Barb Cutillo: Upskill your approach to managing projects

Managers are challenged to solve complex problems, requiring them to assemble teams and run projects for their organizations. Most managers lack formal project management training, and very often, the projects fail miserably or spin indefinitely, wasting time and resources. In addition, managers are forced to fight battles because the projects themselves challenge organizations to make changes, which most humans resist. According to Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, former chair of the Project Management Institute, in the last 25 years, projects are “driving both short-term performance and long-term value creation” across the globe. In fact, research shows that in Germany, Iceland and Norway, projects account for about 30% of economic activity, indicating project work is growing and here to stay. The types of projects include streamlined product development, rapid adoption of new technology, event planning and effective redesign of customer experiences.

Larger organizations have departments of highly trained project managers to assist in bringing these projects to a successful conclusion, but many companies rely on functional managers to get them done, often without training or support.

What foundational skills do managers need to bring projects to successful implementation? Leaders need to build trust with important stakeholders, effectively communicate the vision for the project, listen and accept feedback, and demonstrate accountability for outcomes.

Once a project team is assembled, the first task of project managers is to start building relationships and earning the trust of the team members. People get the work done, and the art of effective project management is as much about following a process as it is about leading people. Leaders build trust by demonstrating respect—working side-by-side with the team, following through on commitments, maintaining composure when under pressure and being fully transparent.

What does this look like in practice? When deadlines approach, the project manager anticipates the needs of the team and provides support; the project manager doesn’t melt down, blame others or simply leave.

Team members need to understand the vision for project success before it starts. Don’t we all like to know where we are going and why? Teams might not know what the exact journey or destination looks like yet, but they must be clear on what they are trying to accomplish and the goals they are trying to achieve.

Project managers do a lot of communicating, and most of it is related to communicating the vision and clarifying expectations. They must be intentional and consistent as they guide and realign teammates to the overall project goal—because people get distracted and lose focus as information is gathered and environments change. Clarity of vision goes a long way in helping teams stay focused and lowering anxiety.

Project managers don’t know it all, and they shouldn’t have to. Effective project managers recognize this and rely on their team to support and assist. By listening to understand and then responding, they let members know it is safe to share insights, even if negative, usually resulting in a better outcome. Project managers must also accept feedback from team members in a constructive manner, modeling behavior for how everyone on the team should be responding. When leaders take the time to listen first and then respond, they not only demonstrate respect to the team but confirm for the team why they are inspired to follow.

Finally, project managers must hold themselves and others accountable. This means admitting mistakes and being transparent with project status reports if necessary. This seems scary: How do we hold ourselves and others accountable without serious negative consequences?

First, it starts with communicating clear expectations with the project team. If everyone is aware of the requirements, and tasks are assigned appropriately, it will be easier to determine where the breakdown occurred and why. Second, teams must look at failure objectively, accept responsibility and recommend strategies for moving forward. This reflects a growth mindset, which is essential in our innovation-driven economy.

For example, when Amazon launched its Fire phone, the product itself was a failure, generating massive financial losses. As the team recognized its failure and objectively evaluated the project, it learned that the technology for the Echo product was developed during the process, and subsequently turned the failure into a huge success.

As managers practice these strategies to improve their project management approach, they will develop into more inspiring leaders and foster better relationships with team members. Intentionally working to build trust with team members, consistently communicating the vision, listening first and accepting feedback, and demonstrating accountability are fantastic strategies for ensuring projects get completed on time, under budget and with positive outcomes.•

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Barb Cutillo is a lecturer of management at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Indianapolis.