How To Make Complicated Things Simple

At times things become really complicated for the project managers, and it does. You have multiple teams, multiple resources, and multiple stakeholders. Everybody wanting something in a different way, in a different format. People speaking different language, communicating differently resulting in things becoming complicated. We all learn from experiences sometimes very hard lessons.

Some tips how to simplify complicated tasks

  • Check if all your team members are doing their tasks honestly- Once you succeed in identifying the weak links of your project just pick up the phone and give them a call. Maybe text them. But, if there’s someone that’s missing is critical on your project or you need information for whatever reason, just make a simple call to find out.
  • Check if all of them are clear with the requirement and doing it correctly- Most of the time things become complicated when people are not very clear about the requirement and start doing it incorrectly. Half of the team doing it correctly and half incorrectly mess the whole thing up resulting in tough situation. And by the time it comes to your notice it is already in a very bad shape. Ensure that your entire team is clear about the requirement from the initial stages and all the members are in sync with each other.
  • Prevent any misunderstanding among your key stakeholders– It is very important to keep all your stakeholders happy to have a win-win situation. Try to minimize any communication gap between you and them by sending the status update at predefined frequencies. You can reduce the chances of any misunderstanding by calling all of them together for meetings, where you can clearly outline the current status. In case you find some of them are not clear about certain features, first ask them their understanding of the project and its outcome, and then explain the product features in detail. Don’t cover all the features, just cover the ones which were not clear to them.
  • Express yourself without hesitation– If you dislike something,  don’t hesitate to put your point upfront, irrespective of the fact whether the person is an internal or external stakeholder. Things cannot be simplified unless people know that you don’t like something. You don’t have to be hostile, try to put your point in a very dignified manner with reasons to convince others. Don’t be blunt by saying “I don’t like that”, as it could hurt the sentiments of others. If you like something, then likewise, state it. For example by saying “I really like your approach in that situation”, “I really like how you have pulled your team together”, “I really like how you were able to talk with the client and stakeholders to get information and clarify those expectations.” This way you are sharing your feedback with them, thereby making it easier for them to conclude what you like and dislike.
  • Try to automate the tasks as much as possible to reduce human intervention- In distributed environment at times things become very complicated especially when people keep on moving from one vertical to other or from one company to other. It becomes very difficult to explain things again and again to a new resource. Automation minimize a lot of human intervention and prevent issues related to specific resources.

So, what are the benefits of performing these 5 actions? There are many benefits like, you have increased communication on the project. People are easy to manage as they are aware of your likes and dislikes. You increased results for the project because you actually get things done in a timely manner, as people started collaborating and communicating more effectively.

About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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