Red balloon floating in the sky

Let Go to Let Grow

This is a continuation of last week’s post that grapples with the hard question of whether it might be time for you and your project manager to part ways.

While every project manager will have weaknesses, if you find that your project manager is consistently making the combined set of mistakes below, and those delineated in last week’s blog post, you might need to consider bringing on another.

Makes overly aggressive schedules

The tendency for PMs to create overly aggressive project schedules, while somewhat natural, creates unrealistic expectations for everyone in the organization. It also results in fatigue and discouragement for the project as they work to complete their tasks at a feverish pitch, only to watch due dates come and go. What’s worse is that senior leaders will then feel as if they need to step in and “help” the project team meet its obligations by holding more reviews and scrutinizing the team on weekly or even daily pace. 

Holds too many meetings

In this, already dismal, scenario the PM team is dealing with being overworked, overburdened, damaged stakeholder relationships, stalemates on various issues and increasingly intense scrutiny from senior leaders.

The kneejerk reaction of the PM is to then increase the number and frequency of project meetings as if meeting to discuss a situation that is already known can somehow miraculously alleviate the project condition he or she created to begin with. Needless to say, but this death spiral of sorts deepens the quagmire the team is left to sputter through, and the project suffers.

After several iterations of the same scenario, where projects are left to hopelessly flounder, the organization’s perception of the PM team’s ability to deliver quality, innovative and useful projects on time, severely suffers and for good reason.

Question to Consider

Does your project management team need to help in alleviating any of the maladies described above?