Project Executives: How to get what you need
Barely a week goes by when I don't hear senior managers in the role of project executives or sponsors facing criticism for their lack of availability, indifferent decision-making or general dis-interest in a project or initiative. My response has always been the same: 'what are you doing about it?'.
Now, don't get me wrong: there are clear examples out there where a project manager has exhausted every avenue and utilised all their powers of persuasion - and in some instances Jedi mind tricks - to get what they need; and it still isn't forthcoming.
Feel free to tear your hair out and jump up and down if this is you. However, too often, project managers point the finger of blame without first running through the basics of managing upwards.
Be Direct
When it comes to decisions, that's what you will ask for. Don't slide in there and dance around the subject. If you don't go in and ask for something, you will come out without it. That's obvious, right? If you want an ice cream with a flake in it, you wouldn't ask for a milk-based product, with a chocolate insertion, would you?
When you need a decision, say just that: 'I need your decision on...' works well. If you need time off, you say 'I'd like a day off on Monday', want to be left alone to manage the project and not be micro-managed? Say, 'I really respect your input but trust me, I'll deliver this.'
Nobody, least of all senior management likes a navel gazer, so don't fluff around when it comes to communication.
Know who you're dealing with
Conversations are so much easier when you know what kind of person you are talking to. You have to understand the position and responsibilities that person has. In order to get the most from the first point, get to know your executive and the way that they operate.
Stakeholder engagement is a core competency requirement of project management. In fact it is this engagement that they should work on the most. My approach to a football-loving project executive would be completely different to that of a subject matter expert project executive.
Knowing their 'buttons' helps you anticipate their moods, questions, sensitivities and likely response to your direct questions. Without understanding the executives, you're unlikely to gain the trust required to get the job done.
Be solution focused not a trouble-maker
When I first started out in project management I was excellent at being direct and understanding my executive. The problem that I had was that once I had their attention all I delivered were problems and not solutions.
The conversation would go something like this:
Me: 'We've lost our test leads in the week we need them most'
Executive: 'OK, what do you need me to do?'
Me: 'Errr, listen to me moan about it?'
Now, don't get me wrong: there are clear examples out there where a project manager has exhausted every avenue and utilised all their powers of persuasion - and in some instances Jedi mind tricks - to get what they need; and it still isn't forthcoming.
Feel free to tear your hair out and jump up and down if this is you. However, too often, project managers point the finger of blame without first running through the basics of managing upwards.
Be Direct
When it comes to decisions, that's what you will ask for. Don't slide in there and dance around the subject. If you don't go in and ask for something, you will come out without it. That's obvious, right? If you want an ice cream with a flake in it, you wouldn't ask for a milk-based product, with a chocolate insertion, would you?
When you need a decision, say just that: 'I need your decision on...' works well. If you need time off, you say 'I'd like a day off on Monday', want to be left alone to manage the project and not be micro-managed? Say, 'I really respect your input but trust me, I'll deliver this.'
Nobody, least of all senior management likes a navel gazer, so don't fluff around when it comes to communication.
Know who you're dealing with
Conversations are so much easier when you know what kind of person you are talking to. You have to understand the position and responsibilities that person has. In order to get the most from the first point, get to know your executive and the way that they operate.
Stakeholder engagement is a core competency requirement of project management. In fact it is this engagement that they should work on the most. My approach to a football-loving project executive would be completely different to that of a subject matter expert project executive.
Knowing their 'buttons' helps you anticipate their moods, questions, sensitivities and likely response to your direct questions. Without understanding the executives, you're unlikely to gain the trust required to get the job done.
Be solution focused not a trouble-maker
When I first started out in project management I was excellent at being direct and understanding my executive. The problem that I had was that once I had their attention all I delivered were problems and not solutions.
The conversation would go something like this:
Me: 'We've lost our test leads in the week we need them most'
Executive: 'OK, what do you need me to do?'
Me: 'Errr, listen to me moan about it?'
You have to be able to demonstrate that you have given the problem some thought. Better than that, provide a number of solutions to fix it. Incidentally, one of these solutions is always 'do nothing' if only to make your other solutions look good. Then of course you're going to be direct and ask them to make a decision on one. Usually it'll be the one that you recommend/want as you'll know best how to sell it to them.
Fibbing is not an option
Dress it up however you like but if you lie, eventually (like you're parents once told you) you will get found out. Projects are like that damn it. So, as soon as something goes awry, whether you're to blame or not then fess up as soon as possible.
Explain how it happened (as you're solution focussed) and what you intend to do to rectify the problem. I had a project once whose - already substantial - budget estimate was out by £7m.
Once I'd checked all the drawers and stopped shaking I got the team together to understand 'why' and what the next steps would be in order to verify the budget. After that I took my knocking kees down to my executive and informed him of the bad news. I knew that he was passionate about the project - a 2-minute rant comprised of expletives is a good way to demonstrate this - and the conversation went something like this:
Me: 'I've got some bad news' the current estimate for the project is £8.5m not the £1.5m that was estimated'
Executive: * string of expletives sharply delivered *
Executive: 'Right, what are you doing about it?'
Me: 'We're working with our internal team, suppliers and finance to recheck the numbers. Once we've verified those, we'll identify the costs for each component, then the risks around cutting some from the scope, which I'll present back to you in 3 days.'
Executive: 'Right, well you better get on with it then.'
Package up the four points above and you'll get past what before seemed to be immovable brick walls and next time you think of giving senior management a hard time, find a mirror and ask yourself what else you can do first.
Fibbing is not an option
Dress it up however you like but if you lie, eventually (like you're parents once told you) you will get found out. Projects are like that damn it. So, as soon as something goes awry, whether you're to blame or not then fess up as soon as possible.
Explain how it happened (as you're solution focussed) and what you intend to do to rectify the problem. I had a project once whose - already substantial - budget estimate was out by £7m.
Once I'd checked all the drawers and stopped shaking I got the team together to understand 'why' and what the next steps would be in order to verify the budget. After that I took my knocking kees down to my executive and informed him of the bad news. I knew that he was passionate about the project - a 2-minute rant comprised of expletives is a good way to demonstrate this - and the conversation went something like this:
Me: 'I've got some bad news' the current estimate for the project is £8.5m not the £1.5m that was estimated'
Executive: * string of expletives sharply delivered *
Executive: 'Right, what are you doing about it?'
Me: 'We're working with our internal team, suppliers and finance to recheck the numbers. Once we've verified those, we'll identify the costs for each component, then the risks around cutting some from the scope, which I'll present back to you in 3 days.'
Executive: 'Right, well you better get on with it then.'
Package up the four points above and you'll get past what before seemed to be immovable brick walls and next time you think of giving senior management a hard time, find a mirror and ask yourself what else you can do first.
Colin Ellis is a self-employed Project Management Consultant and Trainer. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at nz.linkedin.com/in/thepmoguy or follow him on Twitter @The_PMO_Guy
The original article can be found here: http://www.iitp.org.nz/newsletter/article/306
The original article can be found here: http://www.iitp.org.nz/newsletter/article/306
