Monthly Archives: February 2013

guest blogger, Project Management, Project Management Communications, Project planning, Team building

Project Management Communications

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Project management encompasses a large range of skills; leadership, planning, scheduling, communicating, decision making and being a visionary. Being able to identify these vital skills and fully develop your understanding of these abilities will ensure that you not only survive, but you excel within the field of project management.

Organisational skills

The role of a project manager takes on many forms, and due to this; organisation and planning skills are listed highly as required abilities. Of course there are very few professions that do not require extensive planning, but project management demands a highly skilled approach as a skilful execution equates to outstanding results.

Project management requires the preparation of project documentation, requirement information, memos, project reports, personnel reports, vendor quotes, contracts and the supervision of the entire processes involved. An essential part of daily working includes organising meetings, developing teams and also, in some cases, organising media relations such as press releases and conferences.

Methodologies such as the PRINCE 2 (an acronym for projects in controlled environments, version 2) enables project managers to organise and control the six major variable factors of any project, these factors are cited as:

  • Cost
  • Timescale
  • Quality
  • Scope
  • Risk
  • Benefits

Much of the benefit of the PRINCE 2 methodology is its transferable and highly scalable nature. PRINCE 2 can be utilised across any project, including highly specialised and industry specific models (engineering models or developmental lifecycles).

Comms

People management skills

Strong project managers should display excellent people management skills. The human dimension bears little relation to the technical ability of an individual, but closely relates to leadership, conflict resolution and ultimately communication. Author and expert within the area of project management Steven Flannes, actually cites that, 80% of project management success comes from people skills and 20% from technical expertise.

Why are people skills so vital?

  • The cyclical and stage nature of projects
  • Increase in complexity of client remits
  • Continual outsourcing of finite and cost effective resources
  • Increased movement toward client driven project management structure
  • Challenges of leading in matrix management structures
  • Increase of virtual team coordinated efforts

Communication skills

Often, problems that project managers are faced with are completely unrelated to their technical competence, but interestingly it is the lack of interpersonal communication skills that pose the largest threat. The latter of course is an essential facet, but is vitally a core skill of a project manager.

It is argued that project managers who demonstrate a high degree of technical expertise are actually hindered within their ability to negotiate. Often great project managers take a more generalist point of view. Generalists, typically, elicit a higher degree or resourcefulness and tend to lean toward being more open to suggestions and ideas. This in turn increases the momentum of a project due to the fact that compromises have a higher degree of continuity.

Adversely to this notion, experts within a particular field tend to display a narrower mind-set that may or not be conducive to the end result.

Financial skills

An exhaustive breakdown of project activities and associated costs enable the project manager to identify trends quickly and plan pro-actively. Although, no project manager is expected to be an accountant but a thorough understanding of the “estimated cost process” clearly would be listed as integral. Cost planning is not only vital for your reputation, but also for maintaining strong and healthy relationships with clients.

Estimated costs should take into consideration for the entire lifecycle of the project. A detailed cost breakdown of resources (labour and materials) along with any regulatory implications should be undertaken. The cost analysis process should also insure against other extraneous factors. An estimated cost analysis must include all factors fixed and variable; this will essentially ensure that the entire project runs efficiently, effectively and to budget.

James King is a construction industry expert who has 20 years’ experience in the field of core cutting project management. He writes for Corecut, the UK’s leading diamond drilling and controlled demolition company.

guest blogger, Job Hunting, Recruitment Agencies

How to Make the Most of a Recruitment Agency

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When we enter the job-seeking market, our first port of call is usually a recruitment agency. It may be tempting to let the recruiters do the donkey work for us and sit back and wait. However, utilising a recruitment agency to our best potential will have more impact on what is offered by way of a job. Recruiters will always want to protect their business and offer what their clients want, but, they need us to fill the positions so they can get paid for their services.

Be Your Own Best Advocate

We are responsible for how we market ourselves, not the agency. The agency will promote what we promote to them. They will advise on CV writing techniques, give plenty of job leads, however, it is up to us how they will promote what we have to offer a potential employer. Using a recruitment agent is not the middleman, treat the agency as if they were employing directly. We want the agent to find us the best role, we want them to place us and we want them to use us.

Do the research

Widen the Net & Register with Various Agencies

We don’t have to place all our eggs in one basket. Registering with different agencies will spread our details far and wide. While there are many smaller agencies who offer a more bespoke and localised service, national agencies are suitable for a wider recruiting audience. Other benefits of this, are we can tailor-make our CVs and covering letter exactly the same which reduces the chance of cross-recruiting and companies seeing the same name with different details if registering with various agencies in our sector. Now, this doesn’t mean we are telling fibs on our details, but it is no secret that people have a tendency to embellish the truth on job application forms. There is little worse than a potential employer faced with the same name but two completely different CVs.

Agencies Which Offer Jobs in your Niche

If we are in a profession then registering with agencies which deal particularly with our sector will be a more suitable option. There is little point in a medical secretary registering with an accountancy specialised agency. Utilising an agency which specialises in the sector we are looking to work in is essential for securing the position we want. All sector agencies are all well and good, but the chances are we will be up against a much bigger crowd.

Keep It Simple

We want the agency to promote us well. Don’t make the mistake of over-loading them with information that is completely irrelevant. Utilise the agency for employment techniques, not golf skills or how we can run up a pair of curtains in an hour. In this age of ‘tell all’ with social media networks and varying advice on how to ‘get the perfect job’ recruiters will be interested in our work skills, not our recreational skills. We are not looking for new friends, we are hoping to seek a fabulous job. Always be professional and alert, we don’t have to be shy, but we don’t have to shoot ourselves in the foot either and end up in the bottom of an in-tray.

Work as a Team

When looking for a job, we need to be pro-active and help the agent to find us employment. Jobs are hard to find in this climate and we need to respond to calls, emails and letters in a professional manner. Remember, agents are busy people trying to run a business and we have to be pro-active in helping them and we are in essence, representing the agency to their clients. We never know when we might need the agency again, so we need to mind our Ps and Qs.

One Last Piece of Advice

Recruitment agencies are a fantastic way of finding new employment on both a temporary and also a permanent basis. It can be especially useful to use an agency that specialises in your niche area of recruitment.

When I was in further education I used to use recruitment agencies when looking for temporary childcare work during the summer break. I always preferred the temporary work offered through the childcare recruitment agency I used rather than the more general agencies I was also registered with.

Ros Davies writing for Lebreton Recruitment the leading staffing agency for childcare recruitment is the UK.

Happy work environment, Hiring Manager, No, Remote Working

There’s no business like snow business

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This year we have been hit by snow on a few occasions causing disruption throughout the UK, seeing villages without power and major road networks grinding to a halt. Businesses have had employees stuck at home, whether snowed in or looking after children because the schools closed and there’s more snow to come. So what are businesses doing to ensure they can keep operational during these inconvenient weather spells?

Speaking to a head of projects last week, he told me that he has worked hard with his business (a major blue chip) to ensure all project staff can be mobile. He said that although there is a fundamental requirement to be on site for effective PM – senior management keen to keep everyone together (and where they can see them I am sure), he had convinced the SMT that the project team can also benefit from working remotely. He stressed that being in a very rigid environment where reporting, rigorous analysis and updating of the project library for the PMO was mandatory that quiet time can be very beneficial for individuals to get on with often technical and tricky pieces of work with less interruption. This was his business case a few years back and now as unavoidable circumstances leave staff stranded at home – they can still get on with their work and reduce impact to the business. Another part of his business case was to introduce a trust ethos and make a happier employee.

Snowed in

Forcing employees onto the road in treacherous conditions, having them arrive hours late because of traffic and leaving early in the hope of getting home without any incidents is a waste of valuable time and effort plus it says a lot about how the employer views you and your safety over the business. Most project teams, especially the delivery staff tend to be mobile and can work remotely these days due to project on/off site requirements, however a great deal of the support staff and PMs in other industries are still expected to be in the office 5 days a week. An issue seen by employers is that they would need to supply staff with equipment and internet access to make the move – however if you approach staff and say the opportunity is there for you if you have a PC and internet access (let’s face, who doesn’t these days really?) and most employees have work mobiles or commonly use their personal mobiles for work.

Snow days do not necessarily mean no work days – sorry to put a dampener on it, but in times of austerity needs must. Keep calm and carry on!

CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, Project management career progression, Project Management Careers Advice, Project management CV

Horsemeat burgers

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Keeping topical and those of you who follow my blog will know I do like to bring food into the equation given any excuse. All the news of burgers and ready meals containing horsemeat got me thinking about the fundamentals of not labelling correctly and misleading others to buy products. This can happen with CVs, as with food products you are required to state what goes into the product – by putting emphasis on one key ingredient and not addressing other areas you too could be falsely packaging yourself and as we’ve seen, you will eventually get caught out.

I am a reindeer honest

Most people have had some exposure to project management at work, however describing yourself as a project manager when you are in fact a business manager who has managed a project or two is not an accurate description of yourself. The same goes for those with titles other than project manager who actually are dedicated to managing projects and nothing else.

In the latter circumstance then clearly labelling yourself as a project manager is vital should you be looking to take on PM roles moving forward and knowing how some HR staff do tend to just read a job title before dismissing CVs it is important to be clear in your profile. Never change your job title given for each role as this will be picked up later down the line but your profile is a fantastic opportunity to tell the hiring manager what you actually do and name yourself PM.

The issue with the former situation is that too much emphasis on only a small part of your job can mislead others into thinking you are something you are not. Now I know you may be perfectly capable of managing projects having managed a few over the years but there is a big difference to a PM with a vast portfolio of delivered projects under their wing. The key is to be honest and strike a balance – look at the uproar of the burgers and ready meals, people feel miss sold a product which clearly described itself of one thing but contained something else too. This is where the issue really lays, without jumping too deep into the politics of it horsemeat has been eaten for years in countries such as France. There is no issue in regards to safety but there is an ethical factor in regards to those not wanting to eat an animal seen as a pet.

As with hiring managers they want to buy a XYZ then they realise they have been presented with an XYY – naturally they are going to be a little put off to say the least. If you are honest and up front about your experience and skill-set then the hiring manager can make a decision whether to see you or not, in fact they may actually like that you have operational BAU (business as usual) experience to add to the mix.

So think on, be true to who you are as a professional and the right role will be found.