People Management for Project Managers

1-day Workshop

Course Description

There’s both an art and a science to project management.  This class helps project managers with the “art” – i.e., these critical interpersonal aspects of their job:  coaching people, building and sustaining teams of people, delegating, adjusting course and working successfully in a matrix management environment.

This course enables you to:

• get work done through people (tasks, issue resolution, risk management and more)

• help the project team live with change and uncertainty

• deliver unwelcome news

• assist with personnel issues on project teams (and know when it's appropriate)

Who should attend?

• Project Managers (current and future)

• Managers and Supervisors working on projects

Instructor: Susan de la Vergne

Course Content

The Varied Demands of the Project Manager Role

The “art” and the “science” of project management

Process management vs. people management

The leadership role of the Project Manager (PM)

Influence and authority – when you navigate, when you control

Project culture and the PM – helping the team navigate the culture for best results

Matrix Management:  The Basics and Beyond

Organization structures for projects: the alternatives, pros and cons

Defining the differences between functional managers and project managers

The four levers of managerial (positional) power and how they apply on projects

Boundaries and balance within the PM and management roles

Challenges of the matrix management situation – understanding them, overcoming them

Managing Performance

The challenge of “two bosses”: the individual contributor’s perspective

How clarifying roles and accountabilities helps

The “Five C’s”:  How to coach, cajole, constrain, critique and correct

Successfully managing peer reviews

Overcoming impediments to keeping functional managers “in the loop”

Managing Progress

When PM’s appreciate quality, initiative, breakthroughs: Meaningful rewards and recognition

Managing interdependencies - ensuring effective cross-pollination

Monitoring progress and maintaining momentum

Leading conflict resolution on the team – what PM’s can do; when to escalate

Leadership and Project Challenges

Managing aggressive (even unrealistic) target dates and budgets

What to do when the emperor really isn’t dressed and other political realities you can’t ignore

Surfacing and acting on “bad news”

Motivating others – is it really possible? 

Making sure others follow process

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