The ABC’s of project management for project managers

I recently saw a very interesting independent movie (on DVD) that got me thinking. The 1992 film “Glengarry Glen Ross” is a film about desperate salesmen in dire straits. Alec Baldwin, who plays Blake, engages in an extremely abusive tirade with the sales team in which he exclaims “ABC. A-Always, B-Be, C-Close. Always close, always close.” Having been in a sales role in a previous life, I had heard this before, but pondered this for a moment. So I asked myself: “Is there ABC for project management?”

Digging into my collective project management resources, I found the document I intended to use as the basis for this article. It was titled “Project Manager Competencies” and he was sure it would provide information that would benefit project managers in all industries. It turned out after reading this document again that it was an eye-opening experience for me. Although I had seen this information before in a presentation, looking at it again I found out why the PMO in the corporation failed. The listed competencies were not linked to any project management competencies related to PMBOK or any other project management methodology, including the corporation’s own paid project management solution. In fact, the competencies were so widespread that they could be used for a typical managerial role. But being optimistic, I have a solution, so let’s dig into that.

As project managers, I believe we need to follow the same ABC’s as salespeople, but from a different perspective: “Always be closing.” Now let’s break this down into parameters that apply to project managers, this is an action oriented item. Think of all that a project manager is responsible for. First a quick review of the project management process groups, which consist of…

Start, Planning, Execution, Control and Monitoring, and Closing.

“Always be closing” in each of the project process groups. In each of these groups, there are a number of items that need to be addressed. Put them on your list or include them in the project plan and work to close the action items. Always be closing!

In addition to the process groups, there are nine Project Management knowledge areas that consist of…

Integration Management

Scope Management

Time management

cost management

Quality management

Human resources management

Communications Management

Risk management

Procurement Directorate

For each of these groups there are elements that can be determined necessary for the success of a project. Again, identify what needs to be done, go into the plan or to-do list, and “always be closing.”

There are more ABC’s of project management to take into account for the success of a project. The next ABC’s on the list is “Always be polite.” In this regard, it is good to remember that as project managers we are also responsible for interpersonal understanding and customer service. Interpersonal understanding involves functioning of individuals and knowing how to bring out the best in individuals on the team. Personally, I like DiSC’s personality profile method of learning about your team’s resources. When it comes to customer service, if you put yourself in the customer service role for a moment, as a project manager, you’re in a service role, and the team members are customers. Kindness and understanding will take you further than bitterness and intolerance.

Next on ABC’s list is “always be considerate.” This is not similar to the courteous guide. This is geared towards the impact and influence of a project manager. This is where a project manager must be considerate of the organization and understand the need to build relationships. If a project manager is aware of the organization’s goals and mission, the project manager can reinforce this when the going gets tough on projects. When it comes to relationship building, as a project manager, we may need to influence these relationships in order to have an impact on the success of the project by incorporating sound project management practices. The advantages of the sound process benefit current projects and provide valuable information for future projects.

This next ABC’s is all about the administrative side of project management and it’s “Always Farming”. The focus of this topic is teamwork, developing others, team leadership, and assertiveness. As a project manager, we have a leadership role that is responsible for the success of the team and the project. There are times when we may need to develop others, either through mentoring or training, to get the best results from team resources. We have to realize that when new teams are created, there is the typical training, normalizing, storming and conforming. In this situation (and others) we need to provide the leadership, persuasive assertiveness, and use of personal power to stay focused on project goals and strive for cooperation.

The next ABC’s for project managers is “always be cognitive.” This is the area where project managers must be prepared for analytical and conceptual thinking. When it comes to analytical thinking, as project managers we will be dealing with various complex problems and situations. There is a need to be able to analyze information and break it down into discernible facts that can offer a solution to a situation. This is not a specific task for the project manager, this may require the team to meet and discuss the situation and follow the process to analyze and resolve it. It must be the project manager who is able to recognize this and take the necessary measures. Conceptual thinking, on the other hand, may involve expertise or training in providing solutions. It is not based solely on facts, but also takes into account intuitive processes, creativity and inductive reasoning. I feel like this is where an organization can consider agile project management, keep in mind that this requires a specific type of project management mindset to be successful.

There are two more ABC’s to consider, so let’s move on. “Always be competent.” This has four areas to consider, self-control, self-confidence, flexibility and organizational commitment. These are pretty self explanatory still, let’s take a moment to go over them. Self-control is huge for the project manager when dealing with issues and risks that arise during the course of a project. By maintaining our composure in the face of challenges, we reflect our ability to take charge and keep a project on track. Self-confidence is one area that links a project manager’s ability to be in control of their environment and confident in the outcome. It is our ability to respond positively to a situation as opposed to reacting incapably. The point here is to take the time you may need to think and respond accordingly. There will be times when you will be asked to find a solution, respond with actions you can take to resolve the problem, and give yourself a deadline. Flexibility, this is a broad topic that takes into account resources and the triple constraints of project management. be aware of this and determine how to manage it with the success of a project in mind. The flexibility that exists depends on the type of project being managed. Organizational commitment is when you work to improve the organization, not the financial condition of your wallet.

Last but not least, “always stay in touch.” Put this heads up with “Always Be Closing”. This topic was not even on the original list of competitions, but it is certainly very important. As project managers, we need to be aware of project communications between team members and need to communicate the proper reporting of the project that feeds the chain. While it’s good to communicate things to the team in email, be sure to talk to team members on the phone or in person, especially if you’ve tasked them with doing something. I’m not sure I like the word “homework”. Why don’t we just drop the “T” and keep track of what you “asked” them to do? Communication is so important that we must be persuasive in our communication methods to encourage the best response from team members. I’ll say it here, that you won’t find me peeling a lemon and handing it out as a team snack. But add a little sweetener and water and you will quench even the most heated thirst. And really, that’s what we want to do, we want the project to work, we want the project to succeed. You must show kindness and kindness in your communications if you want them to be effective. There’s a time and a place to handle difficult team members, communicate in a way that gets the best productivity out of your resources, and measure results.

Let’s take a moment to recap this information. What we have reviewed here are seven ABC’s of project management for project managers. Here is a list of them…

1) Always be closing

2) Always be courteous

3) Always be considerate

4) Always be cultivating

5) Always be cognitive

6) Always be competent

7) Always be in communication

You might want to take the time to reread this article, take some notes, compare this to your current actions, and see if you can improve your results. If there is something you could do to improve the success of your project, your project team, or the organization, is there anything you learned here that might help you? I would certainly like to hear from you. Similarly, I would certainly like to hear about your experiences.