Fearless Project Management | Bernadette Donnelly 1

BERNADETTE DONNELLY

PROJECT SUCCESS MASTER

FEARLESSPROJECTMANAGEMENT.COM

• Save your Project

• Save your Reputation

• Save your Sanity

7 HIDDEN SECRETS TO

PROJECT SUCCESS

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Project success is defined as producing planned deliverables on time and within budget. Yet, a whopping 70% fail. Some projects fail so badly that they threaten the very existence of the company.

The cost of project failure is not just financial. When projects slip, people go from motivated to panic. As stress mounts, it causes too many hours at work, sleepless nights, misunderstandings, and poor performance. People do not do their best work under intense stress.

The Buck Stops with You!

If the project is late or over budget, the perception is that you failed, even if problems are outside of your control. Your credibility, your reputation, and possibly your job come into question.

But what if the project finished early and under budget? What would that do for you, for your team, for your company? Imagine how satisfied customers would spread the word and your company would grow. Imagine how great you will feel!

Discover the Hidden Secrets

This paper will not teach the skills to “do” project management. It will give you a window into the human connections that can make you, your people, and your company great.

• Save your projects. Build highly productive teams and fully engaged stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery, every time.

• Save your reputation. Create trust and loyalty with strong, honest, and fair relationships with your teams and your stakeholders. They will become your biggest supporters.

• Save your Sanity. Keeping your project on track and everyone well informed. You will keep stress at bay and, possibly, enjoy your job.

Turn the page and leap to the next level in your projects and your profession.

Remove Project Blindspots

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We’ve all been there. A new project is proposed, and everyone gets excited. Executives think about the customer’s reach in the industry, the board’s reaction to the increase in profit margin, and what it would mean to salaries, bonuses, and reputations. The contract is signed, and a project manager is assigned.

If this is how critical projects are initiated in your company, you are risking your company’s reputation. The customer always wants the project done now so if you agree to the timeline they propose, your project is already late. Before you sign the contract, STOP! Offer to do the project after an executive review. then, send in your most skilled negotiator to get more resources.

If the delivery date is set in stone, get the budget increased so you can hire great talent. If the schedule and budget are set in stone, introduce Agile and negotiate requirements down to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Your Project Manager may still need to fast track or crash the schedule, but your customer will be satisfied, and your reputation will be preserved.

Your success, your reputation, your advancement, and your job is dependent on having these awesome projects that come in on time and on budget. With a realistic schedule and budget, your project could be delivered early!

This is so important to project success, you have to get it right. Schedule a Project Success consultation and find out how.

1 Negotiate for More Time

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There are almost 8 billion people in the world, and it is guaranteed that some of them know more than you. When staffing your department and your teams, seek people with expert skills and who think differently than you.

From the science of Human Dynamics, we know that every brain is segmented into three distinct processing styles – Mental, Emotional, and Physical. We all have all

processing styles, with one dominant and one subordinate. This blending means everyone brings different talents and strengths their work.

People with different perspectives may tell you that you are wrong, that your ideas are not feasible, or your solutions won’t fly. As they do, remember that

these are benefits that can improve the project and the company. If you listen to them, you and your organization will excel.

Emotionally intelligent leaders know that diverse teams solve difficult organizational problems, spark more creativity, and deliver more projects successfully. If you believe that you are the only one who can get it done and you staff with people just like you, you will maintain your ego, but you will not take advantage of other skills and perspectives. You will not produce the best results for your project, your customer or your company.

To become a better leader by staffing smarter, schedule a personal, confidential Project Success consultation. For a limited time, it’s Free.

2 Staff with People Better than You

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What kind of people do you want on your team? If you want highly productive professionals that charge forward and take you to greater success, then create a culture of feedback, not failure. Allow your people to fail, then focus on the learnings and the opportunity for change.

In the short-term, failure hurts because as humans, we shy away from pain. If failure is personalized and people are penalized, it will create a culture of judgement and blame. When problems arise, they will be hidden for as long as possible. People will not risk untried solutions for fear reprisal, disapproval, and your disappointment. Creativity and innovation will die. However, when failure becomes organizational feedback, it creates a culture of accountability and transparency. There are new options, new directions, and new opportunities for success.

In the Agile model, with each delivery, learning from failure is expected so user feedback can improve the next delivery. The product improves because limited resources can be channeled into the features that customers want and like. When the team operates in a culture where problems and issues are openly discussed, it creates stronger, more focused, and more productive teams and better customer solutions.

To find out more about failure as feedback leads to epic success, schedule a personal, confidential Project Success consultation today.

3 Feedback Not Failure

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Do your new projects start with a review of the lessons learned from previous projects? If not, that new project is doomed to repeat problems of the past.

Every project management process includes a structured closure procedure that includes Lessons Learned and processes that can be improved. If you are not using this documentation to your advantage, you are missing a wealth of information that can improve your next project.

When the team is invited to discuss what worked and what didn’t, new projects have a starting point for navigating around pitfalls. When perfunctory attention or not attention is given, you risk carrying the same recurring issues into new projects.

Even better than waiting until the end of the project to track issues, smart Project Managers gather feedback throughout the project. Capturing problems and solutions throughout the project creates the opportunity for teams to tweak processes and workflows on the current project. It provides a rich set of information that can be evaluated at project closure and reviewed at the start of your next project.

Do yourself, your company, and your team a favor and close your projects with the future in mind. Schedule a personal, confidential consultation today. For a limited time, your Project Success Session is Free.

4 Learn from the Past

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It is assumed that the people on your team have the skills to do the work. But if those people don’t band together and produce the right results, it will tank your project. Ensure that your team members are top performers. Here’s how.

• Communicate goals, business objectives and the project’s importance to the company. A sense of purpose is one of the top characteristics of highly effective teams. People who resonate with the purpose of their work are more engaged and more passionate. They are willing to work longer and harder to achieve the defined project outcome.

Start every meeting with a reminder of business objectives and the how they fit into the company’s overall mission.

• Select team members with different styles and then put their strengths to work. Highly effective teams include people with diverse skills and different styles. When building your team, include introverts and extroverts and people with different thinking styles.

With the best people on the team, apply their strengths everywhere possible. Your team members will feel more fulfilled and be more productive.

5.1 Build Highly Productive Teams

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More Ways to Build Highly Productive Teams

• Set Communication and Behavioral Guidelines.

With a diverse team, the result can be chaos or synergy. Set guidelines for communication that leads to consensus and collaboration. Define expected behavior and communication. Allow for vigorous debate and disagreements, as long as consensus is reached for quick results.

Create guidelines that promote trust, accountability, and respect and your team will be more effective, more efficient, and more productive.

• Keep the Bar High with clearly defined results. When goals are clearly defined, performance can increase by 25%. On a project team, overall objectives are defined in the project plan. When team members have clear, achievable, and measurable results, they can take full responsibility and accountability. Effort will not be duplicated as each member works to complete their own tasks.

Clearly defined goals provide transparency and will provide the opportunity to discuss work that is not going as planned. When team can openly discuss problems and solutions openly, the entire project benefits.

• Create a positive work environment. When individuals are stressed, angry, worried, or disgruntled those negative emotions sweep the team like a tsunami. The good news about negativity is that it can easily be changed. When one person creates a genuinely positive space, other people instinctively join in.

There are lots of ways to maintain a positive working environment, but one of the best ways is with light, respectful humor. When people laugh, they are happier, healthier, and more loyal to the team and the company.

Find out more about creating highly productive teams in a personal, confidential Project Success consultation. For a limited time, it’s Free.

5.2 Build Highly Productive Teams

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Your people demand your attention every day. Some of them need training, some need advice, and some just want your attention. At the end of the day, where do you find time for the people who work independently and do a great job?

Employees who feel valued and appreciated are highly productive and engaged. Sounds easy, but Gallup polls indicate that only 35% of American workers are engaged. Unless you take the time to recognize your best performers, you risk sending them into the disengaged/disgruntled pool. Disengaged employees spread negative energy throughout the team and the organization. They are disruptive and destructive to the rest of the team, which jeopardizes your projects.

Don’t do this to your people. Keep them positive and engaged. Schedule regular, but short, laser-focused meetings with each of your people to find out what is important to them. Identify their strengths and their top motivators. Take the information you discover about them and put their strengths to work.

Then say thank you for their contributions. They will feel valued and appreciated. They will enjoy their job, they will become your top performers, and your top supporters.

To find out more about appreciating your people and laser focused coaching, schedule a personal, confidential Project Success consultation. For a limited time, it’s Free.

6 Appreciate Your People

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Only about 28% of Americans take their allocated vacation time. Of those, 41% of the never unplug. Instead of relaxing and recharging, they remain tethered by electronic devices, checking email, responding to IMs, and putting finishing touches on presentations and reports. Unfortunately, not taking time off jeopardizes your productivity and your health.

Studies prove that people who actually take their personal time and disconnect are healthier, have more stamina, and are more enthusiastic for their jobs. Taking time off means better work/life balance so when they return, they are more productive. Maybe that is why people who take PTO are 6.5% more likely to be promoted.

As the leader, it is up to you to ensure your team takes time to recharge. Give time and space to your talented people and they will feel more valued and appreciated.

• Don’t expect overtime. If people have to travel or work extra hours to meet an important deadline, give them comp time and make sure they take it.

• Don’t bother people when they are not in the office. No disruptions, calls or work-related emails.

• During working hours, get people to take time off for lunch. If they don’t, create breaks like chair massages and lunch “socials”. This will get people to open up and create stronger bonds. Tight teams collaborate better.

To find about more about how quality time off for will increase focus, drive, and attention to quality deliverables, schedule a Project Success Session. For a limited time, Project Success Sessions are FREE so schedule today.

7 Recharge!

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Thank you for reading this report. I hope it helps you identify hidden challenges in your organization.

Next Step: Schedule a Project Success Consultation

In your personal, confidential session, you will discover how to be the best leader for the teams and projects in your organization. You will come away with:

• Crystal clear vision of ultimate stress free enlightened, powerful project success

• Hidden obstacles that block your path to and how to navigate past them.

• Create 5-part plan as the GPS that will map your unique journey to your goals.

• Get recharged and inspired to move from stress and struggle to freedom, personal accomplishment, and successful project delivery.

Don’t let your blind spots affect your project success. Schedule today!

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