This gap is usually the result of the management encouraging efficiency over connection. While management gets the work done in the short term, without effective leadership, it leads to a higher rate of dissatisfaction and even attrition in the long term. A great way to bridge this gap is to encourage managers to be better leaders.

A person in a management role is expected to be a good leader but these qualities are neither synonymous nor mutually inclusive. Being a manager and being a leader both require separate skill sets which may or may not be possessed by the same person. And even though popular opinion seems to be that being a leader is more important than being a manager, the truth is that both these roles are critical for the success of a project.

Key Differences Between Managers and Leaders

We have all heard the expression that managers instruct and leaders inspire. While it does have anecdotal value, there is more to both these roles than meets the eye. A good manager is inclined towards following the process while a good leader is only bothered with the outcome.

For the success of a project, both qualities are essential. Of course, we require the results for the work, but following the process is equally important as the process is in place for a reason. Knowing when to focus on the process and when to amend it for the results is the balance that a good manager needs to find in order to become a good leader.

Personality

The personality of a manager is more authoritarian than that of a leader. Assuming control of a project and making decisions is what is expected of the manager, whereas listening to the needs and requirements of the team members and making adjustments is what the leaders tend to do. Managers act by the book while leaders are not afraid of taking risks.

Attitude Towards Goals

While managers and leaders are both goal-oriented, traditional managers tend to be more stringent about how the goals are met. For example, a leader may be okay with a part of the team working from home as long as the work is completed but a manager requires his team on-ground for the working hours. Similarly, a manager might be satisfied with the completion of the project but the leader ensures that the project is up to the expected standard.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence does not come with a designation but several studies have shown that EQ is a key factor in terms of effective leadership. So no doubt that a good leader embodies emotional intelligence and knows the right way to respond to difficult situations whereas it is a common complaint among employees that their managers do not seem to care for them.

Team Building Ability

The role of a manager is to ensure that the team functions together. Often managers stop at that. But a leader observes the team dynamic and removes any obstacles from effective collaboration. The leader also understands that he is as much a part of the team as anyone else, whereas managers tend to remain aloof from the team.

Communication Style

Managers often communicate in a formal and detached manner with their subordinates. And while most companies encourage a professional decorum in the workplace, limiting the communication to formalities, reduces the human factor of the culture.
In order for your employees to feel secure and a part of the establishment, they need to connect with each other, the management, as well as the larger organization. The connection takes place when a leader goes beyond the daily emails and chats to communicate in person.

Responses Under Pressure

How a person responds under pressure says a lot about them and this trait is observed by everyone around you. Managers tend to pass on any pressures they may get from clients, superiors, or even just their targets. This is because their primary concern is getting the work done. However, a leader understands that not everyone performs well under pressure and works with his team to ensure that the deadlines are met without stressing out the employees.

The Ideal Project Manager

Being a leader is clearly important but to be the ideal project manager, traits of being a good manager need to be balanced with the traits of being an effective leader. The ideal project manager is not simply a manager without a vision, nor a leader without competence. The key to being an ideal project manager is to incorporate the best of both these roles and switch from being a leader to a manager or vice-versa whenever required.

How to Be a Good Leader As Well As an Efficient Manager?

As far as popular corporate wisdom goes, people agree on the necessity of being a good leader but being a good manager is equally important. In a realistic setting, people don’t just need inspiriation, they need directions, guidelines, and even stringent deadlines. The key is to know when to employ which trait. It may seem like a lot of effort to inspire, as well as instruct, and also to know when to do which. But if you follow some basics, it will come to you naturally.

Plan

Planning is key to the success of any enterprise. You cannot earn a million dollars if you don’t plan for financial success. Planning ahead allows you to predict any pitfalls or obstacles that may come your way and find ways to eliminate them in advance. Planning also gives your team a direction to head towards as opposed to mindlessly finishing the given tasks.
As humans, we are wired to organize the world around us. We cannot feel comfortable in the states of anarchy, whether it be in society or our desks. So when the team has a plan, they will work extra hard to achieve the milestones which are preset. Achieving smaller goals also helps employees with their sense of satisfaction and increases their productivity as well as loyalty.

Listen

Planning by yourself will only work if you are working by yourself. In order for the plan to be effective, you need to listen to everyone involved in the project. Listening is not only about hearing everyone. Listening requires complete commitment to feedback and inputs. A good project manager needs to be able to listen to their teammates and make the necessary amendments to the plan. Listening is a key tool for collaboration in any project.

Organize

Organization is not limited to plans and projects but it also needs to be implemented in terms of a team. When everyone in the team knows their role and feels valued, they will rely on the managers less and offer more in terms of productivity, ideation, and even initiative.
Organizing a team allows managers to ensure that deadlines and targets are met by delegating the responsibility to the subordinates rather than micromanaging every task. You should be able track the status of tasks that you’ve delegated without it being extra work for you. You should invest in a task management tool to organize your project team’s daily workload and keep track of the progress of all tasks with a quick glance.

Inspire

As humans, we all need to be inspired and motivated in order to achieve our goals. The inspiration can come from all quarters. However, as an ideal project manager, it is your job to inspire your team. According to a recent study, those who are inspired, tend to be more effective at their work and personal goals. Inspiration does not have to be big speeches and motivational videos. Inspiration can come from brainstorming sessions, constructive feedback mechanisms, and also verbal appreciation. Effective leaders know their team well enough to understand what works for whom.

Be Human

Management requires a quality of discipline and heavy-handedness, agreed. But it is important that you do not lose the sight of what you are managing. Project managers handle projects but they are effectively managing the people in the project. The interactions within the team are more pertinent than you would imagine.
Allow for the team members to work at their own pace and time as long as they meet the targets. Be reasonable with overtime or weekend shifts. After all, you don’t want your team members to do a half-hearted job or worse, an ineffective one.

Collaborate

Even in 2020, many organizations encourage competition among employees. While a healthy competitive spirit is not a bad thing. Active competition among peers is linked to a negative cultural effect in the organization culture. Team members need to be working together to chase the same goal, not trying to outperform each other. Competition also tends to elevate stress and the feeling of demotivation among the team members.
As a project manager, you need to ensure that everyone is rewarded for their work sans comparisons. There needs to be a higher focus on collaboration, and you need to lead by example. Collaborating with your team will increase their trust in you and your leadership.

Focus on Results

A result-oriented leadership is often a successful one. However, what does it mean to focus on the results? If you have put efforts in your planning stage, you will have a distinct clarity on what results you are looking for. The outcome of the project needs to be clearly defined and that is what needs to be focused upon.
But simply asking the team to complete a project by the end of the month is not result-oriented leadership. It is okay to relax a few rules like break hours but it is also important to pitch in from time to time and ensure that the project is headed in the right direction. Again, the planning stage comes in handy here. If the larger outcome is broken down into smaller goals which are consistently met, you don’t have to worry about the final outcome. If they are not, you need to direct the team in order to meet the goals and guide them to make the right decisions in future.

The Everyday Implications of Leadership

Project management is often an underappreciated responsibility. While one needs to incorporate the virtues of a leader, a manager, a taskmaster, an organizer, and also an effective team member, it can be all done if you follow the basics of leadership and add your mix of management to it. And despite being a challenge, it also gives you an opportunity to learn, inspire, and be a role model for several people.

Leadership is not only the virtue of managers and corporate leaders. As a project manager, you can employ leadership skills in smaller tasks in order to come to a consensus and take strong decisions. According to a Forbes survey, there is a 93% chance that uninspiring leaders are rated in the bottom 10% for productivity. So it is clearly imperative that leadership development on an organizational level as well as a personal level is crucial for career growth.

The business structures of today are nothing like those present, say a 100 years ago, so we are essentially dealing with a system that it is constantly evolving without a roadmap. The only way to survive as a business or as a professional is to evolve along with the industry. And we all know that embracing change and capitalizing on it is an essential feature of leadership.

The post Are You a Leader or a Manager? first appeared on Xebrio.

Allow me to give you an overview, a project manager is just like a coach. They are responsible for ensuring that they have a detailed plan for custom software development and see to it that it is executed perfectly. The project manager must also keep track of the progress and also to make sure that the entire team is working together cohesively towards the common goal.

On the other hand, you can say that the Scrum Master is like a referee of the match. They are tasked with the responsibility to keep the game moving if any conflicts arise then help solve them, and more importantly, they strictly observe to see if everyone is playing by the rules i.e., in this case, the scrum master makes sure that everyone on the team knows about the scrum frameworks and that they are following the scrum process.

It seems that both of these roles are very important to make your project successful. In this article, we will discuss in length the differences between both of these roles.

Who is a project manager?

Coordinating the team to make sure that the tasks are done on time and the project is on the schedule;
The project must be managed within the budget;
The project must meet all of its goals;

When a professional is tasked with such responsibilities, that individual is called a project manager. They are most often seen taking care of finances, communicating with the stakeholders, leading meetings, making schedules, managing risks, and more.

The role of the project manager

When you hear the words project manager, you understand how much weight that name holds. After all, it’s the person who single-handedly manages an entire project and is also held responsible for the success or failure of the project. A failure can result in a project manager losing their job too. They are professionals who work at some firms. Of course, they might also have their firm. You can see a project manager in every type of sector, from construction to IT.

Project managers have to work within the predetermined budgets and deadlines. It is their responsibility to ensure that all the teams working on the project are completing their assigned tasks and hitting their targets. Because of a job so high on the hierarchy, project managers earn well for themselves. They usually have a Master’s degree or higher.

But they also have to deal with the stress and pressure put on them regularly by the high-level executives. It is important to mention that not everyone can fit in the shoes of an agile project manager.

Characteristics of a project manager

1. Time management: Every single project is constrained by a time limit. So a project manager must know how to manage that time effectively. They not only have to manage the time themselves, but they also have to make their team members manage it effectively too. Even a single delayed task can derail the entire project.
2. Negotiation: Negotiation is another skill every project manager must arm themselves with. A project manager communicates with many parties like the project board, scrum teams, users, suppliers, and more. And not everyone can be on the same page about everything. It is the responsibility of the project manager to negotiate the best way out of it.
3. Risk management: A project manager must also be able to recognize, and if the need arises, manage and control the hazards efficiently.

Who is the scrum master?

An individual who ensures that the project team is successfully applying the scrum principles is called the Scrum Master. They are tasked to support the team members and help them understand scrum frameworks, processes, and best practices. In short, the scrum master is the one who transforms a regular team into a scrum team.

A Scrum master is kind of a middle manager of a project. When you compare scrum master with project manager, scrum master might not have that much knowledge or experience necessary to become a project manager but they surely are interested in the potential pressure and responsibility. They do have the leadership skills that are needed to lead the scrum teams. They have to make sure that the scrum teams are making the most out of the scrum processes.

Similar to the project manager, not everyone can become the scrum master. They must possess knowledge and experience about scrum frameworks and their best practices. They must know how to use these principles, why to use them, and more importantly, how their project can benefit from the scrum principles and their implementation.

An individual who ensures that the project team is successfully applying the scrum principles is called the Scrum Master. They are tasked to support the team members and help them understand scrum frameworks, processes, and best practices. In short, the scrum master is the one who transforms a regular team into a scrum team.

A Scrum master is kind of a middle manager of a project. When you compare scrum master with project manager, scrum master might not have that much knowledge or experience necessary to become a project manager but they surely are interested in the potential pressure and responsibility. They do have the leadership skills that are needed to lead the scrum teams. They have to make sure that the scrum teams are making the most out of the scrum processes.

Similar to the project manager, not everyone can become the scrum master. They must possess knowledge and experience about scrum frameworks and their best practices. They must know how to use these principles, why to use them, and more importantly, how their project can benefit from the scrum principles and their implementation.

Key characteristics of a scrum master

A scrum master is in the possession of so many great abilities but for now, we are going to discuss the top three.

1. Agile Expert: Scrum masters have not only mastered scrum, but they have also mastered agility. They have knowledge and experience with various agile frameworks, methodologies, and best practices. Scrum Masters are very skilled in teaching these ideas too.
2. Servant-Leader: Yes, Scrum masters are servant leaders as well. They are the perfect example of what others should follow. They are the live example of scrum and agile principles.
3. Coach & Consultant: Apart from the project manager, sometimes the scrum master also has to play the role of a coach for the development team and the owner, and the organization. Through their coaching, scrum masters influence the mindset of the people working on the project. Occasionally, scrum masters are also called consultants because they offer counsel on agile governance and similar practices.

What is Scrum?

Scrum originated from the game of rugby. The same tactics that once helped players score points are now helping professionals earn money.

Every team in sports aspires to win and in business, winning is achieving goals and increasing revenues whenever possible. Scrum is sometimes referred to as a framework that provides flexibility to project managers and product owners. The five core values of scrum are:

• Commitment: Every team member has to believe and commit to the project, its goals and the practices used to get there.
• Focus: To keep the team focused, it is so important for the scrum master to let everyone know what their goals are. It’s easier said than done.
• Openness: No project ever goes as planned. The scrum master has to make sure that the team can effectively communicate about the problems they are experiencing while pursuing their goals and how to fix them.
• Respect: To complete the project and reach the goals, the entire team needs to work together and in sync. If your members are engaged in trash-talking and backstabbing, it won’t get any far. Your team members don’t have to be best friends to be successful but they should at least respect each other enough for the team to remain functional.
• Courage: Working on any type of project is tough. If you are working, you are expected to have all the answers all the time. Scrum masters have to instill courage in their teams so that they can do the right thing all the time.

After reading these values, you would understand how these scrum principles started in sports and were later adopted by businesses to build successful teams.

Scrum master vs Project manager

We have arrived at the key topic of our article and again we shall use the sports analogy to distinguish the functions and characteristics of both.

The scrum master – the sports analogy

A scrum master is like your quarterback or point guard. They are the leader of your team. They are very intelligent and they know how to make suitable modifications at a moment’s notice. This is your person who makes the call that calls when someone sees something and an audible needs to be called. When things go south and the team needs to come up with another tactic or plan, they all look forward to the scrum master. That’s the kind of respect a scrum master has earned from their peers as well.

Don’t confuse your scrum master as some hide-in-the-office type of person, they can work off in the field too. Think of them as middle management people but on steroids!

A scrum master knows everything about their projects as well as their teams. They also know what kind of person should work on a particular task and when they should do it. They are easily approachable. Whenever a problem arises within the project or team, a scrum master would never hesitate to intervene and solve your problems for you.

And if needed, the scrum master is not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and helping you out with your tasks. When they are not managing any important managerial task, you can see them dealing with organizational problems, sprints, scrum meetings, and keeping the team focused on their tasks and project.

Apart from all that, a scrum master can be a highly disciplinarian authority. A scrum master would know when a task is not completed properly or on time. They have to step in to school the employees who are not taking their job seriously or not doing it properly. And if needed, they can replace a team member too.

The project manager – the sports analogy

As we already have discussed, a project manager is just like the coach of a scrum team. All a player or a team member is ever going to do is execute a well-laid and practiced plan towards them. They are not going to get into the details of why we should do this. They know they just need to do so.

The “why” and the ‘coming up with a plan” thing is the job of a project manager.

Do you know that a sports coach would watch videos of previous games every week to iron out the exploitable weaknesses of their players and study the players of opposite teams too? Well, that’s what a project manager does too. They help the team overcome their weaknesses and become a balanced team capable enough to execute the plan designed by the project manager.  If you haven’t understood by now, allow me to give another example.

Let’s say you came up with a brilliant idea for a niche blogging website that has a lot of potential to be successful. After a lot of trial and error, you came to understand that you can develop this website and make a lot of money and then can sell it off when it becomes highly valuable.

So, you decide to hire an SEO team that can do all the content-related research for you. You also hire a few writers and video makers along with digital marketers to promote your website on social media platforms.

Now, come to think of it. In the SEO team, you have hired a content manager that can take care of all the SEO operations for you. But still, you have a say in every matter. You also don’t communicate regularly with all your team members except for your content manager.

Your team will continuously keep generating new content by following the plan of the content manager who is laying out all those plans based on your ideas. Your content manager also has the authority to hire or fire any team members if needed.

So, in this example, you are a kind of solopreneur. You are in the position of a project manager and your content manager is in the position of a scrum master.

The Purpose of the Sports Analogy

A sports team will be dismayed if they don’t have a coach, let alone bag a win. The same can be said for a team without a project manager. Indeed, both project managers and scrum masters do not have “playing sports” ‘ in their responsibilities but they do want to bag a victory. Therefore, it is also necessary that they work together as a team to make their project successful.

It is highly likely that both the project manager and scrum master might have different visions and goals but they have to work it all out for the best of the project. If that happens, their collective efforts can produce results that would make both their upper-level management and their clients happy.

The overall team efficiency and productivity can suffer if the project manager and the scrum master can’t see eye-to-eye. If you have that, you are already playing a losing game.

Takeaway

There are many similarities in the roles and responsibilities of scrum masters and project managers. You can think about it as a kind of Venn diagram. They are kind of two circles that are slightly intersecting each other. Because for most of the other parts, their personalities, characteristics, and duties differ a lot and are best fitted as per their position.

It’s the project manager, who comes up with a plan on how to work on a project. They are also responsible to put together all kinds of resources needed to make their project successful. A project manager also has the skill of looking at the big picture to see how all the pieces can fit together. Whereas, a scrum master will guide you on how to execute that plan or help you put all those pieces together.

Author Bio

Charles Richard is a Technical Business Analyst at TatvaSoft who enjoys sharing new and trending technical aspects. He believes that knowledge is meant to be shared and brings his expertise and dedication to the table to deliver exceptional results.

The post Scrum Master vs Project Manager: Differences Explained first appeared on Xebrio.

1. The Digital Project Manager

Hosted by Galen Low, each 1-hour episode of The Digital Project Manager covers an important topic when it comes to project management. For example, you’ll see that recent episodes have covered remote project management, how to manage expectations, and how to make the best sprint retrospectives.

Each episode brings on an expert, such as subject matter experts and real-life project managers, to help cover the topic at hand. It brings up all the subjects that matter most to project managers right now, and you’ll see that there’s lots of applicable advice that you can bring to your own work.

2. Project Management Happy Hour

If you like a podcast that’s more relaxed in tone, then you’ll want to check Project Management Happy Hour out. Hosted by Kim Essendrup and Kate Anderson, in every episode they aim to bring you the best tips for effective project management. That includes practical advice and examples from actual project managers, so you can see how you can apply that advice in your own work.

They also bring on guests to talk about important topics, such as what they wished they’d known when they started project management, as well as how to break into the field of project management.

Many like this podcast as they feel it doesn’t get as bogged down in technicalities as others do. Because it’s such an easy listen, it’ll be much more effective at teaching you new techniques and ideas.

3. Manage This

At 30 minutes each, these podcast episodes are a bit shorter and easier to get into, making the show very popular with busy project managers. With nearly 150 episodes under their belt though, there’s lots to check out at Manage This.

“No matter what field you’re in, there’s going to be useful and actionable advice for you here” says Darren Jeavons, a PM writer at Essay Help and UK Top Writers. “That makes the show something all project managers should be listening to.”

There are episodes on how to get started in project management, successful stakeholder engagement, the PMP exam, and much more. The show also features interviews with expert guests, so you can learn more from their experience too.

4. PM Point Of View

If you want a podcast that brings advice from the experts, you can’t do better than PM Point of View. Hosted by Kendall Lott, the show is made by the Project Management Institute, Washington DC (PMIWDC). As such, you’ll get some of the most up to date and useful information possible. Lott himself is highly experienced, having worked in project management for a large range of different companies and clients.

Their most popular episodes have covered things like cybersecurity in project management, influencers in the project management sphere, and what happens when a project fails. With so many interesting episodes to listen to already, you’ll learn a lot from this show.

5. PMO Strategies

If you’re a project manager at the project management office (PMO) level, then you’ll want to make sure that you check PMO Strategies out. Hosted by Laura Barnard, the show focuses more on the impact and outcomes of good project management. That means they take a different angle than others, that typically look at processes and the tools you need.

Working with guests on the show, they share the insights they have in project management, and learn more about how you can get the best outcome every time. Some of the best episodes here cover things like measuring outcomes, performance, and how to adapt to thrive in your field.

6. The Everyday PM

The Everyday PM is one of the newer podcasts on this list, and it already has a lot to teach you about the work of project management. Host Ann Campea has a focus on the day to day work of a project manager, rather than the overall view that a lot of other podcasts take. “Their approach means you’ll learn a lot about the skills needed to be a good project manager, as well as any of the tactics they use in their role” says Jeanette Pierson, a tech journalist from Research Paper Writing Service and Assignment Help.

When you check this podcast out, look for the episodes on how to assemble a team like the Marvel’s Avengers, how to to present well, and understanding the new normal of leadership. These will all help you learn more about being the best project manager possible.

7. People And Projects

While you can focus on the skills and technicalities of project management all day long, you’re also going to need excellent soft skills in order to get the most out of what you do. As such, you’ll want to check out People and Projects podcast. It has a real focus on the people you’re managing, and how you can get the most out of them.

As such, you’ll see episodes that look at how you can communicate with your team, how to keep them motivated, and how to improve productivity. These skills are just as important, so you want to make sure that you’re not neglecting them.

There’s over 350 episodes here so there’s a huge backlog that you can check out. If you want to get started, try listening to their episodes on leadership and self deception, how to be a better writer, and helping your team survive the messy middle of projects.

8. The Biker PM

If you’re working in project management in a small business, then The Biker PM is the podcast that you want to check out. Host Anthoney Pavelich talks to experts every episodes, including entrepreneurs who have started up their own businesses. In these episodes, he asks them about the challenges they faced when they first got into their businesses, and how they overcame them.

For those who are just starting out, this podcast is a must listen. You’ll be able to learn from a lot of the mistakes that others have made, and see how you can avoid them in your own work. If you want to learn more before you embark on your project management career, check this show out.

9. Projectified

If you’re someone looking for a more snappy podcast, that gets to the point quickly and gives you valuable advice, then you’ll want to check Projectified out. Each episode is just 20 minutes long, which is perfect for listening on your commute or on breaks.

This show was created by the Project Management Institute too, and it’s designed for anyone in the project management space. That includes senior managers as well as new ones, those in start ups and Fortune 500 companies and everywhere in between.

As the podcast is created by the Project Management Institute, you know that you’re going to get high quality and accurate information from the show. That way, you can use any advice you get here with confidence.

10. Project Management Paradise

Want to hear project management advice from someone who’s been there, done that? If so, then you’ll want to listen to Project Management Paradise. Hosted by Aaron Murphy, an experienced project manager, he aims to bring you advice that’s practical and useful in your day-to-day work.

You’ll also find plenty of interviews with other experts in the field, from a whole range of different industries. As such, there’s lots of info here and ideas that you can get from some of the top people around. You can get tips on how to shift organizational behavior, working within your company culture, and change management among many other topics.

11. 5 Minutes Project Management Podcast

The 5 Minutes Project Management Podcast, as you may have guessed, is only 5 minutes long per episode. Because of this, it’s one that you can easily squeeze into your day no matter how busy you are. Even though the episodes are so short, you’re going to get so much out of each and every one.

There’s lots of episodes in the backlog too, with 500 episodes covering a whole range of topics. With so much here, you’ll find tips on crisis management, managing staff, improving your own skills, and much more. Even better, the episodes count towards Professional Development Units (PDUs) if you’re studying towards a CAPM or PMP certification.

As you’ve seen, there’s a wide array of project management podcasts out there right now. With so many available, there’s going to be something here that covers your needs. Whether you’re just starting out, need to learn new skills, or want to learn more about people management, there’s a podcast in here for you. Start listening now and see what they have to offer.

About the Author

Jenny Han is a writer for Do My Homework and PhD Writers. She covers project management across all industries and stages of your career. She’s also a blogger for Write My Essay.

The post XI Project Management Podcasts That You Should Check Out first appeared on Xebrio.

Leaders or project managers often tend to harp on stats and numbers when it comes to project success. And who can blame them? Project managers carry the load of managing people, processes, and performance in the entire project.

Project management can sure feel like a thankless job at times. One can forget to reflect on what went into a successful project –– several teammates giving their best efforts, pulling long hours, perhaps burning the candle at both ends. It’s essential, as a project manager, to be thankful and show gratitude to those who worked hard and made it happen.

Why You Need to Be Thankful and How Gratitude Affects Your Project’s Performance

Being appreciative and thankful, having gratitude, rather than a “you just did your job” attitude goes a long way in improving your relationships with your teammates. A team that likes their manager and looks up to them always performs well, making you a better manager in turn.

But the positive effects of gratitude are much deeper than that. Neuroscientist and author Dr. Alex Korb believes that gratitude is capable of making a powerful impact on your life since it engages your brain in a virtuous cycle.

A Psychology Today article outlines the areas of the human brain affected by appreciation and gratefulness. The all-important hypothalamus, the mission control center, is positively affected. The hypothalamus regulates basic bodily functions and hormones, such as dopamine. When you feel and express gratitude, all bodily functions and day to day behavior are improved, and you perform markedly better.

As you can imagine, this stimulus has significant positive effects in the workplace, such as prosocial interactions and better work-life balance. This directly impacts work results and elevates not only performance and engagement but also wellbeing and health.

According to professor Robert Emmons from the University of California, “A lack of gratitude is one of the primary reasons for job dissatisfaction, burnout, absenteeism, and attrition. He adds further, “Most of our waking hours are spent on the job, and gratitude, in all its forms, is a basic human requirement.”

Appreciation, a sister discipline of thankfulness, is a stronger motivator than monetary benefits. According to a study conducted by Glassdoor, 80% of employees would work harder for an appreciative boss, and 70% would feel better about themselves and their efforts if their boss expressed gratitude and appreciation more regularly.

What Are Project Managers Grateful For?

Kristyn Medeiros from Planview has a remarkable anecdote to share –– This year, I thank resource requests.

She says, “A few years ago, I was in charge of running the entire PMO. The team was executing the process to the letter, yet somehow we were consistently delivering projects late. We invested in professional project management training, went over every little detail in the projects, reached out to stakeholders to get their feedback, but nothing seemed to work.”

Kristyn realized, the team was facing these problems because of an informal approach that left severe gaps in communication with the resource manager. As a result, all teams were overbooked and overcommitted.

She soon put a project work authorization and resource requesting process in place, monitored by a project management tool. Now, Kristyn’s teams were delivering projects on time, and everyone loved how the new tool and a structured operation process made their lives easier.

Such anecdotes serve to remind how project management is an exciting, challenging, and fulfilling job.

How Should You Thank Your Team When Celebrating Thanksgiving?

Gratitude is a core element necessary for effective team building. Most of us recognize it, but not everyone expresses it.

Mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead says,

“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”

The former CEO of Campbell Soup famously 30,000 thank you notes to his employees. That is heartwarming and indeed an impressive feat! If not 30,000 ‘Thank Yous.’, you could definitely give out 30, right?

You could follow this guide mentioned in Gary Chapman’s and Dr. Paul White’s book ‘5 languages of appreciation in the workplace’.

The book details the 5 ways in which you can express appreciation and gratitude for someone, characterized by:

1. Words of Affirmation : Send a personalized email, a heartfelt message thanking a teammate for their efforts and the skills they bring to the project. Or, better yet, put up a post-it or a card expressing gratitude for all that they have done for you so for. A hardcopy will serve as a pleasant reminder of the attitude of gratitude, and thankfulness felt in the project team. Besides, handwritten notes are a rare and valuable commodity in today’s times.

If you’re having trouble with it, see if you can mention most of these things in your personalized note.

• What have they helped you with?
• What character qualities do they demonstrate?
• What do they do that is indispensable to the team?
• What talents or skills do they bring to the project?
• What did you learn from them?

At the end of your message, add a special touch by asking if you can reciprocate in some way.

e.g., Dear Ted,
I really appreciate what you do for me. Thank you specifically for the [effort you put…/ the way you handled that situation…] with your [decision…/ quick-thinking…/ expertise…/ courage…/ flexibility etc.] and you [saved the day…/specific desired result… / helped us deliver on time, etc.]. You have always been such a help, I appreciate your [ character skill…/ talent…/ unique quality] and support in every way. I am happy to have you on my team, and I’m looking forward to making this project a success.

2. Acts of Service : Help out a teammate with their project work, or do something that’ll make their life at work easier. It can be as easy as getting them coffee, reminding them to stay hydrated, supporting them and their vision in a meeting, helping out with any dependencies their tasks might have, or merely being obliging and mindful of their time and efforts.

3. Giving Gifts : Give your team a small, inexpensive holiday-themed or Thanksgiving gift. You can go for personal items that hold specific value to the particular teammate, and something that can adorn their desk. A picture of the team celebrating in a festive photo frame will also do the trick. Depending on your teammates, get sweet treats like candy, cupcakes, a slice of pumpkin pie, or healthy munchable snacks. Encourage your teammates to do the same for each other and see how much of a better place the office remains all year long.

4. Quality Time : Take your team out to a sumptuous lunch or indulge in some team building activities. Multiple studies such as this one from the Department of Health Policy Management (iBMG), Rotterdam show that such team building activities will not only make your teammates feel de-stressed and happier resulting in elevated productivity and performance levels, but also create a sense of oneness and induce a greater understanding of each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests resulting in an excellent and well-adjusted team that delivers great projects together.

5. Physical Touch : Some teammates respond better to a high five, a warm handshake, a pat on the back, or a hug, supplemented with a few kind words than to a thank you message or a gift. Small gestures and physical contact establish an emotional connection with a person, making them feel loved, appreciated, and valued. Obviously, everyone’s comfort levels and personal boundaries are different. You need to know which of your teammates would be okay with what. Some may find hugs endearing, some will only like a handshake or a high five. Check out how to make teammates feel comfortable with physical gestures of appreciation and gratitude.

The key to thanking someone lies in figuring out what they like, what their love language seems to be. As a project manager, your teammates look up to you. You can lead by example and introduce an attitude of gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciation.

How to Bring the Thanksgiving Cheer to Your Project Team?

Along with saying thanks, to get your team in the spirit of Thanksgiving and give yourselves a reason to replace the Halloween decorations with fresh ones until Christmas. You can do the following things:

Think of a fun team activity.
Instead of the age-old, cumbersome, cliche tradition of just making a turkey dinner, pull a secret turkey party ––– precisely like secret Santa, but, you give a small trinket or gift and a big, heartfelt, personalized thank you note to the person you are assigned. The gifts are not the focal point of this activity, the notes are. The gifts can be as simple as office supplies and stationery. Although you can personalize the gifts and make it even better. Bonding over making amusing turkey day crafts and decorating the office is also a good idea.

Create a room of thanks, or a thank you tree.
Give your teammates a warm surprise they’ll never forget by making a tree or filling a wall(s) with little post-its of names of teammates written all over it, and letting teammates write short thank you messages all over.

Throw together a turkey day play.
Perform a thanksgiving play or, for more fun, dress up, include some inside jokes, involve the audience – make it a fun and fresh way to celebrate your company’s history and the people who have made it what it is.

Compete in festive games.
Play festive games with your team to enjoy Thanksgiving with some team bonding while also preserving the traditional cheer. You can always put a festive spin on regular team building games, or reprise some of the fun games you played as a child on Thanksgiving. Coming up with these is almost as much fun as playing them!

Hold a recipe competition or make it a potluck.
You can count on everyone’s fridges and cabinets being chock full of thanksgiving food and hold a recipe competition that makes uses of the thanksgiving feast. You can also celebrate the diversity in your team by announcing a potluck where everyone brings food they traditionally like to enjoy with the family and friends.

Bonus –– a Guide to Celebrating Turkey Day the Project Management Way

We think you could make great use of your inner project manager to make sure your dinner party guests will never forget what a success Thanksgiving at your place was.

Step 1 : Outline the project scope.
How big of a celebration do you want? How many guests? What do your guests like?

Step 2 : Chalk out the requirements.
How many pots, plates, and pans would you need? Would you have to take out your fine china? Do the guests want a turkey, or do you think they would be okay if you tried the ‘turducken’ recipe you’ve wanted to.

Step 3 : Make a task list, collaborate with your team.
Make a menu, a list of whom you’re going to invite, delegate what you need to –– who’s bringing what, who’s helping how, and create your shopping list.

Step 4 : Set the timelines.
Schedule sufficiently ahead of time what you’re going to make exactly when. Figure out what time everything needs to go in the oven and in what order for it all to smell delicious and be ready at just the right time.

Step 5 : Manage Risks.
What if someone’s on an ill-timed diet? What if someone has turned vegan for the festive season? What about the gluten and nut allergies? What if the carving knives are not sharp enough? You need a risk management plan.

The Essence of Celebrating Thanksgiving in Project Management

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. Sure, everyone, along with the turkey looks forward to watching a game of football and being stuffed while enjoying the company of people who love you. But, its real virtue is greater, since it is born from a beautiful historical tale of hardship, intercultural tolerance, sharing, celebrating abundance, resourcefulness, friendship, peaceful coexistence, and support –– values that are as important in project management and working as a team as in life.

The post Celebrating Thanksgiving With Your Team As a Project Manager first appeared on Xebrio.

However, the budget overshot by more than twice the stipulated cost and delays plagued the project. “Any changes in estimates would be a result of changes in project scope as well as the Census Bureau identifying additional opportunities for us to add value,” said the spokeswoman of the company managing the project, proving that such consequences were a direct result of project scope creep.

What Exactly Is Project Scope Creep?

When the uncontrolled changes in the project scope go far beyond the original vision of the project, they give rise to what we call project scope creep. It’s a subtle process, often uncaught before it’s too late, and that is why it is so important to recognize when your project is going down the wrong path.

However, alterations in a project are inevitable, and assuming that every adjustment requested by the client will lead to scope creep is a rookie mistake. It is only when these additional requirements fail to address and account for the effect on the time, cost, and resources pre-determined to complete the project that the scope starts creeping.

To recognize what scope creep in project management is, you first need to weed out what it is not. So, assess and evaluate every new request by asking yourself the following questions:

• Is this shared after the project scope is finalized?
• Will this create additional work that may become unmanageable and too expensive for your team?

If the answer to both of these questions is negative, then you can happily accommodate the modification and satisfy your client.

Pro Tip: Don’t get confused between scope creep and feature creep. While scope creep is used for additional requirements, feature creep refers to stuffing a product with too many features and making it less valuable to the user.

Why Does It Happen?

Being as elusive as it is, it comes as no surprise that more than half the projects experience scope creep. While some of the factors behind it may be unavoidable, there are still plenty that can be handled efficiently if identified at the right time. Here is a list to help you determine what scope creep is generally the result of, and how each cause affects your project.

1. Mismanaged Requirements

If the project requirements aren’t defined clearly, the client can assume that certain requirements are included in your scope, even if they aren’t. And they will not be at fault here. For all you know, the client has always believed the requirement to be a part of the original brief. Lack of clear, defined goals can even result in you taking up minor tasks without realizing their impact on the project, ending up shifting the focus from the primary goal.

Moreover, the client’s responsibility towards the project ends at detailing what they demand from the product so that it can meet their business needs. How you manage the project by defining the requirements is entirely your cross to bear.

2. Undocumented Modifications

If the changes and addition to the requirements by the client are not adequately recorded, you cannot estimate whether they fall under the purview of the project or not. This may result in taking up tasks that hinder the progress of the project. Improper documentation also makes you unable to answer to the client about project delays or cost overruns resulting from such a requirement.

3. Last Minute Feedback

If you receive the feedback for the entire project when you’re more than 50% done with it, even a minor but fundamental request for change can result in wasted time for your team. With already packed schedules, it is essential to avoid last-minute feedback that can potentially impede the growth of your project. You create prototypes of your product at various stages of the lifecycle of the project, to give the stakeholders an idea of what different aspects of the product you’re developing would look like.

4. Poor Stakeholder Communication

If there is an unfortunate communication gap between you and the stakeholders and clients, or if there is more than one stakeholder on the client’s end, the difference in their opinions on how they want the product to be, can confuse your team and ultimately lead to scope creep. On the other hand, if you have connected your team members to the client directly, requests can be made to them separately and remain undocumented, which can also affect the scope of the project.

5. Underestimating Project Complexity

Another reason for a project inviting scope creep is if it is new, lengthy, and convoluted. When you’re missing the references of famous examples of scope creep for projects that don’t have a blueprint that you can refer to establish previous flaws, scope creep is bound to happen. The more complicated such projects are, the easier it is for scope creep to expand.

How Can You Avoid It?

Even though scope creep is the leading cause of project failure globally, only 6% of project managers list preventing it as a method of risk management. From the ones that do wish to deal with scope creep head-on, most focus on eliminating it, rather than suitably handling it. Scope creep is inevitable. The best you can do is manage it in such a way that it becomes beneficial to the project rather than obstructive.

1. Define Each Requirement Clearly

Ensure you get each requirement checked and approved by the client once it has been noted down. This will make sure that you do not miss anything the client wants to add to the brief. It will also allow you to account for more time and cost if the current estimate cannot fulfil the additional demand.

2. Allow Traceability at Each Step

Make sure the client approves each milestone and task at completion. This will help avoid the issue of last-minute feedback and give your team enough time and clarity to work on the next tasks, with the previous changes in mind.

3. Align Stakeholder Expectations

While defining project requirements, ensure that each stakeholder signs off on each step in the requirement formalization process. This will guarantee that everyone is on the same page, helping circumvent confusion within your team. Also, keep a single line of communication by not connecting your client directly to your team. Instead, be the person of contact between both the groups to avoid miscommunication.

4. Keep Proper Records

Record every change, even minor ones, requested by the client. Proper documentation can help you understand how the scope of the project is changing, allowing you to seek more time and money to account for it. In case the progress of the project suffers from any of these requirements, you can also use the records to help soothe a dissatisfied client.

5. Create Contingency Plans

For projects that you do not have experience with or that are fresh and have never been tried before, it is best to build some contingency into them by keeping the budget slightly higher and the deadline slightly further than what you think is necessary. Allowing some slack in your project scope will prevent creep if you experience any unforeseen circumstances.

How Can You Save Your Project?

Once you’ve been trapped in the scope creep cycle, you may think that your only option is to break your back in trying to satisfy the client. This creates a culture of acquiescence and may give rise to resentment towards the project or even towards you, within your team. The following options can help you deal with scope creep.

1. Find the Root Cause

Often, the clients themselves are confused about what exactly they need. When they ask for an addition, ask them why they think it is necessary and what user benefit it brings, or what problem it solves. Finding the root cause can help you resolve the issue in a way such that it requires no work or minimal work on your team’s part. Once you know the reason behind the client’s demand, you can look for simple solutions to it and present them with those, instead of blindly working on whatever is asked of you.

2. Create a Second Project

If the client still insists on alterations, inform them that they are in line and can be carried on in a second project after the current one is completed. This way, you are not denying their request but will still be able to bill them for all of the changes without having to rush to fit them within the time limit.

3. Zero Invoice Your Client

If you have to work on a modification without any additional costs, it is best to make your client realize that it is something you are offering to them to better your relationship. Every time a new requirement is presented, send the client an invoice with the cost of the service mentioned but zeroed out. This will create an understanding and put a monetary value on your investment in the relationship.

How Can You Deal With Clients Who Keep Changing Their Minds?

While it is always nice to have satisfied customers, you don’t have to let yourself, your profits, or your team suffer to achieve that. When clients make unreasonable demands that can lead to scope creep, use the following methods to deal with them.

1. Invest in a Requirements Management Software

“A formalized framework of change control is imperative for preventing scope creep from occurring by acting as the first line of defense against unauthorized and uncontrolled changes, “- according to a study conducted by the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics. Requirement extraction and management are crucial elements that result in scope creep if mismanaged, and regulating and formalizing them can significantly improve your change control process.

A requirements management tool like Xebrio which enables requirement versioning essentially allows teams to document the changes in the evolution of a requirement, making it harder to squeeze in changes last minute. You can create a documented, transparent, and trackable channel between you and your client, allowing you both to analyze and sign off on each requirement and milestone, eliminating miscommunication. In Xebrio, work on a particular requirement does not start until the relevant stakeholders and project team members have approved it. And when a requirement is approved, it can be tracked throughout the lifecycle of the project.

2. Have Unambiguous Service-Level Agreements (SLAs)

Simple and straightforward SLAs that clearly define the terms that both you and your client agree on is a necessity if you want to avoid exploitable loopholes and probable messy disputes. SLAs can help you manage customer expectations and can work as a performance metric at the end of the project.

3. Understand the Client’s Intention

While it is easy to make the client the bad guy, you have to understand that a lot of the times, these changes are not imposed so the client can get something out of you, but because they themselves do not know what they require from the product until they see it working. Changes can crop up when the client intends to get the best product efficiently. Try and guide your client on how changes can be made that can add the same value to the product the client requires without hampering it’s growth or adding to its cost.

You Don’t Have to be a Scope Creeper!

Playing a scope cop isn’t easy, especially when you have to choose between profits and satisfied customers. A distinct understanding with the client before you start working on the project can help you avoid most of it. But, it is also imperative to be aware of any additions in the work when the project starts, so you can quickly identify requirements that are out of the scope of the project and find ways to manage them without affecting its development.

You don’t have to be the sole bearer of the responsibility to curb and manage scope creep. Using a requirements management tool and maintaining transparency within the team can both act as ideal measures for the members to scrutinize and discuss all project information. This involvement of all the stakeholders from your end can help either remove the risks, or, at the very least, mitigate them.

The post Project Scope Creep 101: Your Guide to Understanding and Preventing It first appeared on Xebrio.

Even though an interview generally lasts no longer than an hour, and results from a survey of 2,000 hiring managers found that 33% knew whether they would hire someone in the first 90 seconds, it is hiring project managers that we’re talking about. So then, how do you fish out pearls in open seashells?

Here, I have laid out of few suggestions for questions that you could ask, but at the risk of repeating myself I’ll say that project management is tough and what a project manager does varies for every company, so maybe treat this list as just a – ‘serving suggestion’.

Personal Questions

Personal questions, especially insightful ones reveal the life the candidate has lived & built, the experiences that have shaped and the way they react and handle situations at work, and whether they will fit into the corporate culture of your company or not.

1. What is your background(personal and professional)?
Get to know the candidate’s story, what parts of it they choose to tell, and what they leave out from this first question. This may devolve into more specific questions, but I find that keeping it this kind of a catchall question actually allows you to discern more about the candidate and their self-confidence.

2. What skills do you think you possess that make you fit for the job?
Ask the candidates what value they bring to the job. After all, they know themselves the best. This question will also let you know what the candidate feels about the company and what level of understanding they have for the role you’re offering.

3. How would your best friend, and how would your current boss describe you?
This is a particularly telling question cloaked as a fun, harmless one. Most of us operate in two different versions of ourselves with one version being our most authentic self that a best friend knows and the other version of yourself that our bosses deal with. The answer really offers an insight into how the person can switch versions or bring the best of both worlds to the job when it is required.

4. Do you have a story to share or an incident about yourself that changed your work ethic, or gave you a new perspective?
While it is essential to evaluate a candidate’s skills, it is equally important to ascertain whether their personal values are aligned to the company’s values. This question will also tell you how the candidate felt and reacted in certain situations and what wisdom they will bring to the project team.

5. What is your ideal job, and your ideal project?
The goal of this question is to know what the candidate prefers to work with and is an excellent indicator of whether they will enjoy working in your business domain, whether they will give their best and whether they will bring value to your projects in the long term.

6. How would you describe yourself in one word?
Candidates who know themselves the best would be able to assess other people and situations well too. The better candidates will take a while to answer and put some thought into it. You know, it is maybe not the best candidate who will blurt out the first thing off the top of their head.

Work Experience and Background

These questions are a must, of course. They are very cut and dry and give you an immediate and direct answer to whether this interview will go ahead at all or not.

1. Have you ever worked in this industry?
It is crucial to know whether the candidate has real-world experience of the same industry or not. Project managers have to know the project and what they’re doing well so if the candidate has no idea about the project they’re going to work for, the interview is at a dead end.

2. What challenges did you face while working on your last project, and how did you overcome them?
The guessing game is over with this question, and you come to the practical part of the interview where you get to know how a person has responded in a familiar situation within the context of project management.

3. Have you ever been a part of a failed project? Which project of yours are you the proudest of?
This is the question that tells you how a person measures success or failure and how they handle it. It also lets you know how much knowledge a candidate has about risk mitigation and failure management.

4. What led to that failure, and how did you and your team recover the losses after?
What went wrong? This question will let you know how a person will get up and lead a team after a setback. Project managers need to be expert planners. Most importantly, they need to be able to identify common potential risks and have an idea about making thorough risk mitigation plans.

5. Do you have experience of budget management or working on a tight budget & strict deadlines?
Some candidates may seem like the perfect project manager until they’re given a shoestring budget and a tight deadline. Project managers are very likely to be in high-pressure situations and how they handle stress and make-do with imperfect conditions is an excellent indicator of how good a manager they are. Plus budgeting is one of the core disciplines of project management. So it is nice to have someone who is experienced in thriving with suboptimal resources.

6. Have you had to manage remote teams and outsource resources or functions? 
Managing in house teams and remote teams are very different experiences. You want someone who has handled remote teams and knows well how outsourcing some project functions works.

7. What is the one thing that you like about your current supervisor and one thing that you don’t particularly like? 
The answer to this question will provide you all the insight you need into their communication style and their pattern of forming relationships with their teammates and managers.

Management Style

These questions tell you what kind of a manager the person is and whether they are willing to adapt to fit your company’s culture and their team.

1. What is your preferred leadership style?
A good project manager is a great leader. A candidate will only be so good if they’re not a competent leader.

2. What is your communication style?
Communication is vital. It is the cement that holds together the project, and a good project manager is nothing if not an effective communicator. They should be able to expertly change strategies while communicating with different groups and deploy various techniques to get the best out of their teammates.

3. Is there a project management technique that you prefer?
The goal of this question is to find out whether the candidate has a working knowledge of project management techniques and will be able to change track depending on working situations and groups.

4. Do you use any tools to aid project management and help your team?
A good manager knows how to optimize work and is aware of how to harness technology for better project management and execution. They see the difference a project management tool can make.

5. What kind of people do you find it challenging to work with?
This question often tells you about the candidate’s people management skills and how they navigate their way around small problems like these that can quickly escalate and get out of hand.

6. How do you communicate failure to your teammates?
Proficient project managers instill optimism in teammates, encourage them to get back on their feet, and can put an optimistic spin to failure while painting a realistic picture.

7. How do you control changes in your project? 
Any good manager worth their salt appreciates the importance of change control and change management and ensures certain constraints are put in place. A worthy candidate might not be experienced in leading a team directly, but should be able to envision how they could control or conquer change. +10 points if they would want to opt for tools to do so.

8. How do you monitor and review work that you have delegated?
Monitoring and tracking responsibility is one thing that managers absolutely have to do. This question helps you understand whether the candidate will have a comfortable grasp over project execution or will be a micro-manager. Even though it is super difficult to answer this question without knowing anything about the processes and dynamics of the project team, a capable candidate will recognize the complexity of keeping an eye on the entire project execution and wisely suggest making use of project management software to do so.

9. What do you do when you’re off your game?
No one is built to function in top form all the time. Everyone knows there are highs and lows. Here candidates should be able to steer the conversation from how they could be off their game to how they will respond proactively, fall back on their team and harness the team’s collective expertise to get back up.

Unexpected questions

Many candidates, especially the ones that are looking to fill the position you’re offering have most likely conducted interviews themselves, or have had many interview experiences to expect certain questions and have prepared answers for them.

But isn’t that really not what project management is like? Project managers face unexpected problems every other day. They’re supposed to suck it up, take the bull by the horns and put out fires. No one prepares them for that.

So when you sneak in an unexpected question that may force candidates to think on their feet, you get to know how they may respond to curveballs and uncharted waters. Project managers must have confidence in their decisions.

Think out of the box to come up with these questions. It can almost be the whackiest question you can think of. These need not even have an answer to them.

Some good ones I have heard that made me chuckle as well as think a little are:

1. How tall are the pyramids?
2. How many normal-sized rubber duckies do you think can you fit in this office?
3. Is there something you don’t usually tell prospective employers?
4. Do you think you are a good liar?
5. What is your spirit animal?

Situational and Domain Knowledge questions

With some candidates, it is advisable to cut the chase and instead of postulating how specific answers indicate what they may do, directly ask them what they plan to do in specific commonly occurring situations.
These questions should be tweaked to fit the scenarios a project manager in your company would commonly face or be about a particular quality you’re looking for.

For example,

1. The client is being difficult and is not happy with the end result of your project. How do you deal with this?
Here, the right answer must cover a through approach that suggests repeated and careful communication with the stakeholders and clients, strong SLAs and then, keeping in mind the old adage “The customer is always right”, a strategy to appease and maintain a long-lasting relationship with the customer, without burning both ends of candle.

2. What are the key challenges in the industry today, and how can you deal with them?
This is one of my favorite questions. Direct and to the point. The candidate usually has an answer prepared for this question which gives you an insight into their strategy coming into this interview, their level of preparedness along with domain knowledge.

3. What do you do when a project is off-track?
Any candidate worth hiring should be able to answer this question since it is a fairly common scenario. The answer should include an action plan which goes something like this: Asses, Identify, Communicate, Train for recovery, Reallocate, Execute, and Reassess.

It is also important for a project manager to consider a situation that goes out of hand, and know when to cut their losses on a failing project.

4. Have you ever had to adapt to and manage change?
The corporate landscape is changing faster than a speeding bullet. Good project managers anticipate, acknowledge, and lead change. Even if you don’t get an exact answer with specifics, but a positive and accommodating attitude shines through, it is proof enough that the candidate will lead and manage change to take the company to greater heights.

5. What would you like to ask me?
Many a time, the questions asked by candidates to prospective employers are more telling than the answers they give employers. Asking pertinent questions shows an ability to think on their feet and turn an unexpected situation into a win.

What should you look for in a project management candidate?

It is hard to tell whether a person will be the best ever project manager you have had. But, what you can look for is a killer attitude and the three Cs as devised by author and businessman Glenn Llopis.

“Chemistry, Conviction, and Courage”

These are the people that will bring the following, coveted skills to your business.

1. Effective communication
2. Ability to lead and inspire
3. Decision-making skills
4. Passion and enthusiasm
5. Integrity
6. Ability to grasp and harness technical expertise
7. Empathy

If you’re appearing for a project management interview –

Project management interviews go well if you go in with the approach of selling yourself rather than relying on the scorecard of your experience or your domain knowledge, given the nature of the role.

Here are a few tips and common mistakes to avoid:

Avoid ‘winging’ it:
Make sure you take time to prepare for interviews, do your research, and take time to think before you articulate a response.

Avoid giving non-tailored responses:
Make it as relevant and tailored to fit the company and domain you’re interviewing for as you can. This is something to take care of if your previous job was very different from the one that you’re applying for.

Avoid going off-topic:
This is a classic mistake that many of us make. Perhaps it is your nerves, the vibe of the room or the friendly front of the interviewer, the best of us sometimes tend to overshare and get off-topic.

Avoid adopting extremes:
Steer clear of Machiavellian solutions in an attempt to demonstrate control over your team or showing off that you are a result-driven perfectionist.

Give credit to your team while talking about your achievements:
Show that you’re a modest team player and that you’re not fond of being hailed as the sole hero.

If you’re an employer hiring project managers ––

Focus on the person, not the persona. Craft such questions that will give you an insight into what the person is like, instead of dwelling on the persona they’re presenting. Expect imperfections and be ready to train. Here is a beautiful Chinese proverb that sums this up perfectly

“Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” 

Once you do hire a kickass project manager, the one thing you should do is make sure they thrive in the company and build great projects, by providing them with the top tools and resources to do so.

You know, it is not for nothing a whopping 77% of high performing projects use project management software

Xebrio is a cloud-based project management software that eases every function of project management and goes where no (read as most) project management software goes, starting right from requirements management, all the way to release management.

The post Top 38 Project Manager Interview Questions and Answers first appeared on Xebrio.

The post Top Challenges Faced by Project Managers first appeared on Xebrio.

What are the Key Factors Driving Project Management in 2022?

An ever-increasing demand for project managers:

By 2027, the project management-oriented labor force is expected to grow by 22 million jobs.

Dynamic shifts in the core job of a project manager:

From merely tracking project delivery to accommodating newer trends in project management, technology, and understanding how millennials work – the role of a project manager has evolved to encompass social, personal, technological, psychological, and skill-oriented factors.
As an example, consider this – by 2025, millennials will make up for 75% of the labor force and will demand greater transparency, work fulfillment, and accountability – as opposed to better salary and incentives – as prime requirements from businesses. Understanding subtle yet strategic changes such as these can propel you towards becoming an exemplary project leader.

Changes in the way project teams work:

Remote working is not just a future trend, but the reality. More and more people are opting for remote work these days. According to a survey by FlexJobs, 3 out of 4 workers would stay with their current employer if they could work flexible hours and the number of people who work from home has increased by 140% since 2005.

How Can Today’s Project Managers Cope With Changing Trends?

Today’s project managers need to be ready to face these modern challenges. Or to quote comedian Dave Chappelle and remind you of a famous internet meme, “Modern problems require modern solutions.” Allow us to elaborate – project managers need to equip themselves with solutions that will scale with the changing landscape and new challenges cropping up in the field of project management.
Modern project managers need to adopt suitable management techniques that accommodate the new ways of working. For example, if you have remote teams, make sure that you connect with them enough to be as comfortable as you are with your co-located team.
To make new-age hybrid and remote teams the most productive and build a thriving culture for distributed teams, allow communication to flow easily and in all directions. Provide them with all the tools, technology, and comfort they need to make their work easier and manageable, and keep an open door and an open mind. Strive to maintain suitable company culture – one that makes all levels of personnel happy.
Jim Benson, author of ‘Personal Kanban’ says, “Better moods = better performance. Hostile or even boring working environments are not sustainable. It results in poor work product and attrition”
Invest in new-age tools such as team collaboration and communication software that will help you work together in real-time.
Better yet, go for an entire project management suite so that you can keep track of exactly what tasks your teams are up to, how further have they progressed, or what changes and additions your clients want.
Good tools have support for everything; from requirements management to deployment.
But to see things happen, you’ll have to sit down and plan out some resolutions. We’ll talk about setting custom goals and resolutions the SMART way later, but let us start with some that we think project managers of all kinds and all over the world must absolutely make.

What are the New Year Resolutions for 2022 for the Modern Project Manager?

“The New Year gives us time and a goal date to prepare for the change, to fire up for the shifts we plan to make.” – John Duffy, author
Ever wondered why everyone starts posting an infinite list of new year resolutions on their social media post-Christmas?
Nona Jordan, a business coach by profession, explains: “The beginning of the year offers a fresh start and a clean slate.” Plus, it allows for self-improvement which acts as a natural motivator. Additionally, in a study, data demonstrated that the mere act of goal-setting helped 46 percent of individuals achieve goals more successfully as compared to the rest who didn’t create resolutions.
Then, there are wide-ranging benefits of making new year resolutions (Read: keeps us motivated, energized) that need to be considered. For the sake of continuity, we won’t delve exactly into that and we’ll move on to three specifics goal-setting areas, namely:

A. Project Management Resolutions

Did you know that it can take up to 23 minutes for a person to get back to work once interrupted? Add to the mix, a person spending two-plus hours each day reading and answering emails, and you’ve got a real problem at hand. This is precisely why setting project management-related resolutions well before time for the whole year can serve as a solid foundation for successful projects all year long. Some of the most compelling trends you can embrace and set goals for in 2022 include:

Limiting the checklist:

“The checklist cannot be lengthy. A rule of thumb some use is to keep it to between five and nine items, which is the limit of working memory.” – Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Focusing on improving your decision-making skills:

Engaging in efforts such as doing a cost-benefit analysis, SWOT analysis, etc. can help you make speedy, informed decisions.

Working towards enhancing your emotional intelligence:

There’s a treasure trove of information relating to EQ – from invigorating TED Talks and informative books to engaging podcasts and descriptive blogs. It is also worth noting that having a high EQ addresses key issues that come with project management such as conflict management, inability to understand team members, etc. If you’re a beginner, read our favorite book, ‘Emotional Intelligence’ by Daniel Goleman, to understand this concept better.

B. Leadership & Team Management Resolutions

Improving retrospective sessions:

Setting a rock-solid team in place and working towards your leadership goals can be the best thing for your organization yet. Author Jim Collins explains: “Great leadership that creates great teams that are engaged in great practices lead to successful endeavors again and again.”
He further adds: “Great leaders are not perfect by any stretch, but almost across the board, the one trait they all have in common is that they inspire their people to greatness and empower them to deliver.”
In addition, Ben Aston, founder of website ‘The Digital Project Manager’, talks about how you can become a better leader and understand the specific factors behind successful projects.
He says; “This starts by having a clear understanding of success – beyond cost, schedule and scope of a project, thinking more about project portfolio management and how to deliver on the strategic goals of our projects and demonstrate ROI. By better understanding success, we can then inspire, motivate, and lead the team with a clear unifying vision – we can help your team get hold of a vision and understand why they should care and how they can take ownership to be meaningfully involved.”
Makes so much sense, right?

C. Personal & Work-life Balance Resolutions

If you think achieving a healthy work-life balance will forever remain an elusive dream as a project manager, you’re not alone. This is where setting personal resolutions comes into play. Personal success has a trickling effect on your professional life as well. For instance, creating a ‘Vision Board’ that prioritizes your professional and personal needs helps tons.
Take Nona Jordan’s case. She is a life coach who creates a one or two-word theme every year and puts it in a forever visible place. A thematic example, she describes, is “Lean In,” where she focuses on “leaning into the good, the uncomfortable, and the scary.”
In terms of the work projects, you can chalk out the top-three priorities every 2-3 days, which works better than trying to tick off every checkbox on the list. Finally, creating ‘doable’ and ‘meaningful’ goals can inspire you to achieve more.

Why People Cannot Stick to New Year Resolutions and How You Can Avoid Their Mistakes

Get this – four out of five people will end up breaking their resolution, according to recent studies. At this point, you might be wondering why people struggle to keep resolutions? Harvard Health points out seven possible reasons that may strike a chord:

1. People don’t dream big when it comes to resolutions, which can leave them uninspired. Dream big. of course, but how exactly? Well, make sure that you don’t give up before you even start. You should aim to complete that mammoth project this year. Just make sure you set a detailed timeline and have a risk and change management plan for variable factors and scenarios that may derail your project.

2. People don’t break their big goals into ‘tiny, achievable’ chunks, leaving them overwhelmed and underconfident. In fact, research by Franklin Covey suggests that 40% of people end up breaking their resolutions as they have too much to do. Break up your project’s tasks into manageable parts, or milestone-oriented delivery if you want to really stick to project management lingo. You can use tools that will intelligently help you set and track all your project’s milestones.

3. People don’t take stock of ‘why’ they’re setting a new goal, making it impossible to take a hard left towards embracing any new change. Agreeably, most people create resolutions out of a ‘general desire’ rather than focusing on a specific goal. Or worse, they create resolutions based on someone else’s goals. Sure, taking stock of your competitors helps to aim better. But goal-setting needs to be motivated by something much deeper than that, something that comes intrinsically to you, and aligns with your current situation and future projections.

4. People don’t commit socially and are not answerable to anyone if they fail. You’ll know if you succeed, and you’ll know when you’re failing. But only you’ll know and you won’t get that extra nudge when you need it, or, you won’t want to live up to anyone’s expectations of your work. If a commitment or goal is enforced socially, you’re obligated to fulfil it. Thus, share goals with your team and make sure that you fulfil those together.

People don’t end up celebrating the small wins and don’t tend to learn from past mistakes. Celebrate key achievements in your project along the entire project lifecycle. Doing so gives boosts morale and provides you the much needed dose of encouragement needed to take goals to the next level. Similarly, if you feel like you’ve reached at a point where you won’t be able to fulfil your goal, make sure that you don’t give up on your goal and start anew, only this time recording lessons learned

So kick start this new year by reflecting upon the five points outlined above so that you can make (and keep) your resolutions. All year long.

Bonus – Tips on Setting “SMART,” Attainable Goals & Resolutions for 2020

Now let’s move on to the ‘custom goal-setting’ that we mentioned earlier.

‘SMART’ goals can be every project manager’s surefire home run. This popular management concept rests on the surmise that if goals are set with the right motivation, the right procedure, and for the right timeline, only then can they be achieved.

Coined in the journal, Management Review in 1981, “SMART” refers to an acronym that has emerged as a well-accepted guideline for developing goals. In its expanded form, SMART refers to:

S = Specific

Try answering your goal from the following standpoint: How crystal-clear and specific is your goal?
Think: “I want to complete [XYZ] project in two weeks with three resources at hand, starting Monday,” as opposed to “I want to complete three projects sometime next month.”

M = Measurable

Figure out different and accurate ways through which you can keep track of your progress.
Think: Keep a journal or make notes on an app daily about the project and personal progress, to help understand your status as opposed to reflecting in December 2022 about what happened in January 2022. John Duffy, the author of ‘The Available Parent: Radical Optimism in Raising Teens and Tweens’, talks about the right way to journal. He says: “Keep a journal of both your negative and positive thoughts throughout the day along with the behavior that followed. We typically find that positive, internal ‘self-talk’ drives positive behavior and that the opposite is true for negative self-talk. Then, replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Negative thoughts are rarely accurate and only serve to sabotage us.”

A = Attainable/Achievable

At this stage, understand whether or not you can achieve the goal?
Think: “I will take the team out for lunches every month for better bonding,” as opposed to “I will take the team out for lunch every alternate day” (which is practically impossible).

R = Realistic/Relevant

At this point, it is important to understand if the goal truly matters to you, whether you wish to achieve it for the right reasons, and whether it’ll stay relevant over the coming months.
Think: “I wish to build a team of trusting people that are driven and inspired to do their best” as opposed to “I will reinforce my beliefs on my team members so that we can work towards a unified goal.”

T = Timely

Finally, think of when you want to achieve the goal.
Think: “I will roll out this product at the end of the quarter, taking into account valid research, valuable inputs, etc.” as opposed to “I will launch the product before my competitor even at the cost of quantity and quality.”

Gearing up for 2022

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” – Melody Beattie
If there’s one thing you’d want to remember from this blog, let it be this: Making a habit out of your new year resolutions is the only successful way to retain – and master – your professional and personal goals. As Charles Duhigg, author of the best-selling book, ‘The Power of Habit’ aptly puts it: “If you’re building a habit, you’re planning for the next decade, not the next couple of months.”
So, start jotting down your 2022 project management resolutions, aiming to SMART-ly complete it by the end of this year.

The post New Year’s Resolutions for Project Managers in 2022 first appeared on Xebrio.

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The pandemic’s overarching effects on the order of life around the world have been crippling. Evidence is mounting that the month of March marked the start of a global recession. Business leaders are dealing with sudden, unprecedented dilemmas of managing the economy of their organization and directing the resources at hand accordingly.

Organizations and project leaders have to improvise and adapt on the fly. Along with helping your organization adapt and deal with the pandemic’s effects, it is natural to want to contribute to society in some way or the other. Here, we will talk about how you, as a project manager, can take specific steps to ebb the effects of the crisis in your favor and use your skills to help the society.

Your Project Management Skills Can Help Mitigate the Coronavirus Outbreak

Project managers are useful and extremely sought-after resources for their risk assessment and management skills. The United Nations Volunteers is inviting such skilled professionals to aid the UN in mitigating the social, economic, and health impacts of the crisis while securing the progress made in the achievement of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’. Project management volunteers wishing to indemnify health and public institutions in certain selected areas with their skill set can register with the UNV after filling out a Motivation Statement.

The Research Council of Norway has also called for a shared, collaborative, and knowledge-building endeavor among adept leaders with a call for proposals. Its scope is wide-ranging, and it aims to support research that can help understand and contain COVID-19, all the while enhancing health preparedness and patient management. Project managers can apply to several eligible organizations with a project description that details their skills in the areas mentioned in the scope of proposals

Apart from obvious benefits to the community, volunteering helps to assess the impact of the situation on various aspects of life. This insight is immensely valuable, life-changing, even. Individuals who are assisting the community in undoing the effects of the pandemic are also likely to fare better in professional terms after the outbreak ends. Take a look at how you, as project managers, can volunteer your skills and services.

1. Contribute Knowledge to Free Resources

As a project manager, you can contribute your knowledge to free resources so that organizations lacking resources of your caliber can make particular use of it.

The structure of suitable project management methodology and the benefit of project management-trained resources to projects can increase the likelihood of achieving goals in the required budget, scope, time, and quality.

Interested volunteers can partake in the esteemed Project Management Institute’s VRMS programs and various volunteer opportunities for knowledge and collective wisdom sharing. You can find the right opportunity based on your skills and donate your expertise to programs like PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF), Knowledge Shelf, and Project Management Journals (PMJ). Project managers can share their experiences and viewpoints from lessons learned, case studies, and other specialized or general opinion pieces and articles.

2. Offer Expertise to Manage Projects for COVID-19 Tracking Websites

Several websites have sprung up to assess and display the impact of the pandemic, provide help in tracking cases, and aid governmental incentives for delivering large-scale support. A global community of leaders, project managers, scientists, journalists, and concerned citizens have already joined hands to understand COVID-19 and coordinate on the best response.

Many of these shared undertakings follow the same collaborative development model as software development projects with curated data sets and DIY instruction sets in place. High-quality datasets, such as the nCoV2019 dataset by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, are available in a unified dashboard.

Project managers can get involved in such programs as direct volunteers to contribute their skill set in a self-organized and collaborative way. The Wuhan 2020 community project is an excellent example of this. An open-source community project aimed at “establishing a data service for real-time synchronization of hospitals, factories, procurement, and other information, and convening all those who want to contribute to this fight against viruses,” it comprises more than 3000 volunteers to facilitate information exchange between resource providers to help people in the worst affected areas.

Along with contributing your expertise, you can also assist those in need to maintain emotional well-being during such times of stress.

3. Help Colleagues Cope With Stress

In times of uncertainty, anxiety is a normal reaction, especially for working professionals in the face of a foretold recession. Work-related stress is a common derivative of poor work organization and design, poor management, and lack of support from supervisors and leaders. In the wake of this crisis, the onus is on project managers to guide their associates to maintain effectiveness as remote work becomes the norm. You can act on the three-step procedure below:

• • Provide employees with all the help they need to ensure business continuity. Equip them with the right tools so that they are prepared to work from home.

• • Train yourselves to become better leaders and ensure that lines of communication are open and more active than ever. Adopt a supportive and trusting approach. Providing support and going the extra mile to improve employee engagement is vital.

• Come up with a disaster management scenario that involves telecommuting, and train resources so that they can manage their jobs much more effectively for future situations such as these. Plan scenarios to come up with ideas on how your company could come together and resume operations in even a limited scope and form.

Read More: The Guide to Maintaining the Emotional Well-Being of Remote Teams

4. Influence Teams to Avoid Panic

The single most important endeavor to undertake now is to educate your team. People are scared and anxious about their jobs and careers. Your number one priority should be protecting and supporting them, and assuring them that they are valuable to the organization.

You can start by taking measures such as:

• • Adopting policies conducive to remote work.

• Ensuring all information regarding operational and project-related goals percolates down to all individuals across departments.

With your team management skills as a project manager, you can influence and educate your teammates through this period. This will ensure that the organization is in an infinitely better position to do business when the situation dies down.

Read More: How to Build a Thriving Remote Culture for Distributed Teams

5. Help Your Organization in Risk Management

It’s prudent to set risk management procedures in advance for your organization. The middle of any crisis is the worst time to draw up basic operations. But putting out fires is a standard part of a project manager’s job, and project managers are traditionally trained for risk management. The current situation has disrupted business continuity; the stress has taken a toll on employee productivity and supply chains, and business relations with clients have suffered too. However, investment pull-backs and resource shortages might be affected the most. Your risk management expertise is what will save your projects and the organization. Here are some risk management steps you may need to take immediately.

1. 1. Assess the organization’s readiness to sustain the immediate impact on the continuity of revenue-generating operations. Analyze whether best practices of the core business processes can be followed and, if not, ascertain where gaps, new risks exist.

1. Build a risk management framework with a crisis response team that engages representatives from all organizational levels. This way, the ill-effects can be minimized and controlled from every part of the organization. To start, department heads and project managers can conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to determine and deal with business interruptions as soon as possible.

3. 3. Lend your experience and expertise in drawing up remote work policies and guidelines based on new key performance indicators for working from home and recent changes that cause impediments to it. Project managers act as a bridge between teammates, clients, and management. Your assessment of project progress and employee productivity can help to draw policies and guidelines that are genuinely beneficial. These ad hoc policies can be escalated to the responsible committees and converted to more robust, long term ones, to ensure compliance to government and regulatory standards.

3. 3. Conduct drills and assess issues. The duration of the outbreak and its effects on business continuity seem longterm. Scenario-planning drills in today’s experiential situation can help the organization prepare better and sniff out underlying issues that may arise later or even in the recovery stage. Speed up the incident and issue management process.

3. Gather information about complimentary risk management consultations and special governmental relief programs or other targeted assistance schemes. For instance, the Chinese government earmarked a gross total of U.S. $114 billion to support short term loans to SMEs in February.

Even as the current situation takes new turns and unfolds rather rapidly, leaders and project managers are expanding their focus to accommodate unprecedented measures. Their new dynamism will see the better redressal of employee grievances in addition to equipping those less fortunate with the necessary know-how to pull through these tough times. Whatever way you choose to volunteer, ensure safety. Take a look at the volunteering and safety guidelines by the British Red Cross.

The post How and Where Can Project Managers Contribute to Mitigate the Coronavirus Outbreak? first appeared on Xebrio.