Q2PM CORE COMPETENCIES

Another key skill Q2PM project manager skill is the ability to address issues before they cause incident or upset within the team or with the customer. This is done by first clearly identifying an issue when it first arises by logging the issue with the project log and then working with involved team members to flesh-out the issue with facts and decide a path forward. Issue resolution is sometimes stalled when we do not want to trouble sponsors or other decision-makers with bad news, though such delay typically only compounds the problem when the issue does eventually service as a Quadrant One (Q1) fire drill.

Sometime the hardest thing to do in a discussion is to hear what someone is telling us and resisting the urge to interrupt with a response. We worry perhaps that we've been misunderstood, or that if we don't get our important point across NOW then the moment might be lost and we can no longer save our argument from confusion and misunderstanding. However, when we learn to silence the responsive mind in favor of active listening and the patience necessary to wait our turn, as well as the confidence that we can make our point without a hurried, knee-jerk immediate reaction, then we will become a more mature and active listener, and someone able to gain the trust of others due to the fact that we've demonstrated our interest in truly understanding what they have to say, and our conversations then become more true dialogue than mere impatient grandstanding.

People enjoy interesting stories. And sometimes a story or comparison can go a long way towards making clear what might otherwise be hard to follow or understand. Analogy takes practice to use though the benefits are clear when more of our team understands what we are attempting to tell them due to reference to ideas, situations or facts already known.

Sometimes a sea-change is needed...as perhaps the destination we'd decided wasn't really the place we need to go, or something about the destination has changed, or maybe a better place has been found. Whatever the reason, and whatever the cause, a good project manager will always be ready to face and carefully assess facts towards and informed next steps plan. Documenting the pros and cons, as well as the assumptions and associated risks of change along with a recommendation (if there are more than one option) will help the PM make the case to the sponsors and team before a change decision is made. It's a tough process, requiring sometimes that we swallow our pride for the betterment of the team and the project, but a good PM is ready to do it, and then to record their lesson learned and be better informed and prepared for the next project ahead.

Q2PM project managers wear two hats: the PM hat and the Business Analyst hat. Sometimes, these hats must be worn at the same time, such as when a business need and opportunity does arise for impromptu analysis of business processes. At such times, the Q2PM should have at the ready, software tools such as Microsoft Visio and Word or old-fashioned chalk or pen and paper to begin laying out with the team current and desired business flows. This skill is vital to ensure the team can capitalize - in the moment - upon the chance of having needed team members on hand to weight-in and guide the group's analysis. It's this skill - the ability to jump headlong with the team into necessary work, with little or no preparation beside our training and a willingness to capitalize on opportunity - which separates PMs who are here for the job from PMs who are here for the work.

Sometimes we can't all agree... And not all decision makers are equal. Teams bring their various perspectives, experience and ideas to the table in an effort at greater understanding. A good PM will shepherd this effort along, giving time to everyone who wants a say and then helping the team to lay out an informed recommendation. Not everyone might agree with the recommendation, and there is some art in recording the facts in such a way as to account for all reasoned input without unnecessary offense or upset. Ultimately, the final decision lies with the sponsor. At last, the team's job is

We risk becoming lost when we have no map to follow... A good PM then makes a map. The first step is to define the business problem which needs to be solved, followed by the identification of solutions options (including a recommendation). When a solution has been decided, the PM then lays out the details in the Project Plan along with a corresponding schedule with dates. The PM then simply follows the plan...recognizing that changes are likely along the way and ready to lead the team to wherever prudence and best practice guide.

"We have thirty-minutes" left is a common refrain from Q2PMs to let the team know where we are and how much time we've left to get this meeting's work done. Making good use of our team member's time isn't just a courtesy, it's an expression of respect and appreciation to everyone who came to our meeting and who we might need to come again. People appreciate being recognized for their work, and running an on-time and timely meeting is a quite sincere expression of appreciation to everyone who came.

"The message sent is NEVER the message received" was a favorite expression of a Speech Communications professor in college, who maintained that every human transaction is distorted and confused by bias, nuance and slight difference is word meaning and intent. It is for this reason that the Q2PM takes pains to carefully listen to what they are being told without forming a knee-jerk response. Important communications should be paraphrased back to the sender as a way of gaining consensus regarding meaning. Also, a good project manager is never satisfied to simply say what's on their mind, but instead works to first think the message through and once said, to ascertain that correct understanding was achieved. Communication is key to everything we do as project managers...and not task is more important that working to ensure that the message received was indeed the message sent.