Implement 7 Approaches for Effective Project Team Management

As the saying goes – With great power comes great responsibility – it holds true in our daily life as well as for the corporate world. When you are working as a Project Manager in a firm, you don’t only have to know all the technical nitty-gritties and economics of the project, you are also responsible for every member of the project team. You need to make sure that they understand their assignment, they are driven, they feel valued, and that they are constantly coming up with suggestions for making the project an absolute success.

Project management isn’t just about completing the project, it is also about managing the tasks while making sure that the team doesn’t feel overloaded and drained. It is a big responsibility; hence it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

In order to ace this role and gain value in an organization, it becomes customary for individuals in leadership positions or those aiming for such a position to pursue project management professional certification.

Having been through the PMP certification course, the candidate becomes adept in three approaches of project management, namely, predictive, agile, and hybrid. The accreditation not only adds weightage to the resume, it also makes one preferred choice while hiring, offering a higher salary. It guarantees a project manager who can apply soft skills, technical knowledge, and industry’s best practices to make every project a success.

Now, while we are at it, hereunder are listed seven effective strategies a Project Manager ought to apply for gaining desired outcomes during a project cycle. Read on!

Trust the BECC principle

The BECC principle suggests a leadership which is welcoming and humanized. Instead of directing your team all the time with tasks and strict deadlines, give them autonomy. Create an environment where communication is easy, suggestions are welcome, and problems are openly discussed.

B = Bond, E = Empathize, C = Connect, and C = Communicate.

Being a project management professional, your key responsibility is to know the strengths & weaknesses of team members, what encourages them, what poses a challenge, and what areas they will excel in. Be approachable and build a bond with the project players. The success of your project depends on how well the communication dwells within the team.

Mapping & Aligning Timelines, Objectives, and Goals

Having a PMP agile certification helps you better understand the project and its overall objective and timeline. Being the leader, define a fixed schedule for each member’s roles and tasks with respect to the weekly goals of the project. This will help the team members to measure their performance and achievement with reference to the project's lifecycle. You can employ various project management tools to track individual timelines and objectives.

Moreover, make sure to align the individual objectives of each member with the overall project. They should how their work impacts the team and the project at large. This will help each player understand the importance of their efforts for the project triumph.

Communication is the Key

While we discussed that effective communication helps in keeping the team motivated and ensuring that project success becomes a personal success for each team member, it is also extremely helpful in coping with the challenges. When the communication channels within a team have zero barriers, the individuals find it easier to communicate any roadblocks, thus eliminating the threats. With regular and constructive communication, the challenges are highlighted timely and mitigated proactively. 

In order to hone these skills, one must get themselves enrolled in the best online project management certificate programs which not only makes you skillful in managing people, processes, and business environment, but also provides widely accepted & successful tactics to fulfill project objectives and deadlines.

Managing Conflicts

One of the key challenges a project manager faces is the conflict within the team. Being a collective to people with different personalities and opinions, it is obvious that there will be disagreements and disputes. In order to resolve a conflict effectively, the project manager should act as a mediator, holding the neutral ground and guiding the team towards resolutions. Other points to consider are:

• Everyone’s point of view matters. Knowing every perspective will help you understand the situation better.

• Recognize the pointers of agreements and disagreements, and try to come upon a common ground for mutual agreement.

• Be wary of your own body language & attitude. You cannot appear to have personal biases and team members should know that your decision comes from collective good.

Delegation & Development

To enhance the productivity of the team, a project manager should delegate tasks to team members as per their professional expertise. Knowing the strength and weakness of each associate becomes an important merit when assigning core duties and promoting skill development.

When a task is allocated to an employee based on their specialization, their productivity increases, which thus improves the overall output of the team. This does not mean that they will not be allowed to gain experience in other domains. As you are aware about the weaknesses or areas of improvement for the team member, you can simultaneously assign them tasks to help them develop other skills.

The aim is that the team member should not feel exploited, instead have a feeling of being valued and encouraged for personal & professional development.

Hold Discussions and Welcome Suggestions

We know that communication is the backbone of a successful project management team, holding regular discussions and having two-way feedback act as periodic maintenance & repair during the project cycle.

Being the team leader, it falls on your shoulders to have regular discussions. These meetings should be about sharing feedback about how the project is going, what improvements can be made, how the process can be enhanced, and how the team can work effectively. There should be no inhibitions and a free exchange of ideas. As there will be constructive criticism, there also will be suggestions to tackle different situations. 

Recognition & Rewards

To effectively manage the tasks deliveries as per the defined timeline, the project team should be constantly motivated. It is widely known that a single accolade for genuine efforts goes a long way in keeping the employee driven.

Identify the needs and desires of your team members. Make an effort to praise them for their work once in a while and reward excellent services with monetary and other incentives. This will not only keep them happy but also encourage them to work harder to get better rewards.