Project managers wear many hats, but perhaps none is more crucial than being the catalyst for productivity.
In an era where efficiency is king, understanding how to boost productivity isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential for project success.
But it’s more than that. It’s about creating systems that are productive, that is, creating an organizational structure where productivity isn’t just actively implemented, but baked in. The system produces the products while the project manager sleeps well at night knowing the system is efficient.
The project manager can focus on greasing the wheels instead of stepping on the gas.
Although there isn’t a one-shoe-fits-all method that will create a good system, the following four things will get you most of the way there:
1. Define Clear Objectives and Expectations
Think of objectives as your team’s North Star. Without it, you might as well be on a ship where everyone’s rowing in different directions because they think the island is on the left, the right, or perhaps under the ship. Clear objectives align your team’s efforts like a compass points north, ensuring everyone knows the destination.
Every member of the project team must know what is expected of them. Those expectations must be well defined and neither too easy nor too onerous. There’s a middle ground to which every project manager must strive. Too easy, and the team member is being told they are not a valued part of the system. Too hard, and the team member is exasperated, unhappy, and unproductive.
The project itself has goals and objectives which the project team strives to accomplish, that must be well selected and clearly communicated. Every project team must know what the next milestone is, what the standards are and what their role is.
A good guide is to make sure your goals are SMART:
- Specific goals ensure team members have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, reducing ambiguity and focusing efforts.
- Measurable goals allow for tracking progress, providing tangible evidence of advancement or the need for adjustment, which keeps motivation high through visible results.
- Achievable goals ensure that the team isn’t set up for failure, maintaining morale and fostering a sense of accomplishment.
- Relevant goals align with broader business objectives, ensuring that every task contributes to overarching success.
- Time-bound goals create urgency and a timeline, prompting efficient time management and prioritization.
2. Create Systems of Accountability
Accountability within a project team acts like the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring that every instrument—every team member—plays their part at the right time, in harmony with the collective goal.
By definition, projects use a finite amount of resources to accomplish a very specific goal. Therefore, also by definition, everyone’s work is an important part of the whole and nobody should be allowed to do their work in a bubble where nobody else knows or cares what they are doing.
Although that may sound harsh, people want to be held accountable. They want to play an important role on a team and know that their contributions are valued. Project managers who set up systems where everyone is accountable to someone or something are not being malicious, although heavy-handed ones could potentially be seen that way. Rather, there is once again a middle ground where productivity exists in synchronicity with happy project teams, and every project manager should strive for this ideal.
On top of that, when team members know they are accountable for specific outcomes it instills a sense of ownership over their tasks. This ownership naturally leads to higher engagement and diligence because each individual is aware that their performance directly impacts the project’s success or failure. Accountability creates a culture of responsibility where team members are more likely to seek out solutions to problems rather than pass the buck. They’re more inclined to communicate proactively about potential delays or issues, allowing for timely interventions.
When accountability is paired with regular check-ins and transparent progress tracking, it fosters a dynamic where peer pressure can serve as a positive force, encouraging everyone to strive harder not just for personal achievement, but to not let the team down. This environment not only boosts productivity through increased effort but builds the productivity system.
In essence, accountability transforms a group of individuals into a cohesive unit where productivity isn’t just a goal; it’s the basic expectation built into the project’s culture.
3. Embrace Agile Methodologies
There was a day when the Project Management Institute suggested that 30% of a project’s time and resources should be spent on planning. That day is over. Agile’s philosophy should be seen as a productivity system everyone should get on board with, even if the exact methods (scrum, sprint meetings, sprint retrospectives) aren’t specifically applicable to every project.
Even if you need a central budget and schedule for the whole project, agile methods, by definition, essentially start with a 30% gain in productivity. I understand some projects need central planning, but the bar is not high in this regard.
Unlike traditional methodologies that often lead to rigid, waterfall-like processes (one task following another, planned out meticulously from the beginning), Agile encourages flexibility. Teams work in short, manageable sprints, allowing for frequent reassessment and adjustment of project goals based on real-time feedback and changes in market or customer needs. This dynamic approach reduces the time spent on unnecessary features or incorrect directions, as the product evolves through constant collaboration between cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
By breaking work into smaller, deliverable pieces, Agile ensures that something valuable is produced quickly, providing immediate business value and user feedback. This focus on delivering working increments not only speeds up the time-to-market but also enhances quality through continual testing and integration. Moreover, Agile’s emphasis on daily stand-ups and sprint reviews keeps communication lines open and problems visible, allowing teams to address issues promptly.
This transparency and immediate problem-solving capability minimizes delays and rework, thus boosting efficiency. Additionally, Agile’s principle of empowering teams leads to higher motivation as individuals feel more ownership and accountability for their work. This environment of trust, where team members are encouraged to innovate and take initiative, results in a more engaged workforce, thereby building the productivity system.
4. Manage Scope Creep
Scope creep is the insidious project management foe that stealthily undermines productivity like a vine slowly overtaking a garden. It occurs when additional features, requirements, or changes are added to the project after the initial scope has been defined, often without proper adjustments to time, cost, or resources. Each addition might seem minor in isolation, but collectively, they can push the project off its planned trajectory. This expansion dilutes team focus, as members must juggle new expectations with existing tasks, leading to inefficiencies, missed deadlines, and a general state of disarray. In essence, scope creep transforms a well-oiled machine into a chaotic workshop, where productivity is not just slowed but often reversed, as the project struggles to find its path back to the original, now elusive, goals.
The answer to scope creep is meticulous scope definition, that is, the project manager must know exactly what tasks are part of a project and what tasks are not. There is no substitute to a solid project scope statement. Further, the tasks being performed must be constantly monitored and controlled to ensure they are within the project plan. If any task is over budget or behind schedule, root causes must be identified and dealt with quickly and decisively.
Communication with clients and/or customers (project stakeholders) must ensure that they understand the cost and schedule implications of project changes. All stakeholders must understand that a finite amount of money has been allocated to the project to produce a certain product and/or service, and that nothing is free.
Scope creep is not so much a building block in the productivity system as it is the one biggest parasite that destroys productivity systems, and as such the project manager can keep the machine well-oiled with a strong scope management plan.
Productivity in project management isn’t just about working harder; it’s about working smarter. By setting clear goals, embracing efficient methodologies, and managing scope, project managers can significantly boost productivity on a permanent basis.
Building a productive project team is a great accomplishment, and in no way is the intention of this article to minimize that. But building a productive system that runs on its own, with just a little maintenance here and there, is the true goal that empowers project success.
Leave a Reply