Category: Project management

What are the most important skills and abilities for a project manager to be successful?

Being good at telling others what to do is not enough and not exactly right for a successful project manager. Instead, lead and inspire the team, this is another story.

A project manager is responsible for managing the work through the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet the requirements of the project.

Knowing the theory of project management, but not having the right skills and abilities, is useless.

Similarly, having the right tools and techniques, but without the ability to use them properly is insignificant.

So let’s see together in this article what are the most important skills and qualities for a project manager.

Inspire a shared vision

A successful project manager is often described as a person who owns and inspires the group a shared vision of where to go and has the ability to articulate it.

Visionaries thrive in change and are able to draw new boundaries.

Once it was said that …

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a leader is someone who gives us a reason to be and gives the vision and the spirit to change.
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Visionary leaders let people feel that they have a real interest in the project and allow people to experience this vision, create it, and explore it.

Good communicatio

The ability to communicate with people at all levels has always been considered a fundamental skill in project managers.

The leadership of the project requires clear communication on goals, responsibilities, performance, expectations, and feedback.

The project manager is also the team’s connection with the organization and therefore must have the ability to negotiate and effectively use persuasion, when necessary, to ensure the success of the team and the project.

Through effective communication, project leaders support individual and group results by creating explicit guidelines for achieving results and advancing team members’ careers.

Integrity

One of the most important things a project manager has to remember is that his actions, not his words, determine the modus operandi for the team.

Good leadership requires commitment and demonstration of ethical practices.

Creating standards of ethical behaviour for themselves and following them, in addition to rewarding those who exemplify them, are the responsibilities of project managers.

Leadership motivated by personal interest does not serve the general well-being of the team.

Integrity-based leadership represents nothing less than a set of values shared by others, behaviour that is consistent with values and dedication to honesty with oneself and with team members.

Enthusiasm

In a very clear and simple way, negative project managers break down and discourage the team.

People always tend to follow positive people with a so-called “can-do” attitude, not those that always give reasons why something cannot be done.

Enthusiastic project managers are committed to their goals and express this commitment through optimism.

Leadership emerges when someone expresses a commitment in such a manner that others want to share his optimistic expectations.

Enthusiasm is contagious and successful project managers know this well.

Empathy

Empathy presupposes the existence of the other as a separate individual with his own feelings, ideas, and emotional histories.

Understanding and caring for people, as well as being grateful for their help, are some of the qualities that a successful project manager shows to his team members.

For example:

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it is particularly appreciated by the team when a project leader recognizes the fact that everyone has a life outside of work.
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Competence

Of course, to believe in another person – especially in work – we need to make sure that person knows what he is doing.

Leadership competence does not necessarily refer only to the technical skills of the project manager, but also to the ability to successfully lead the team.

The ability to challenge, inspire, enable, shape, and encourage must be demonstrated if a project manager wants to be seen as capable, competent, and successful.

Ability to delegate tasks

Trust is an essential element in the relationship between a project manager and his team.

And this trust in others must be shown through the actions of the project manager, like for example: How much he controls the work of the team members, how much he delegates, how much he allows people to participate in the project.

Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as project managers and find themselves doing all the work on their own to the detriment of the project’s success.

Ability to manage stress and work under pressure

In a perfect world, projects would be delivered on time, within budget, and without major issues or obstacles to overcome.

But we know, we don’t live in a perfect world: Projects always have problems, more or less serious depending on the situation.

A successful project manager will then react to these problems calmly and will not panic.

When leaders encounter a stressful event, they consider it interesting, they feel they can influence the result and see it as an opportunity and not as something purely negative.

From the uncertainty and chaos of change, successful project managers articulate a new picture of the future that still leads the project towards a positive ending.

Team building skills

A project manager is a strong person who provides the substance that keeps the team together in a common purpose towards the final goal.

In order for a team to move from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the project manager must understand the process and the dynamics required for this transformation.

He must also know the appropriate leadership style to use during each phase of team development.

Last but not least, the successful project manager must also understand the different styles and characters of the team members and be able to take advantage of everyone at the right time.

Ability to solve problems

Although it is said that an effective project manager shares responsibility for solving problems with the team, it is still expected that the project leader has excellent problem-solving skills.

In conclusion, creating realistic project plans, budgets, estimate times and efforts, etc. are certainly skills that a successful project manager must possess.

But keeping the work organized and the team informed and happy is fundamental and these skills are what a project manager needs to succeed in his work.

The rolling wave technique is a method that allows the project manager to plan a project while it is taking place.

In short, this technique requires iterative planning.

This type of planning is very similar to that used in Scrum or in other Agile methodologies.

In essence, the rolling wave method allows you to plan until you have visibility to implement the plan, while the next steps are planned while working directly to the previous phases.

An example of rolling wave

A simple example of rolling wave is one where you expect to complete a project in eight months, but you only have clarity for the first three months. In this case, the first three months are planned.

As the project progresses and greater clarity is achieved, the following months can be planned.

The rolling wave technique uses progressive processing, which means processing work packages in more detail as the project unfolds.

But be careful that it does not mean that this planning method does not exempt the project manager from creating a list of milestones and assumptions for the project.

It is necessary to provide milestones and the key hypotheses as they will help stakeholders to understand why they are using the rolling wave method and what to expect while the project progresses.

 When to apply the rolling wave method

This method can be applied when:

• It is not possible to define a detailed project plan shortly.
• It is not clear which deliverables should be produced.
• It is not possible to organize the different phases of the project.

The rolling wave method is particularly useful in projects with high uncertainty. Therefore, it is necessary to use the best risk management practices.

The rolling wave planning, therefore, is the process of breaking down the work breakown structure into time intervals.

At the end of each phase, the project manager will study the structure of the WBS and will expand it to include more details.

It is particularly suitable for projects where the work involved in a phase is highly variable and depends on the result of the previous phase, such as projects that require prototypes and, in general, in the engineering sector.

The advantages of the rolling wave method

This type of approach to project management is particularly useful when the availability of the information needed to plan future work packages in detail is based on the successful completion of the previous phases of the project.

This technique can also help reduce turnaround time in two ways:

• By allowing the start of productive activities without waiting for every detail of the work to be determined in advance.
• By eliminating downtime for additional planning in the middle of a project, since planning is performed continuously.

This type of planning also has the following advantages:

• Encourages adaptability
• Encourages planning
• It is excellent for research and development projects, high technology and inventions
• It is excellent for projects with variable capacity

The rolling wave planning is done in 4 simple steps:

• Create the WBS.
• Divide the project into phases.
• Provide a realistic level of detail for each phase.
• Once the considered phase is completed, return to step 1 to manage the next phase.

The steps of the rolling wave planning

Now let’s look at these steps in detail.

Create the WBS

The work breakdown structure is the nucleus around which all the other project management planning processes take place.

This involves splitting each project into single work items.

Each work item requires an identification number, a description, and a member of the team responsible for that particular activity, and sometimes it has additional elements such as budget, expiration date, and dependencies with other tasks.

Throughout the project life cycle, these work items are monitored and progress is recorded and reported.

Divide the project into phases

The phases are more simply the points in which an important moment for the project in general takes place.

For example, if we consider the creation of a prototype, a phase could be concluded with the presentation of a first prototype model.

From this stage others may follow, depending on the result – which is still uncertain. For example, the prototype could be accepted, thus starting the large-scale production phase, or it could be declared unsuitable, thus starting the re-elaboration phase.

Provide a realistic level of detail for each phase

Clearly, as you continue planning on the timeline, the phases will have less and less detail.

This is a clear concept in the rolling wave methodology, given that information on future steps is few or there are no information at all.

The work breakdown structure will therefore contain less details regarding the successive phases, but these will be reviewed and completed when the phases begin to be near in time.

Once the considered phase is completed, return to step 1 to manage the next phase

There is not much to say at this point. As explained above, as the project continues in its cycle, it will be possible to determine and manage the phases that come near in the future.

In general, it is always important, before starting with the execution of a project, to have a plan at the beginning of any project.

If the project will be known in detail immediately, it will be possible to continue with traditional planning, otherwise the rollign wave method can be used.

Choosing the wrong planning methodology can lead to loss of control over the project.

Complex projects represent a great undertaking for a Project Manager.

It means coping with a variety of tasks, having different people to manage and with which to communicate and having multiple goals to achieve.

How can a project manager reach the goal with so many factors in the game? Let’s seeit in this article.

What makes a project complex?

It is important to understand that there is a difference between a complex project and a difficult project.

A complex project is not necessarily difficult. Conversely, projects can be difficult due to cost or performance, but this does not automatically mean that they are complex.

Complexity refers to projects that include ambiguity or uncertainty and are therefore surrounded by unpredictability.

There are a variety of factors that cause the complexity of the project, for example:

• Technology: The technical content of a project can cause complexity. This could depend on the technology used or the development of the software.
• Cost and budget: The project may have to face problems such as not attracting enough capital to achieve the goals or have problems in directing the funds towards the right aspects of the project.
• Program: Complexity can come from the time of the project.
• Very different political stakeholders: Projects can bring together different stakeholders, which can be a problem, especially if politics is involved. Different political interests can increase complexity, since the project must handle different requirements and expectations.
• Legal: Even legal issues related to a project can increase complexity. Sometimes the legal complexity can be linked to the political one.
• Social: This may be due to the fact that the members of the group come from different social contexts or it can be the case when the project works within a specific social context.

It is therefore necessary, first and foremost, to identify why a given project can be considered complex and then proceed to address it.

The essential skills needed to manage complex projects

 The management of a complex project requires different capacities, including:

• Adaptability
• Cooperation
• Communication
• Competence
• Leadership

A project is constantly evolving and project managers must evolve with it. It is not always possible to think that there are “white or black” solutions.

The time will come when the project manager will be forced to adapt his management style based on the change in the situation.

The communication is probably the most important project management skill. It is essential that PMs effectively convey and manage vision, ideas, goals, and problems.

Moreover, project managers must also produce and display reports, also using disruptive technologies and presentations that are informative and clear.

Communication is closely linked to collaboration. A project manager must be willing to collaborate with the project team. Working with others in order to achieve goals is important for any type of project, especially if it is complex.

Competence and Leadership to manage complex projects

Finally, competence and leadership go hand in hand. Leadership consists of guiding, directing, and motivating the team to do its best and make the members understand how their tasks contribute to the overall vision. Leadership develops with experience, through practical and real work.

Having these essential skills is the key to identifying what makes a project complex and managing it.

So let’s see in practice how to manage a complex project.

Manage complex projects: Document regularly

Project can be divided into perfectly manageable mini-projects, but without clear documentation on the single tasks and how they relate to the whole, the project remains unclear.

Clear and up-to-date documentation is the answer to this problem.

This allows the project manager to define everyone’s roles and their results and ensures that the overview is clear to all team members.

The project manager has the task of documenting everything and regularly sending the project status to the team and to the stakeholders – as agreed.

Managing complex projects: Continuously clarify goals

If you do not understand the “why” behind the project, it is very difficult to succeed.

When a project manager delegates without clearly defined goals, the team will fail. It is therefore important that team members understand their role and the tasks that they have to perform.

Clarifying the goals regularly also ensures that the project remains aligned with the initial plan.

Managing complex projects: Make everything more visible

 During a complex project, the team is often confused by the details and it becomes problematic to continue when it is saturated by too much information.

To create greater visibility within a project, a good practice is to adopt a project management tool that works for the project manager, the team, and the stakeholders.

This tool will allow all project users to stay informed and clearly see the status of the project and what is happening, using this tool as a unique source of information.

Managing complex projects: Be flexible

A constant in complex projects is the continous changing and for this, a project manager must be able to adapt and be flexible.

It is therefore important to ensure that processes are set up in such a manner to allow the team to remain agile and respond to changing requests.

The project manager adds value by making things more efficient and effective and / or reducing risks, precisely thanks to his ability to adapt.

The Scope Statement is a document that is extremely important for the success of a project. The project manager will develop the scope statement by processing the project start-up document (or project charter) produced by the project sponsor.

The project manager will be responsible for defining the scope of the project in this document, providing measurable goals.

Saving a project with the scope statement

It can also happen to be part of a project that, for different reasons, is delayed or out of budget. In these cases, the scope statement becomes vital. The project manager will ask the project team to explain the reasons why the project is not respecting the schedule.

Once the appropriate information has been taken, it is obvious that the PM will have to make decisions. Often, a real change of program will be indispensable together with the approval of a possible new budget in order, in the best case, to get everything back on track.

These situations can occur especially when the scope of the project has not been effectively defined. In these cases, if the Scope Statement is not implemented or not properly managed, the project will seriously run the risk of going astray with respect to the initial planning.

What is it and why the scope statement is important

Since a project is defined as a temporary effort that creates a product, a service or a result, the scope of the project is fundamental. The scope of a project, in fact, defines which activities are part of the project and which are not, what the project will carry out and what will not.

In short: The scope statement defines the project. The creation of a detailed scope statement will therefore help the project manager to bring the project to success.

In particular, the scope statement is fundamental for these three situations:

• Define the boundaries of the project. The scope statement guarantees a common and clear understanding of the project between the interested parties and helps to manage the so-called scope creep. In other words, it describes what is included in the project and what is excluded and, therefore, forms the basis for the project plan.
• Ensure a common understanding of the project among stakeholders. In addition to being the foundation of the project plan, the scope statement will also help ensure that all interested parties are on the same page. By setting the right expectations with stakeholders, the PM can reduce the chances of misunderstandings that could arise later and that could derail the project.
• Help manage change requests. Another way in which the description of the scope can help the project manager to manage the project effectively, is to use it as a guide to evaluate all the modification requests that are made. If the change request does not fall within the limits defined in the project, this must necessarily be rejected.

According to the Project Management Institute changes in scope – due to little clarity at the initial stage – are the main cause of the failure of a project.

This is quite common in almost all sectors, and for this reason project managers must learn to define, communicate and control the scope of the project.

To avoid the unpleasant possibilities that derive from a poorly defined project scope, project managers must write a good scope statement.

This will facilitate the acceptance of the scope of the project by the stakeholders , will put on the same page the project team and will prevent the start of unauthorized activities.

A scope statement is a useful tool for outlining project results and identifying the constraints, assumptions, and key factors for success.

The affirmation of the well-written area clearly defines the boundaries of a project.

The scope of a project has a direct impact on the other two elements of the triple project constraint, ie time and resources.

Moreover, the project manager can consider the scope statement a formal documentation of the project scope.

How to write a scope statement

The instructions in the scope statement must contain as many details as possible, but only up to a certain point and without exaggeration.

The minimum length of a scope statement is that which describes the primary risks of the project.

For example, stating that the project is to “build a fence” will communicate basic information, but these are certainly not enough. Everyone knows this already and there is no added value. It would therefore be preferable, in this specific example, to define the start and end points of the project, the height of the fence, the type of fence, the meteorological hypotheses, etc.

There is no default or maximum length for a scope statement, but this needs to be specific and to report the primary risks.

A good scope statement includes the following elements:

• General description of the work. Returning to the previous example, here is where it is stated that the project is “building a fence”.
• Final results. What will be produced by the project and what are its main features? Which customer must be satisfied by the output of the project?
• Justification for the project. In order to provide a complete understanding of the purpose, sometimes it is necessary to deepen the justification of why the project was started in the first place.
• If the project faces certain physical, legislative boundaries, etc. these can be a source of risk and therefore should be defined.
• Hypothesis. All projects have taken certain conditions as part of their existence. For example, the fence construction project has assumed good weather conditions, availability of tools, etc. What are these hypotheses and what is the impact in the case of an inaccuracy of these hypotheses on the project?

A suggestion is to write a scope statement following the so-called SMART goals.

Of course, predicting the future is impossible. However, the Scope Statement represents a commitment to the project based on what is known “today” and what is realistically expected to happen in the future.

If and when situations change, it is necessary to evaluate the effect of the changes on all aspects of the project and propose the necessary changes in line with the Scope Statement in order to ensure the success of the project.

All this, however, only if the scope statement has been optimally implemented.

Probably, you have already heard about residual and secondary risks in a project without having a clear idea of what it is. In this article, we will try to explain the differences between.

We all face risks on a daily basis and, consequently, risks exist even in project management.

There are those who panic, those who try not to take obvious risks, and those who try absolutely to avoid them, but in the end the risks are inevitable. There is no way to prevent risks from entering our lives. The same is true in the case of project management.

Definition of risk

The PMBOK Guide  defines a risk as “An uncertain event or situation that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more objectives of the project. ”

A risk, therefore, does not necessarily always damage the project. A project can also get a positive result from a risk.

The PMBOK Guide also states that Risk Management is one of the areas of knowledge that a project manager should know.

The Project Managers must, in fact, be trained in risk management in order to ensure that the obstacles faced during a project are minimized.

This means that project managers must be able to think outside the box and not always take the same road, even if in the past it has been an optimal choice. For instance, the situation could have changed.

Which types of risks exist?

In addition to the main risk inherent in any project, positive or negative, individual activities may involve secondary and residual risks.

Let’s take a look at secondary and residual risks and their definitions.

Secondary risks

The PMBOK Guide defines secondary risks as “those risks that arise as a direct result of implementing a risk response to a specific risk”.

In other words, when you identify a risk, you have a response plan that can deal with that risk.

Once this plan is implemented, the new risk that could arise from the implementation represents a secondary risk.

For example, the project manager for a construction project might know, from past experiences, that one of the main risks is that the sand supplier will not be able to deliver the goods in time. In the risk management plan created, the project manager will therefore already have taken this risk into account. The action he takes if this happens could be to get the sand from a different supplier. However, a potential risk that the project manager may encounter in this case, is that there may be differences in the sand provided by the former compared to that provided by the second supplier, which would be a secondary risk.

Residual risks

Residual risks are the remaining risks, ie the minor risks that remain.

The PMBOK Guide defines residual risks as “those risks that are expected to remain after implementing the planned risk response, as well as those that are deliberately accepted”.

Residual risks are acceptable for the organization’s level of risk tolerance or, in some cases, a residual risk does not have a reasonable response.

Project managers therefore simply accept them as they are. If they must occur, they will occur, and there is not much they can do about it.

These risks are identified during the planning process and an emergency reserve is set up in order to manage risks like these.

Although residual risks are not particularly worrying, organizations cannot completely ignore them and should address them through:

• Identification of relevant governance, risk, and compliance requirements.
• Recognition of existing risks.
• Determination of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s control framework.
• Planning for appropriate contingencies.

For example, you could identify a risk in the possible rainy weather forecasted during an event lasting an hour or two, where this weather condition could interrupt some of the scheduled meetings. To manage this risk, the other meetings will be scheduled with a buffer of a couple of hours. In this way, even if it rains for two hours, the other plans will not be interrupted or postponed.

This, however, does not eliminate the risk that the program needs changes. Simply reduces it.

What is the difference between secondary and residual risks?

• Secondary risks are those that occur as a direct result of implementing a risk response. On the other hand, it is expected that the residual risks will remain after the expected risk response.
• The emergency plan is used to manage primary or secondary risks. The backup plan is used to manage residual risks. Note that if an identified risk occurs, the emergency plan is implemented and, if it becomes ineffective, the reserve plan is implemented.
• If residual risks and secondary risks do not require a response plan, they will be monitored as they occur.

Example of a situation that contains both risks

Take for example a future project manager who is studying for one of the exams to obtain the official PM certification.

When the future PM plans the study program for the exam, the main risks that can affect it are:

• suddenly he will commit himself full time to a new project that will not leave enough time to study
• He will get sick during the exam preparation

An activity to respond to the first risk – not find enough time for the study due to the professional commitment – would be to start the preparation for the exam in a low working season, taking into consideration the work model of previous years.

The residual risk for this risk response would be that an unexpected large-scale project would present itself during the preparation for the exam. In that case, it may be necessary to postpone the exam, so as to find enough time to study in the future. This could be connected with an extra cost that can be covered thanks to the contingency reserve.

In the second case, the risk response activity to avoid getting sick during the exam preparation, would consist in doing the vaccination for five of the most common contagious diseases at the time of the preparation for the exam.

The secondary risk of this risk response would be that the vaccines themselves can cause side effects or even cause infections.

 

To conclude, risk management is an integral part of project management. It includes the identification, analysis, and monitoring of all these types of risks.

Understanding how to identify and manage risks is part of everyone’s life, even in the life of a project manager.

It is important that all types of risks are identified, analyzed, monitored, and cared for during the entire project.

For a project manager, learning to distinguish and plan for different types of risks will be a valuable aid to manage resources, time, and guide the project to success more efficiently.

The management of change requests refers to the tools and processes used to manage changes within a project and its team.

In the context of project management, the change is all that transforms or influences projects, activities, processes, structures or even work functions.

More often, the management of change requests refers to the supervision of the team to successfully integrate the change in the work routine in order to achieve the general goals of the project.

The triple constraint in the management of project change requests

A method used to understand change management is the triple constraint.

The triple constraint is what is defined as the process of managing the scope, budget, and time of a project in order for it to be successful.

In simple words, this means completing the project on time, within budget, and according to the standards set by stakeholders, customers or the sponsor.

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Change management, therefore, is the process of checking the triple constraint on the project every time modifications are introduced to the project management plan.
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Part of the change management is therefore to monitor the triple constraint and the ability to quickly identify anomalies.

When there are requests for changes to a project, it is not only necessary to have a plan to manage the change, but it is also necessary to have a responsible person in charge able to follow the resolution of the problem before it can seriously threaten the project.

To keep track of the triple constraint, it is therefore necessary to have an integrated control of the changes throughout the project.

This includes a review, analysis, and approval process for change requests as soon as they arrive.

Finally, it is also essential to document the changes at each stage of the process. This creates an historical record that can help future projects that will experience similar events.

The scope of the project

The change management process is the sequence of steps or activities that a change management team or project manager follows to ensure that the project meets the expected results.

During the development of a project, it is normal for the project manager to find himself facing the change management and this does not necessarily mean that the project is going in the wrong direction.

Other times, the project manager can really encounters episodes of scope creep – ie. moving away from the purpose of the project – which, in the long term, can lead to destruction.

The scope of the project defines the deliverables and outputs that the project must produce. It also includes information on the timing and budget available.

The scope is always defined at the beginning of a project’s life cycle, specifically during the planning phase.

Of course, even when the scope has been identified in detail, it is possible that some changes and modifications are necessary.

Among the causes that can lead to the need for changes we find:

• Incomplete or incorrect requirements analysis
• Lack of involvement – right from the start – of end users who must agree with the results that the project team is trying to achieve
• Underestimation of the complexity of the project
• Lack of control of changes and modifications
• Weakness of the project manager and / or project sponsor

Change management process

To avoid having to resort to a change management process due, for example, to scope creep, it is possible to follow these advice:

• Ensuring that there is unambiguity about the vision that project managers, project teams, and stakeholders have on deliverables and project outputs
• Understanding the priorities of the different stakeholders
• Subdividing the works through a WBS – Work Breakdown Structure – also introducing milestones control.
• Defining a clear change management process for each team member
• Verbalizing and documenting the delivery and acceptance of the output at the end of the project

It is clear, however, that even if you follow these tips, the need to manage changes can become reality anyway.

The four steps of the change management process

Therefore, in these cases, the project manager should apply the change management process, consisting of four main phases:

1. Planning change, where the strategy to be followed in the event of changes is defined. This must be clearly communicated to all team members. Therefore, initial communications are generally made in order to create awareness of the reasons for change and the risk that non-change would mean. The project manager must therefore prepare an adequate communication plan and be able to address the information needs. For instance, each public has particular information needs based on the role it plays during the implementation of the change and the project manager must take this into account in order to draft an effective communication plan.
2. Implementation of changes. Here, the changes are put into practice by the project team. Employee engagement is here necessary and their feedback is a key element of the change management process.
3. Monitor and control of changes. In this phase, all the changes made are verified and checked in order to find any errors and to have time to correct them promptly.
4. Post-project review. The final step in the change management process is the review at the end of the project. It is at this point that it is possible to evaluate the entire program, evaluate the successes and failures, and identify the process changes necessary for any similar future projects. This is part of the continuous improvement of change management within an organization.

These were the fundamental elements of change management.

Good project managers apply these components effectively in order to ensure the success of the project, avoid the loss of good employees, and minimize the negative impact of change on a company’s productivity and customers.

Project Portfolio Management is the continuous process of selection and management of project-oriented initiatives that offer the best in terms of business value or return on investment.

It is a dynamic decision-making process that allows the management to reach a consensus on the best use of resources in order to focus on projects that can be implemented and strategically aligned with the business goals.

The gathering of essential information for the portfolio management process

The basis for the portfolio management process is a database that collects all information related to initiatives of the project.

This database allows:

• Maintaining visibility of all project information within the company
• Collaborating using consistent information to reach a consensus on the alignment of projects with respect to company goals
• Providing quick access to all relevant information, horizontally as well as vertically, within the organization, enabling to make objective decisions about project priorities, future investments, and resource utilization
• Creating a link between corporate strategy, project selection, and their execution.

Bad management of Portfolio Management is the result of a disconnection between the information and the processes used to support the strategic and operational planning of the project.

The Portfolio Management process

The portfolio management process has four phases.

The first is the inventory phase, which includes the collection of project and organizational data in order to support the second phase, the evaluation phase.

In the evaluation phase the previously collected data are analyzed and reviewed.

The third phase, the alignment phase, makes it possible to establish metrics and balances of the portfolio of projects.

The last step, the management phase, means the efficient coordination of the various projects.

Let’s have a look at the individual phases in more detail.

Portfolio Management: The inventory phase

Project information can be acquired from any valid source including the tools used within the organization or simply by interviewing project managers and project participants.

This phase begins by collecting all the main information about ongoing projects and on the organization in general.

In this way, the project categories are determined.

Moreover, here the strategic goals of the organization are identified and the initiatives for each project are determined.

Portfolio Management: The evaluation phase

The evaluation phase assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the project portfolio.

There are many types of analysis that can be done simply starting from the inventory data.

For example:

• A simple order for project justification can reveal different projects that attempt to solve identical or similar problems. These projects could be more efficient if combined, or perhaps it would be better if some of them were canceled.
• An order based on the category of resources can reveal any future deficiencies in time in order to allow to have a look at possible solution options: staff increase, use of external resources, such as freelancers, or cancellation of some projects.
• A departmental order could show that the customer service department will soon be overwhelmed by the contemporary release of three new applications.

Once this phase is completed, it is possible to have a clear understanding of the entire project portfolio model.

Portfolio Management: The alignment phase

The alignment phase results in a “new” project portfolio.

This means that each project in the portfolio is reclassified.

The decisions taken during this phase are made in order to achieve the delicate balance between what is desired and what can be achieved, between the ideal n theory and the reality. Here, the Project manager decides which projects can be delayed or even cancelled.

Obviously, with a project portfolio the decision is more complex tan with a single project as the different stakeholders could have different perceived values.

During the alignment phase, the portfolios of alternative projects are evaluated on the base of different “what-if” scenarios.

The key challenge of the alignment phase is therefore to make the project portfolio more optimal.

Portfolio Management: The management phase

This is the phase in which the true “Portfolio Management” is verified, in which the projects are aligned with the corporate goals and where it is possible to identify the structure in terms of business.

The challenge now is how to communicate horizontally and vertically within the organization.

This is where automation, through specific project portfolio management tools, can help manage priorities, planning, budget, and resources of a project.

The success of an organization can therefore depend heavily on its ability to effectively manage the project portfolio and ensure that business goals are respected over time and within budget.

The importance of managing project portfolios should therefore be taken quite seriously.

Here are some final best practices to help the project manager manage Portfolio Management:

• Select and prioritize the right projects. Not all projects have the same urgency. It is therefore important to recognize the hierarchy between them based on organizational goals.
• Predict the cost of delivering the project portfolio. Since profitability is the key of a successful organization, it is important to keep track of project portfolio costs and monitor them. It is necessary to have general visibility in order to determine if a particular project must be canceled based on the costs that exceed the benefits.
• Provide real-time status reports for executives. Managers are often the ones who make business decisions and it is important for them to have real-time visibility for project statuses in order to make the best decisions.

Get a complete view of all projects. It is important that organizations, when it comes to the status of various projects, have a single version of the truth.  This eliminates questions and doubts and helps establish the correct priorities.

One of the critical success factors for any project is the presence and participation of an effective project sponsor.

Often the project sponsor  is someone holding a senior position within the organization and is responsible for initiating and approving the project and supporting the project manager during execution.

The project sponsor identifies the business needs of the project, helps the project manager keep the work on track, and ensures that the organization obtains benefits from the the final results.

The key attributes of a project sponsor

The project sponsor must have a strong appreciation of the organization’s strategic goals, must understand the role as a sponsor and exert influence and it would be an advantage, if it had direct experience in project management.

Some key attributes for a project sponsor are:

• Strategic and innovative mentality
• Emotional intelligence
• Excellent communication skills, including negotiation and conflict management
• Strong decision making processes

Roles and responsibilities of project sponsors

Unlike the project manager, who oversees the team and the daily execution of key tasks, the sponsor helps create the right environment to support the project manager.

This support can take a variety of forms such as:

• Aligning the project with the corporate strategy.
• Participating in project planning.
• Ensuring that the proposed solution solves the agreed problem and the requirements.
• Assistance in resource management.
• Ensuring that the project is started and executed in accordance with established standards and best practices.
• Monitoring project progress and helping in taking corrective action if necessary.
• Cultivating buy-in and stakeholder engagement.
• Providing timely and informed information on key project decisions.
• Solving problems and conflicts outside the scope of project manager authority.
• Evaluating the success of the project at its end.
• Celebrating and rewarding success.
• Project manager mentoring when and as needed.

With so many responsibilities and an active role, the project sponsor is one of the real owners of the project.

No wonder then, if a sponsor can make or break a project.

Challenges in working with a project sponsor

Developing a beneficial relationship with the project sponsor is complicated for different reasons.

Typically, project sponsors are assigned to a project before work begins, which means that project managers rarely have the opportunity to choose it.

Moreover, an individual who has no project management experience but who is going to fill the role due to – for example – his seniority within the organization could take the project sponsor role.

Project sponsors are people who are also generally involved in other activities, outside the project, and may not have sufficient time to provide useful advice and support in case of difficulty.

Project managers who work with inefficient or useless sponsors have two choices: go ahead in the best way or “manage” and help the project sponsor play their role.

 Four key steps to work with the project sponsor

Here are the four steps that can help you work with the project sponsor:

1. Set expectations

Before starting a new project, it is essential to meet the project sponsor to decide how to collaborate. This step is particularly important, if the project manager has never worked with the sponsor or if the sponsor is taking on this role for the first time.

It is good practice to hold this meeting even if the two parties have already worked together previously and even if the sponsor is an expert. Each project is indeed different and requires alignment from the beginning.

Use the meeting to establish roles and responsibilities, identify the resources required and establish a communication plan, review and refine the project plan, identifying the main milestones.

2. Preliminary meeting

Ask the project sponsor to participate in the preliminary meeting with the team in order to share the vision of the project and the desired result.

In this way, also the project team will have clearer ideas about all project stakeholders.

3. Communication

 As the project progresses, keep the sponsor busy and informed. The communication channels include status meetings, automated reports and dashboards using, for example, a project management software.

It is also important to examine the communication style and preferences of the sponsor and adapt them as needed.

4. Keep the sponsor involved (h3)

 In addition to updates and status reports, the project manager must periodically ask the sponsor for information and directions. It is important to look for their input when it comes to problems and difficulties or when alternative approaches need to be compared.

A valid project sponsor, in fact, should care for and support the project manager and has a vast knowledge to share. Involving a project sponsor helps building a rewarding relationship for all.

The relationship with the sponsor and the end of project document

At the end of a project, a project manager must always proceed to an analysis concerning the relationship with the project sponsor.

This can help improve the commitment of the sponsors and the management of any future projects.

• What worked and what did not?
• What challenges have been encountered in the relationship with the project sponsor?
• Are there specific tools or processes when working with sponsors within the organization?

These and other questions serve to collect experiences. They are the key to establishing best practices in order to have an efficient relationship between project managers and project sponsors.

The approval by the client describes the acceptance by the client or the contractor of the result obtained at the end of a project.

It denotes the successful delivery of the product – goods or services – which meets the requirements established at the beginning of the project.

The delivery of the agreed goods or services immediately after production is exactly what the customer expects. A delivery that completes the order according to the requirements agreed at the time of the contract.

Verification and approval as milestones of a project

The approval is therefore a fundamental milestone in the project. The approval means the verification of the product, where the client determines if the contractor has delivered an asset that satisfies the agreed goals or not.

Without the verification, and consequently the approval, a project is not completed correctly. This applies even if it has been completed within the time frame and / or the set budget.

By accepting the deliverables of the project, the client acknowledges that the product or service delivered is complete, which means that it can be used for the intended purpose.

However, verification and final approval are not the only tests that can occur in the project. In the context of project management, several other situations where approval is requested can also occur, such as approving the project plan or adjusting the scope.

In this case, the approval means keeping all the stakeholders updated on the status of the project and then moving on to the next phases of the project.

What are the criteria for verification and acceptance by the client?

Verification criteria are criteria that include performance requirements and essential conditions that must necessarily be met before project deliverables are accepted.

They set specific circumstances under which the client will accept the final output of the project.

They must be measurable criteria through which it is possible to demonstrate that the project has been successfully completed.

The fundamental elements of the verification by the client

The goal of the PM is to ensure that at the end of the project, the client verifies and positively accepts the deliverables produced.

It is obvious that for this to happen, the project manager must immediately work on some elements of verification that will later become fundamental. Let’s see them together

 1. Set the customer’s expectation level

The success or failure of projects depends on whether the final product meets the acceptance criteria of clients.

Having a clearly defined set of verification criteria, the project manager with his team is able to set the client’s expectation level and lay the groundwork for the completed product.

Inaccurate or missing verification and acceptance criteria can lead to low levels of client satisfaction, missed delivery dates and / or development costs being exceeded.

2. Work on the verification criteria to make them relevant, measurable, and tangible

Acceptance criteria are generally used for projects where the customer pays the final results or the completion of the project phases.

For this reason, the project manager should make sure that the acceptance criteria are relevant, measurable, and tangible for each deliverable.

It can happen that the client refuses to sign the results for two legitimate reasons:

• The project results do not meet the needs,
• The project manager and the team have no clarity on the needs of the clients.

Working towards a well defined set of verification and acceptance criteria before starting to work on the final results, protects the project manager and the project team, together with the organization in general.

Since the project client is responsible fort he approval of the final product, he is also responsible for approving the verification and acceptance criteria.

If the acceptance criteria are met, there should be no reasons why the client should not approve and accept the final product.

Main challenges and best practices for writing verification criteria

The verification and acceptance criteria seem very easy to write. Nevertheless, their drafting and formalization represents a challenge for many project managers.

Let’s take a closer look at the best practices that help avoid common mistakes when writing project verification criteria.

Document verification criteria before product development 

The verification and acceptance criteria must be documented before the project – ie. the actual development of the output – starts. In this way, the project manager will be able to capture all the needs of the client in advance. The criteria must then be agreed and accepted by both parties and used to plan the process inherent to the project.

Do not make the verification and acceptance criteria too specific

The verification and acceptance criteria should not be too specific and give little or no maneuvering options. In order to avoid this, it is necessary that the verification criteria transmit the intent and goal sought, not exactly the final solution.

Keep the criteria achievable

This point intersects closely with the previous one. The effective verification and acceptance criteria define the reasonable minimum of functionality that the client is inclined to accept. In the event that all the smallest details are described, there is a risk that the project team remains blocked in order to focus on hundreds of small tasks, sometimes not strictly necessary for the success of the project.

Keep the criteria measurable and not too wide

This is exactly the opposite error compared to the previous points. Too broad criteria make the client’s requests vague. They must outline the purpose of the work so that the project manager and the team can plan and estimate their effort correctly.

Avoid technical details

As mentioned, the verification and acceptance criteria must be written in a simple way. This will make them clear and easy for everyone to understand since not everyone could have a technical or specialized background on the subject.

Achieving consensus

It is necessary for the project manager to make sure that he has communicated the verification and acceptance criteria to the interested parties and that he has reached a mutual agreement. The same applies to team members who will have to work directly on producing the output. All stakeholders must confirm that they understand and agree with each formalized criterion.

Some examples of verification criteria by the client

The verification and acceptance criteria are conditions that are used to determine whether the work has been completed according to the requirements initially established.

In particular, the acceptance criteria are designed so as not to be ambiguous.

The following are examples of possible verification and acceptance criteria used by the client:

• Behavior of a system or an instrument that can be tested with use.
• Specifications of the phases of a process including automated steps and human activities. For example, “When the customer sends an application, an activity is created in the sales system”.
• Specification for a calculation that can include business rules, algorithms, and formulas.
• Aspects of a product that make it pleasant to use.
• Implementation expectations that allow architects, designers, engineers and experts to be flexible in their work.
• Performance requirements such as “the system will have a page load time of less than 3 seconds when 500 users are online simultaneously”.
• Definitions of internal controls.
• Operational requirements such as “the platform will integrate with another”.
• Quality expectations.
• Constraints on materials, such as “all ingredients will have an organic certification”.

Why is an approval documentation essential

 The approval documentation is essential for any project in order to keep a record of what has been agreed.

Without this documentation to accompany the life cycle of a project, the project manager , the team, and the client can find themselves having different ideas about the concept, the form of the final results and even the delivery timing.

Even for project managers who hate paperwork, this documentation is a sort of “blessing”, because it serves as a simple reminder of the expectations of both the parties, clients and project team.

Anyone with a question about the different phases of the project can refer to the approval documentation to see what actions need to be taken based on the approved requirements.

The 3 advantages of the acceptance documentation are:

• Managing the expectations between the client and the project team.
• Leaving room for additions or modifications while maintaining clear communication.
• Maintaining maximum responsibility for each phase of the project.

What does the project approval process look like?

Obtaining formal registration is important because it indicates the official end of a project and the completion and acceptance of a deliverable by the client.

When the project is finished and the deliverable has been produced, the project manager is ready to examine it with the customer.

Offering the opportunity to the client for a complete review will give time to consider and accept the result or provide feedback to organize any revisions to the output.

Once the project is deemed satisfactory by all interested parties, the approval form comes into play.

All the main stakeholders will sign their part of this documentation and, once approved in full, the project will officially come to an end with success.

Once a project is officially closed, the team has the freedom to start a new project for that same client or for others.

Once the approval documentation and the project are complete, the project manager may wish to review the project in its entirety with his team in order to identify what went well and what can be improved in the future.

A project manager can also decide to ask the client for feedback, not only regarding the final output, but also regarding the project as a whole, so as to have further evaluation elements.

Conclusions

The criteria for verification and acceptance of an output by the client represent a specific and defined list of conditions that must be met before a project can be considered completed and the final results of the project are accepted by the customer.

Having clearly defined acceptance criteria can help the project team in many ways, including:

• Establishing customer expectations regarding the final product.
• Measuring, reaching and demonstrating to the clients that the work is complete.
• Obtaining formal detachments from the client on the final results in the project.
• Protecting the project manager, the team, and the organization from problems such as missed payments by customers.

Clearly, definining acceptance evaluation criteria can also help avoid communication problems and political maneuvering on internal projects.

Now, we hope there are no more doubts about why the verification criteria must be included in the contractual agreement with the clients, as well as in the project scope statement and in the requirements documents.

The delivery plan of project deliverables is a strategic element for every Project Manager.

The goal of every project is, in fact, to produce a result that serves a specific purpose. With the word „purpose“, we can mean the most disparate goals: a software program, a chair, a building, a translation, etc.

In project management, all these results have only one name: deliverable.

In essence, all planned activities should be directly related to the production of a deliverable. The Project Manager must have in mind what the delivery plan of the deliverables is.

Any project activity that does not directly contribute to the production of a product should be restructured or removed from the project plan. If you are not sure about the definition of deliberable, you can always read the article on how to identify the project deliverables.

Regardless of how many tasks have been completed by the project manager and his team, until a deliverable is not produced and accepted by the client, the project team may not be paid!

Since the final results are the result of some activity or effort, they must also be measurable and specific.

In the world of project management, a deliverable is defined as a “measurable, tangible, verifiable result that must be produced to complete a milestone of the project”.

Processing of the delivery strategy of the deliverables

A weighted delivery strategy of the deliverables ensures that customers’ goals are met and that agreed deadlines are respected.

Processing this delivery strategy includes the following activities:

• Definition
• Deconstruction
• Assignment
• Progress monitoring
• Quality check

Knowing these steps will increase the efficiency of teamwork and ensure that all activities add value to the project.

Let’s look at them in detail.

Definition

Understanding the client’s goals is the first step in the definition process, as the final results must be developed from this perspective.

It would be useful to collect the customer’s needs by following the SMART criteria.

Deconstruction

After a comparison with the customer, the results of the project are successfully defined.

The next goal is to break down each deliverable into as small units as possible in order to trace the activities and thus be able to delegate them.

This exercise is often referred to as the creation of a “WBS – Work Breakdown Structure“.

The correct deconstruction of the final result is fundamental for an accurate monitoring of progress.

Assignment

Once the final results have been broken down into small measurable tasks, the project manager can begin to assign individual tasks to the appropriate team member.

The first step is to hire the right people for the project team.

It is the responsibility of the project manager to understand the team’s skill set and determine who is best suited for a particular job.

After assigning the tasks, it is important to keep the communication with the team open in order to allow clarifications on any questions or concerns regarding compliance with deadlines.

Progress monitoring

Now that the final results are defined and broken down with deadlines and tasks set for each activity, it is time to keep track of progress towards the completion of each deliverable.

A variety of methods and tools are available to track the progress of the project.

For accurate status monitoring, it is important to select a project management tool that is flexible and easy to use.

Moreover, each team member should be able to easily insert updates on the activities, while the project manager needs a general overview of the project.

There are many project management tools that systematically monitor the progress that can be made as team members indicate that activities are completed. In this case, a good project management software is the key.

Quality control

Establishing and planning time for a thorough quality review is a key component of the project deliverables delivery strategy.

The quality review serves as the final status between the deliverable and the customer.

A quality control process usually includes steps to validate that the deliverable:

• Maintains consistency with other deliverables
• Fulfills contractual obligations
• Is free from errors or defects

Depending on the size and skills of the project team, a single resource or more resources can be included in the quality review process.

After carrying out the quality review process, the project manager should be sure of the acceptance of the deliverable by the client.

It is good practice to always ask the customer to send a written approval of the result.

In conclusion, developing a clear delivery plan of the deliverables is essential for the timely execution and management of any project.

Investing time from the beginning to establish the various phases of the process and selecting the right project management tool, will allow the project manager to focus on efficient project management.

When dealing with a project, risks are always on the agenda. Even the most carefully planned project can encounter problems and unexpected events.

Team members may fall ill or resign, other resources may be unavailable or insufficient, the budget may fail to cover an expense, etc.

Does this mean that we must give up when faced with unexpected problems? Absolutely not!

This is where planning and risk response strategies come into play. We need to identify potential problems that could negatively affect the project, analyze the likelihood of them occurring, take action in order to prevent the risks that can be eliminated and minimize those that are impossible to avoid.

 Definition of project risk

A risk is any uncertain event or condition that could affect the project.

However, not all risks are negative. Some events, such as finding an easier process to perform a certain activity for example, or the decrease of prices for certain materials, can also help the project.

This situation is called “opportunity”, but is managed just like a risk.

There are no absolute guarantees on any project, even the simplest activity can face unexpected problems.

A risk can be an event or a condition, in any case, it is something that can happen and if it does, it will force to change the way the project manager and the team work on the project.

When planning a project, the risks are still uncertain and have not yet happened, but it is likely that one or more identified risks will actually happen, and this is where a project manager needs to be able to deal with them.

The risk management plan tells precisely how the risks of the project will be managed if these occur.

It is important to draw up guidelines – through a priority scale, for example – that help to understand how large the potential impact of a risk on the project can be.

6 key steps in the risk management process

The risk management process can make the unmanageable manageable, and can allow the project manager to operate on what seems to be a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage. Let’s see how:

1. Risk identification

It is not possible to solve a risk if you do not know it. There are many ways to identify risk.

One way is through brainstorming, a methodology which allows a group to examine a problem.

Another method is that of individual interviews. It consists of finding people with relevant experience, so that it is possible to gather information that will help the project manager identify the risk and find a possible solution.

Imagining the current project and thinking about the many factors that can go wrong is another technique. What can you do if a key team member is sick? What can you do if the material does not arrive within the defined deadline? Etc.

An aid in this phase is also to read the reports of similar past projects, verifying the presence of any problems encountered during the path, and see how these have been solved.

Here at Twproject, managing all our project with Twproject project management software, we are able to check past project easily, finding already experienced risks with solutions, preventing them from happening again.

2. Risk analysis

The next step is to determine the likelihood that each of these risks will occur. This information should also be included in the risk register.

When evaluating the risks of a project, it is possible to proactively address the situation. For example, potential discussions can be avoided, regulatory problems can be solved, new legislation must be known, etc.

Analyzing the risks is certainly difficult. There is never a limit to the information that can be collected in this sense.

Moreover, risks must be analyzed based on qualitative and quantitative analyzes. This means, that you determine the risk factor based on how it will potentially affect the project through a variety of metrics.

3. Risk prioritization

Not all risks have the same level of severity. It is therefore necessary to assess each risk in order to know which resources will be gathered to resolve it, when and if it occurs.

Some risks will be more acceptable, others may even risk to completely stop the project, making the situation quite serious.

Having a long list of risks can be daunting, but the project manager can manage them simply by classifying the risks as high, medium or low.

With this perspective, the project manager can then start planning how and when these risks will be addressed.

Some risks require immediate attention; these are the risks that can derail the project.

Other risks are important, they probably won’t threaten the success of the project, but will delay it.

Then, there are those risks that have little or no impact on the program and the overall project budget.

Some of these low priority risks could be important, but not enough to be urgently addressed. Indeed, they could be somehow ignored and also time could delete them and improve the situation.

Prioritizing is easy in Twproject, and in case of risk management you can easily search for past projects and check for encountered issues with prioritization.

4. Assign an owner to the risk

All the hard work of identifying and assessing risks is useless unless the project manager assigns someone to oversee the risk.

Who is the person responsible for that risk that, if this were to happen, would take charge of its resolution?

This decision, in general, is up to the project manager who knows the level of experience and training of each team member and is therefore able to assess the most suitable person to face a particular risk.

It is certainly important to identify the risks, but if these are not managed by a person in charge, the work will have been completely useless and the project will not be adequately protected.

5. Respond to the risk

Now comes the moment, when all that has been planned must be put into practice.

For each identified risk, based on priority, a mitigation plan or strategy is created.

The project manager should deal with the risk owner in order to decide together which strategy to implement to resolve the risk.

6. Risk monitoring

Obviously, every strategy to respond to the risk is useless if it is not monitored in its success – or failure.

The risk owner is also responsible for monitoring the progress towards resolution.

But also the project manager needs to stay updated in order to get an accurate picture of the overall progress and to identify and monitor potential new risks that may arise from the new situation.

It is better to ensure that dedicated communication channels for risk management are organized, so that important elements and information are not lost.

It is possible to have face-to-face meetings, but some updates could be better provided via e-mail or text or through a project management software tool.

How a software can help

Risk identification is so much about project knowledge and expertise. It is something project managers learn in time and with their experience. This is why it is so important to have a project management software that keep all your project history archived for learning and future analysis.

A software like Twproject  can help you with that, managing risk during the project life cycle but also creating a knowledge base for you to analyse risk for future projects.

Risk mitigation

After the risk has been identified and assessed, the project team develops a risk mitigation plan, ie a plan to reduce the impact of an unexpected event.

Here are the four ways to manage or mitigate a risk:

• Risk avoidance
• Risk acceptance and sharing
• Risk mitigation
• Risk transfer

Each of these mitigation techniques can be an effective tool to reduce individual risks and the risk profile of the project.

Let’s see these four techniques in detail.

1. Risk avoidance

This technique usually involves developing an alternative strategy that is more likely to succeed, but is usually linked to a higher cost.

A very common risk elimination technique is to use proven and existing technologies rather than adopting new technologies, although they could lead to better performance or lower costs.

A project team can choose a supplier with a proven track record instead of a new supplier that offers significant price incentives; this, in order to avoid the risk of working with a new supplier that is not known whether it is reliable or not.

Eliminating a risk is definitely the best technique you can use. If the project manager can avoid it, surely he will not have negative impacts derived from it on the project.

2. Risk acceptance and sharing

This technique involves accepting the risk and collaborating with others in order to share responsibility for risky activities.

Many organizations working on international projects will reduce the political, legal, and employment risks associated with international projects by developing a joint venture with a company based in a particular country, for example.

Partnering with another company to share the risk associated with a part of the project is advantageous when the other company has experience that the project team does not have. If a risk event occurs, the partner company absorbs all or part of the negative impact of the event.

3. Risk mitigation

Risk mitigation represents an investment in order to reduce the risk on a project.

On international projects, for example, companies will often buy a guaranteed exchange rate in order to reduce the risk associated with exchange rate fluctuations.

A project manager can hire an expert to review technical plans or cost estimates on a project in order to increase confidence in that plan.

Assigning high-risk management activities to highly qualified project personnel is another risk reduction method.

Experts who run a high-risk business can often anticipate problems and find solution.

4. Risk transfer

Risk transfer is a risk reduction method that shifts risk from the project to another party.

A classic example of risk transfer is the purchase of an insurance. The risk is transferred from the project to the insurance company.

Purchasing insurance, especially for individuals with dynamic lifestyles like digital nomads, often requires expert guidance. An independent insurance broker for digital nomads can help find flexible and comprehensive policies.

Weather, political unrest, and strikes are examples of events that can have a significant impact on the project and that are beyond the control of the project team.

Simply put, it is simply a matter of paying someone else to accept the risk.

Risk management may seem superfluous at the beginning of the project. When a project manager is starting a new project, it is indeed difficult to think about things that could go wrong, especially if he is caught up in the initial enthusiasm.

It is essential to remember, however, that the development of a management plan will – most likely – be useful later during the development of the project.

This is why risk management must be considered an absolute priority from the start.

Some useful tools

If you start managing your projects with Twproject, you will have several key tools at your disposal for assessing the potential risks of your projects and for analyzing their possible consequences later.

Let’s have a quick look at them.

• The workload analysis tool will be useful for you to figure out who to assign tasks to and make a quick calculation of timelines to avoid overload and thus slippage of time, or conversely, a loss of your resources’ valuable time.

• The various budget management tabs, which in our case is particularly accurate. In fact, only with Twproject will you be able to plan your expenses in detail and relate them to your budget, dividing between estimated and actual, personnel and ancillary costs.

• Last but not least, with Twproject you will be sure to be able to use the best Gantt chart on the market, which will allow you to calculate the timing of phases and milestones in detail, set dependencies (even elastic ones) between activities, so that no data is lost along the way, and greatly improve scheduling and deployment times.

Start taking advantage of these useful tools for risk management right away, and you’ll see that they are just right for you!

A project manager assistant is generally someone who, as the title says, assists the project manager.

This person generally has some education or experience in project management and is probably aiming for a career as a project manager.

Large, excessively complex or highly critical projects may require a project manager assistant to help and support in the management and supervision tasks.

What are the tasks of a project manager assistant?

The main role of a project manager assistant is to assist the project manager in the research, development, and management of the projects from the beginning and throughout the entire life cycle of the project.

Some assistants can also manage and monitor almost independently simple projects or segments of a complex project.

Among the responsibilities and tasks required for this role, we find:

• Assistance in planning and managing the project
• Development of effective internal and external communication plans
• Leadership, motivation, and staff development ability
• Update and reporting on the progress of planning
• Update and reporting on budget and expenditure
• Identification of requirements and gaps in terms of resources
• Any other project management task that is routine, standardized, or low risk

These tasks can vary from organization to organization and from project to project. In general, however, these are standard tasks that can be delegated to a project manager assistant.

The qualities of a project manager assistant

To carry out his tasks to the fullest and to aspire to become a project manager, an assistant to the project manager must possess certain qualities:

Time management and organizational skills

Time management and organizational skills allow project assistants to help project managers stay on track in order to make sure deadlines are met. Project assistants must be organized and manage their time well, so that they can always know what is happening at each stage of the project. This is essential to help keep the project in line with the schedule and within the budget.

Ability to adapt and stress management skills

Adaptability and stress management skills are necessary for a project manager assistant. These capabilities allow the assistant to effectively manage the many unknowns that accompany any project. Stress levels can clearly rise when goal changes, blockages or missing links in the activities occur. The uncertainty caused by these variants can lead to errors, misunderstandings, and communication problems. During this chaos, project assistants must therefore be able to manage the resulting frustration and stress.

Computer and mathematical skills

Project manager assistants need good IT skills in order to be able to manage different forms of electronic communication, but not only. They should also be able to create spreadsheets and use word processing programs, as well as being clever in using the project management software. Mathematical skills are also needed in order to help project managers create and manage budgets and make cost estimates.

Communication skills

According to the Project Management Institute, 75% of organizations that complete on average 80% of projects on time and within budget have one thing in common: clear and effective communication during the project. The project manager assistant plays a crucial role in deciding which method of communication is preferred by the stakeholders (e-mail, chat, in person, telephone) and the desired times and frequency of it. Good communication skills are also needed during team members, employees and customers meetings. This is especially true in times of disagreement in order to manage conflicts.

Leadership and problem solving skills

The importance of leadership and problem solving skills cannot be forgotten. When the project manager is not available, the project assistant can assume some of the responsibilities. The ability to take charge when necessary and to assess situations and determine the correct course of action is one of the best qualities that a project manager assistant can possess.

How can you become an assistant project manager?

Starting in a position as a project manager assistant can be a good way to gain experience and progress in your career towards a project manager career.

The requirements of the job and the skills required will depend specifically on the organization and the project.

However, the requirements are generally lower than those required in the case of a project manager.

Certainly, a plus point for a project manager assistant is to undertake a training course as project management and possess the relevant certification.

Being a project manager assistant is almost a necessary step to become a real PM.

The period of working time spent assisting a project manager will be useful to demonstrate the right skills and professionalism to take the leap.

During the period of assistance to the project manager, it will be possible to learn from a senior project manager the art of project management in order to become the successful project manager of the future.

In Project Management, Brainstorming is a technique that can produce innumerable advantages for the Project Manager. At the start of a project or at a particular stage, project managers inevitably want to get as many ideas as possible. This is where brainstorming comes in handy.

Brainstorming is the technique where a project team meets in a meeting in which the individual members expose all sorts of ideas related to the project in a creative way.

When it comes to brainstorming, it is important to keep in mind some fundamental aspects.

First of all, the main priority of brainstorming is quantity over quality. Brainstorming is in fact the first step in the exploration phase of a new project, so it is important to be open to all ideas and possibilities, without judging.

Brainstorming and clichés

Another common idea of brainstorming is that many think it can only be done in one way: An open discussion in a room with all the people involved.

This method is not necessarily wrong, but it leads to some disadvantages that can make a session unproductive.

For example, when the first couple of ideas is shared during the meeting, the group inevitably tends to focus only on these first ideas throughout the rest of the time.

The biggest problem with classic brainstorming is that only a small part of the group makes 60-75% of the conversation. This fact can often prevent other new ideas from coming to light.

It is therefore important to maintain an efficient and effective brainstorming session, also using different techniques. In this article we will see how.

How to plan the brainstorming session

Before entering a room to do a brainstorming session, there are some tasks that the project manager must perform. These are:

• Defining the problem and purpose of the session using SMART objectives.
• Identifing the participants. Usually most of the them are those who are most interested in the problem, but it is also possible to include “strangers” and experts so that there is a diversity of points of view.
• Clearly communicating the date and time of the session. It is generally important to also indicate a time when the session will end, but it is advisable to suggest to the participants to keep a buffer time between the brainstorming session and their next engagement.

How to conduct the Brainstorming session

Some guidelines to follow during a brainstorming session are:

• Make sure you have a blackboard in the room to document the ideas.
• Divide complex problems into simpler problems and examine each smaller problem independently.
• Divide the group so that each member can brainstorm even independently.
• After classifying the ideas, agree on the solution.
• Assign an owner to the solution to make sure it will be adressed properly.

What to do at the end of the Brainstorming session

Even after the brainstorming session there are several activities that must be completed, such as:

• Give a reward or recognition to the participants. This will ensure that the next time a new brainstorming session takes place, people will be happy to participate.
• Follow-up and monitoring of the solution decided upon closing.

Brainstorming techniques

There are six brainstorming techniques that can help project managers find better ideas. Let’s see what they are:

1. Brainwriting

This technique is particularly useful if the project deadline is approaching.

The activity starts with a team and the project manager who exposes the basic idea.

At this point, instead of speaking out the ideas, each team member writes down his ideas on a piece of paper. Each participant then passes his ideas to someone else, that adds his own. And so on.

When the last person in the group has finished writing his idea, the project manager collects the sheets, exposes them and the group discussion starts.

2. Virtual brainstorming

This brainstorming technique, as the name already says, does not require participants to be in the same room.

This technique is perfect in the case of a team working remotely. All is needed is a good internet connection and a device to connect to the network.

A centralized platform allows you to start the brainstorming session and to include the participants.

Here the ideas are written directly on the digital platform instead of on a blackboard and the discussion takes place online instead of in a room.

3. Rolestorming

One of the most engaging and playful brainstorming techniques is definitely rolestorming.

In this method, the participants do not think like themselves, but put themselves in the shoes of someone else, playing a role.

There is no limit to the role that can be played. To generate innovative ideas you can think of being the next Steve Jobs or going beyond the limits by impersonating a superhero.

This is a fantastic technique for generating creative ideas and thinking “out of the box”, because it allows participants to perceive the opportunity or the problem in another way.

4. Mind Mapping

This is probably the most used and known brainstorming technique.

The participants meet in a room in front of a blackboard and each one of them suggests ideas relevant to the problem that is represented in the middle of the sheet.

Based on the ideas presented, a map is created in the form of a tree, where each idea is a different branch. When the ideas are finished, it will be possible to see the big picture.

5. Reverse brainstorming

This technique is also called negative brainstorming because it totally reverses the classic concept of brainstorming.

In practice, the participants, instead of looking for ideas to improve or solve a given problem, are called to find ways to weaken the fact represented.

This technique will allow to find the elements that are not working in the analyzed situation.

6. Starbursting

From the word “star”, this brainstorming process begins by representing a star with six tips.

The center represents the topic on which the group will discuss, for example a product, and each of the six tips will represent a question:

• Who
• What
• Where
• Why
• When
• How

During the brainstorming session it will therefore be necessary to specifically answer these questions, including all the sub-questions that will inevitably arise.

The benefits of group brainstorming

So why is brainstorming in a group advantageous?

It is a way to solve problems by holding a group discussion and gathering information or ideas that come through spontaneous participation in the discussion.

It is also a useful method, especially in the early stages of a product or project, to bring together different points of view.

And again, it’s a quick way to generate a great amount of ideas; a group effort can indeed increase the number exponentially.

Here are some tips to help the next brainstorm become a success:

• Make clear goals from the start. What are you trying to find / solve? What restrictions are you operating with?
• Just like with other collaborative meeting techniques, allow everyone to have a say in the matter. Facilitate the session so that people who are normally silent are the focus of attention at the same time as those who have a tendency to dominate discussions.
• Let people generate ideas individually before meeting to discuss and elaborate. This will encourage the “silent” to actively participate without being overwhelmed by the ideas of the most dominant.
• Prefer quantity over quality at the beginning.
• Remind the group – and if necessary repeat it during the session – that no question or idea is stupid.

It may happen that brainstorming sessions sometimes do not bring great results. In these cases, it is important that the project manager is not discouraged.

Perhaps, if another brainstorming technique is tried – like the ones mentioned in this article – it will be possible to receive more fruitful ideas.

Brainstorming, in all its techniques, remains however a very effective methodology for generating new ideas and new thoughts, useful for the success of a project.