Everyone knows there are problems in business, but they are not just financial. The economy is hurting, business are going under, or laying of workers. These things are all symptoms of a much bigger problem. Managers are all at 30,000 feet, or in some cases only on ground level.
A manager, whether it is of people or projects, must find the appropriate balance between being high level and being in the weeds. Decisions must be made based on the details with an eye on the future. Without an appropriate balance, decisions are being made with out seeing the whole situation. Managers that are not concerned with the details can make decisions that negatively impact their employees. How can a manager who doesn’t understand what an employee does, make quality decisions? They can’t. How can a manager who can’t see beyond the details make a decisions that aligns to a strategy? They can’t.
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Posted by David Hottal at 8:35 pm on July 20th, 2009.
Categories: Business Management. Tags: business, details, manage, strategy.
Project Managers are often in difficult positions. We must manage large teams with people spanning multiple departments, all having full time day jobs and differing priorities. A project manager rarely has dedicated resources and must create realistic schedules taking into account everyone’s priorities and availability. Managing a team dedicated to the project may simplify scheduling, but it doesn’t do much for motivation. How do you motivate a team that does not report to you, may not understand the goal of the project, and may have different priorities?
What Do They Need?
To help motivate your team you must first understand what they need. Abraham Maslow did a lot of work in the area of motivation and fulfilling employee needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a a five stage pyramid that represents the various needs that every person ultimately wants to fulfill. Once fulfilling the base needs Maslow believes everyone looks to fulfill the next stage, moving up the pyramid until all needs are satisfied.
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Posted by David Hottal at 9:01 pm on July 14th, 2009.
Categories: Project Management. Tags: Debrief, Motivation, Needs, Project, Project Management.
Flow charts are one of the many weapons for the project management ninja, but like a samurai sword, can be dangerous if not used with caution. When used properly flow charts are an excellent tool to document processes, identify inefficiencies, and improve communication. Unfortunately, if they are not clear or the audience is not kept in mind flow charts can cause confusion and provide little value. I’m going to explain the format, software, and uses that have proven successful for me.
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Posted by David Hottal at 11:56 pm on July 13th, 2009.
Categories: Business Process. Tags: Flow Chart, Process, Process Map, Swim Lanes.
While working on various projects I’ve learned that when exploring process improvements most people tend to jump into the details. Getting straight to the specific tasks and activities causes many issues, most serious is the tendency to get stuck doing things the way they always have been. How many times have you asked “why do it like this”, only to get the “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” response. When looking at processes and efficiency improvement it’s important to look at it from a results oriented perspective defining inputs, activities, and outputs.
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Posted by David Hottal at 4:46 pm on July 12th, 2009.
Categories: Business Process. Tags: Process, Project Management, Stakeholders.