Execution

Project Execution

• Project Execution is where the real work starts
• This is where you make use of some of the information you gather during the planning stages
• Issues that need to be handled along the way
  • Managing the team
  • Relationship with other stakeholder
  • Performance of plan
  • Information distribution
  • Vendor contract administration

Managing the team

• Project team members can come from different department
• Project Manager’s responsibility to manage team member
• Areas to manage includes
  • Developing teamwork and team building (e.g rewards)
  • Providing feedback
  • Team member performance issue
  • Conflicts resolution

Team development

• There are a few things that can be done to build a cohesive team
  • Project kickoff meeting
  • Training
  • Rewards and Recognition

Reward and Recognition Systems

• Team-based reward and recognition systems can promote teamwork
• Focus on rewarding teams for achieving specific goals

Kick off meeting

• Kick off meeting are held when the project starts to go into the planning phase
• Purpose
  • To introduce everyone and the project objective and requirement
  • Let member raise any issues

Feedback

• Team member needs to know how well they are doing recognized for their efforts
• A Project Manager can make use of feedback to the team member to ensure that
  • Members knows what is expected of them
  • Provide positive/negative feedback

Individual performance issue

• The members make up the team and their performance will affect the success of the project
• Performance issue maybe due to
  • Inadequate skill set
  • Personal issue
• Always try to deal with the issues in private
• Get insight into the root cause of behavior (E.g. ask him/her for more information)
• Work with the person to solve the problem

Team member conflicts

• Team member disputes is no surprise as members come from diverse background
  • Conflict between junior and senior
  • Differences in idea of implementation
• When such conflict situations arise, the
  best approach is as follows
  • Talk to individual team member alone to find out the actual cause of dispute and try to resolve it
  • For example, if there is a difference in implementation ideas, try to make decision keeping in mine the original project scope. (E.g. some suggestions maybe be necessary to ensure while other suggestions may just be extra features that may cause the scope creep)

Dealing with conflict

• When dealing with conflict , the following general approaches maybe taken:
  • Avoiding - withdrawal from the topic by not discussing it
  • Forcing - forcing view on others even if not agreeable by most people
  • Accommodating – opposite of competing. Accept what ever another person says
  • Compromising -settling with a solution that both parties giving up something in order to reach an agreement
  • Collaborating - come to a mutually agree solution that satisfy both parties

Disgruntled team member

• Disgruntled team members can affect the morale of the whole team easily
• A person may become argumentative during meeting or making negative comment about the project
• When such situation arises, it is always best to start by listening and try to work out whatever concern that the person has. (E.g. Misunderstanding or not clear of the project objectives or feel that have issue that no one is listening to him)

Relationship with Sponsor

• The sponsor and the management provide the necessary support by resolving issues (E.g. lack of staff, major problem encountered such as dateline cannot be met)
• However, their support might diminish or waver along the way
• When encountering a wavering sponsor, a project manager should
  • Identify the problem by meeting up with the sponsor (E.g. change in priority of the company on the project or lack of fund etc)
  • Try to get support from other top management
  • If there is no solution, Project Sponsor might have to change or project might need to be cancel

Relationship with Functional Manager

• Functional Manager provides the team with the necessary expertise (E.g. IT Manager provides the programmers and network engineers)
• However, the Functional Manager might decide to withdraw the staff that he has provided to the project
• In such cases, always try to find out the reason and a resolution (E.g. If the Functional Manager needs that staff for other project, try to negotiate for another person)

Relationship with Client

• Maintaining a good relationship is important for a successful project outcome
• Strategies for a good client relationships
  • Communicate frequently
  • Gain consensus on any change along the way
  • Manage by fact – do not make judgment based on rumor and unreliable source (E.g. If you heard that the customer is not happy with the project progress, make a point to find out if it is true and what is the problem)

Relationship with Vendor

• In event of problem such as delay by vendor, the following can be done:
  • Meet vendor to get more specific information and see if there can be alternative
  • Check with legal department on the penalty based on the agreement
  • Review the impact to the project
  • Inform the Sponsor and the other team member/stakeholder

Monitoring performance

• There is a need to check if progress are made as planned (during the planning stage)
  • Progress report by member on the tasks
  • Summary Status report to management
  • Issues log of problem and who is responsible
  • Compare to cost, scope and schedule baseline
  • Project meeting to communicate information

Vendor Contract Administration

• Tracking and verifying that vendor meets the terms of the contract agreement
• Obtain progress report
• Managing vendor disagreement
  • Misunderstanding of vendor/team member on the product
    supplied
• Delays
  • Look for alternate solutions or partial delivery
  • Check with legal department on compensation
  • Understand the impact
• Payment process
  • Confirm that work is done first

Source: PMP, Prince2