiasm and energy for their vision and objective. Positive leaders positively affect the performance and morale of followers. These leaders exude confidence and inspire their team. A positive attitude is a leader's most important asset. Attitude is a choice every day, and we are in charge of our attitudes.
   

• What's the plan?  Chris failed to provide an effective plan or lead his team in a process to develop one. I was dumbfounded Apex didn't first hire a bridal consultant to advise them. I saw no evidence that Chris attempted to lead any kind of a brainstorming session that might have generated this idea. A leader must first facilitate an idea- generation and planning process to capitalize on the expertise and collective intelligence in the room.
   

• No customers equals no profit.  Apex failed to execute an effective marketing plan. Marketing and sales compose the engine that drives business and profit. Apex's weak marketing plan centered on a poorly designed flier that team members handed out to travelers at Penn and Grand Central station. Whatever gave them the idea that brides-to-be (their target market) were congregated at these sites?
   

• Attention to the details.  Mosaic's Maria verbally signed off the e-mail promotion message without the contact phone number with theknot.com (the largest online wedding Web site). Those pesky details can be the undoing of creative right brain marketers.
   

• Obnoxious behavior doesn't win in business.  Chris had to be "bleeped" for swearing five times in the first segment of the show. Swearing is unprofessional in business. Period. His performance and attitude on the phone with potential vendors was dismal.
   

• Accept responsibility for your mistakes.  Maria failed to admit her error of neglecting to include the team's phone number in the marketing e-mail. Instead of taking responsibility for her mistake, she attempted to weasel her way out of the situation. People are not inclined to want to work for individuals who fail to take accountability for their actions.

MAUREEN MORIARTY
SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER