In conditions of the crisis, especially the current one, the level of uncertainty for many business projects is off the scale. Therefore, the application of classical tools and classical approaches to project management becomes problematic, and in some cases unacceptable
- Agile “rules
Flexibility comes to the forefront both in relation to a single project and to the project portfolio as a whole. Multi-level project plans with grandiose Gantt charts, multi-page documentation, budget-timeline-subject area constraints make projects sluggish barges, whereas fast and maneuverable boats are required.
What needs to be done.
Analyze the business benefits of the project. Answer the questions: can the planned business benefits be achieved in the current environment? How much can they be reduced? How can the project be reformatted to remain cost effective?
Determine the possible losses from exiting the project and relate them to the possible business benefits.
Calculate different possible scenarios for project implementation, revise the subject area.
Re-evaluate the components of project portfolios-projects and programs-with this analysis in mind, and re-prioritize components. Remember that not only projects, but project portfolios should be flexible.
For projects where it’s impossible to switch to Agile methodologies, use hybrid approaches or some useful Agile tools, such as a Kanban board, open-ended questionnaires, daily meetings of project teams (although in an online format), planning poker.
- being agile means making decisions quickly
In the hierarchy of a particular organization, the project office, portfolio, program, and project managers may not have direct access to the company’s top executives. The managerial weight of the project manager is on average lower than the managerial weight of the functional managers. Therefore, decisions related to project activities are made slowly and are not always justified. It is necessary to speed up the project decision-making cycle.
- The crisis project manager is a communicator and motivator with good technical intelligence
In a crisis, especially when working remotely, the project manager’s competences in team management and technical intelligence, i.e., knowledge of modern information technologies, are of primary importance. If you remember the phases of team development according to the “Tuckman ladder,” the current situation has put many project teams in the storm phase. Management models through large-scale meetings with a large number of participants do not work in these conditions. First, decisions must be made quickly, and second, project team members must constantly feel engaged and motivated to work so they don’t lose momentum. Instead of long meetings, it is better to hold brief analogues of daily standups, to use methods of collective decision-making. The project manager should pay special attention to employees with low personal motivation, find time for daily contacts with them, and constantly “keep his hand on the pulse.
- the traditional project office must change
Traditional offices are aimed primarily at the successful implementation of projects by spreading project methodology throughout the company, monitoring the performance of individual projects and the portfolio as a whole, providing interaction with the project teams of third-party performers. The understanding of project success in this case is also traditional: within the previously defined budget, terms and subject area. The motivation systems for project office staff and project managers are most often “tied” to these indicators. As a result, traditional project offices are not very interested in changes, especially significant ones, they are not ready to work in a situation of uncertainty, when you need to make decisions quickly and take responsibility. At the same time, when project offices work remotely, the burden of organizing communications between project teams and stakeholders falls on the project office staff. Activities need to be organized in such a way that project teams are given effective tools for interaction and are not left out of the field of control.
- Automation becomes a means of survival
Flexible approaches in project and portfolio management do not mean uncontrollability. The needs of company management for information on project activities in times of crisis increase manifold. The use of “zoos” of information systems (IS) by different project teams, leaving the control zone due to remote work, the absence of a single system that accumulates all the information about the project activities make the preparation and provision of such information problematic. That is why it is high time to think about the creation of a corporate project management information system.