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Project Manager?

7/2/2013

 

I recently facilitated a Project Management Essentials training for FranklinCovey.  I was impressed by how engaged the clients were in the part of the program that dealt with "people issues."  For most of us, when we hear the words "project management" we see a picture of items on a Gantt chart - tasks, dates, deadlines, etc.  But, the reality is, that this part of project management -- the process part -- is really only half of the equation for success. 

The Project Management Essentials program, which was developed in close cooperation with the Project Management Institute, rests on the foundational idea that PEOPLE + PROCESSES = SUCCESS.  Often we neglect the preliminary work of understanding the stakeholders and effectively communicating as we wrap our process components (think gantt chart) around the project at hand. 

So, what do effective project managers do on the "people" side of things?  Four simple guidelines (FranklinCovey refers to them as Foundational Behaviors):
  • Demonstrate Respect
  • Listen First
  • Clarify Expectations
  • Practice Accountability
Yes, they sound like common sense, but as we dissected actual projects we found out just how often these foundational behaviors are conspicuously absent.  What has been your experience with these foundational behaviors?  Have you worked on projects where the manager made particularly good use of them?



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