The importance of any meeting is when it involves updates on reporting from all project managers thus generating a comprehensive view of the performance of the business group. Good coordination and discussion on the meeting reviews and reports is helpful to decide what preventative actions needs to be undertaken.` Generally the Project Manager conducts a project update meeting for discussing the following three parameters with the team: Priorities – Which tasks do we need to focus on first? Who has assigned it? Risks – What things could block completion of the priority tasks? What can we do to keep these from […]

Rewards and recognition plays a very important role in the life of every individual. It is the primary responsibility of every project manager to keep motivating his team in any form. Even thanking each and every team member individually, is also a form of reward and motivation. The rewards need not to be monetary always. If you have a highly result oriented team that generally meets the deadlines or the team has started performing on its own then, ensure that the team continue with the same enthusiasm and energy throughout the project. You can also reward them by giving a

As per thought leaders a human brain can handle about 7 tasks at a time. Some tasks can be simply set and forget once the technology is put in motion. Some believe that there is no such thing as true multitasking, but few people can do context-switching very effectively. Depending on the nature of work, it is good if multitasking can involve different types of activities as that is likely to result in greater creativity. Not everyone can switch contexts so easily, but if it has to be done, then you need a better planning. Spend some time to prioritize

At times managers tell their resources, to add a buffer of x hours while calculating the time so as to cover up for any unforeseen situation. This is incorrect anything not known is called unknown risk and it is always good to keep a certain amount of time for risk mitigation and workaround. Moreover it throws off project metrics. At the end of the day the manager needs to know where the team is, even if they are not on track. It is always recommended to encourage your resources to report the actual effort spent. But there might be some contractual

All workers have trouble with distractions in the workplace to a certain degree. Distraction level varies from person to person, those with less concentration are distracted easily while others take time. So it is necessary that everyone must ensure few proactive measures to avoid or reduce these distractions. Distractions range from external distractions like loud phone calls, heated discussions in common area, or celebrations within a certain group to self-distractions such as Whatsapp, Facebook, sms or email. At times the working style or habit can also cause real distraction and resulting in unproductive tasks like spending your day checking and answering

There are times when you find most of your resources are constantly struggling to meet the deadlines, as a result they start sitting late to complete the work. If this is happening quite often then it is a matter of concern and should be addressed on priority. It’s worth stepping back and taking a different approach of doing your work. Try to identify the reasons first Do you plan your work a week or a month back or do you do it every day. Do you prioritize your work or just do it the way it was assigned to you.