Project management consulting in a weak process oriented organization Date:   Tuesday , January 01, 2008 What to expect At times, you find yourself faced with a situation wherein you need to manage a project in an organization that by nature does not follow a rigid process. As you are a Consultant, the Director of the organization gets the status of the project from your SME (Subject Matter Expert) who is an employee of the organization. This is a very difficult situation to be in. There will be commitments made at your back and certain deadlines decided without your knowledge. Sometimes you feel you are a dummy project manager. Also, you are in a situation wherein the employees and the higher management are not keen to complete the project due to fear of job loss once the project is completed. You are brought in as a consulting PM to put a project back on track, which is in a bad shape. You are new to the organization’s culture, its people, and the project team. You see some individuals in the project who are the higher management’s favorites and have an upper hand being in the organization for a long time. They know that you have no real powers and you are only being used for the success of the project. Besides, you will not get credit for the success of the project, as certain team members who are employees of the organization will claim it. How to handle the situation The first point a consulting project manager has to realize is that the current situation is not his or her fault and there is a limitation to his or her project management execution powers. In this situation, the project manager should maintain his or her composure and try to initiate a process that would be meaningful to the project and the organization. The project manager should expect daily directions from the SME who is his subordinate in the project. He should be fully aware that he is in a weird situation. The project manager should know who the upper management’s favorites are in the project team and try to get along well with these individuals and try to be buddies with them. He should understand the culture of the organization, the business need for the project, and its key stakeholders. The project manager should construct a project plan in consultation with the higher management and the team members and lay down a project timeline. The project manager should demonstrate the use of a process for: * Emphasizing the need to document project requirements * Recording minutes of meetings at appropriate times * Having a central repository to store all project deliverables * Having weekly status meetings with the project team * Encouraging good team performance to achieve the common goal * Documenting issues and resolving them in a timely manner * Coming up with project communication and project risk management plans * Emphasizing the need for appropriate sign off on key project deliverables from key stakeholders * Conveying the achievement of key project milestones to all stakeholders at appropriate times * Soliciting suggestions and inputs from the team during the various phases of the project. The project manager can have one-on-one discussion with the individual team members to understand their strengths in order to tap into those strengths for the benefit of the project and be able to motivate the team members. He should try to be in the loop in communication with the higher management to the maximum extent possible. This will contribute to the successful execution of the project in the long run. Project manager should understand the office politics and maneuver the project in a constructive way for the benefit of the team members and the organization. The project manager should make the ultimate goal of the project, how the successful execution and completion will benefit the end users as a whole, and what will be the cost savings from the timely completion unambiguous to the team. He should also get along well with the business users, as they are your customers. The project manager can discuss the project management issues with other project managers in the organization and get their help when needed. He should frequently monitor the project and keep its progress match the predetermined timeline. If the project budget allows for team lunches, it can be used to generate team cohesiveness. These suggestions are aimed at facilitating the project manager to overcome the challenges faced while executing projects in organizations with a difficult and complex management structure and ultimately help him bring a project to fruition. The author is CEO, Thariyiltech Consulting Services. He can be reached at nshyamk@thariyiltech.com