Project Management Success

Always take the extra time upfront to make sure that the business case has been adequately defined. Often, commercial demands desire to deliver a quick project outcome. Whilst expediting, the project should be firmly part of the agenda, taking the extra time upfront can pay long-term dividends. When projects are rushed the functional purpose of the project is often compromised and important details get overlooked. As the project manager it is important that you steer the client towards doing the necessary due diligence to ensure you have a watertight business case. In the event that the project is deficient in some way, you may be liable to take the blame if important details are overlooked. Costly damage control measures can send the project off course, result in budget blowouts and cause client resentment. Project managers need to have the foresight to take charge upfront and demand that projects are subject to proper due diligence prior to commencement.

Planing

Like anything else in life, having a plan is the best way to succeed. Learn about your company before you start your management plan. Know how everyone's job plays an important role in the company. Find out what the company goal is and look at different strategies you can implement to help obtain the goal. Look at ways you can improve the office. Perhaps your staff needs a new printer, or repairs to computers. Find ways to make improvements that will alleviate added time to another person's shift. Make a plan for different scenarios. Think of the worst possible scenario and devise different plans for resolving it. Talk to your staff about problems that have arisen in the past and how they were resolved, this will give you a little understanding as to how you can change the way you handle situations.

The Responsive ManagerLeader

The Responsiveness Paradigm outlined elsewhere in this newsletter is applicable at a number of levels. For example, it applies to organizations in general, and the ability of the organization to respond to the needs of customers, staff and other stakeholders (eg. politicians, etc). It applies to non-supervisory staff, and their ability to respond to the needs of their managers, customers and co-workers. This month we are going to look at responsiveness as it applied to managers, leaders and/or supervisors.

Leadership - The Link Between Planning & Doing

If you have read the preceding articles in this section on strategic planning, YOU will have a sense that strategic planning involves more than getting together for one day a yearto develop a strategic planning document. Strategic planning is both a logical, rational process, and a process that involves people. It takes more than developing a plan for that plan to be implemented. In this article, we consider that the critical link between planning and doing is leadership.


Traditional Planning Methods :
The traditional way for government organizations to plan is for a group of people, usually executives/management, but sometimes including employees, to get together for some period of time each year. Generally, inadequate time is allocated to the exercise, but if it is completed, it results in a document that contains a mission statement, broad organizational goals, and other elements as is deemed appropriate. Then, the plan is usually hidden away somewhere, never to be seen again. Traditional methods yield traditional results. As a wise man once said "If you keep doing what you have been doing, you will get what you have always got".

It needn't be this way


Leadership - The Key Force:
Those in leadership roles ensure that as many members of the organization as possible buy into the values, mission, and broad organizational goals. There are two components to this function. First, leaders manage the perceptions of staff with respect to the planning process. Remember that most people have experienced the "plan-in-the-drawer" syndrome, where effort expended in planning is seen as wasted when the plan is ignored. Prior to the planning process, leaders must emphasize that THIS TIME, things will be different.

Second, leaders manage the planning process so that staff feel that they have adequate input into the process, that they are heard, and their values and visions are incorporated into the final plan and its implementation. Specifically, leaders arrange things so that the process is open, and conforms to accepted rules of communication. That may mean hiring an external consultant to orchestrate the planning sessions. It will certainly mean that rules get established to guide participation. Everyone who wants to participate should have the opportunity, and even reticent staff should be gently encouraged to involve themselves.

Understanding The Cycle of Change

Managers often make the mistake of assuming that once a change is started, that employees will see that it is going to take place, and get on side. This is rarely the case. Because change causes fear, a sense of loss of the familiar, etc., it takes some time for employees to a) understand the meaning of the change and b) commit to the change in a meaningful way. It is important to understand that people tend to go through stages in their attempts to cope with change. Understanding that there are normal progressions helps change leaders avoid under-managing change or over-reacting to resistance.

As we go through the stages, you will probably find many similarities with the process a person goes through with the loss of a loved one.

Internet Business

Internet business is a rather vague term when you really think about it. While practically every site is an Internet business, each is unique. In the “real world”, Toyota dealerships and florist shops are both businesses, but you certainly wouldn’t run them the same way. Well, at least not for long.

The same holds true for Internet businesses, so we are going to throw out some different scenarios and talk about particular issues with each. Some articles will cover the entire build and market aspect of a site while others will just focus on a specific subject. If you don’t see your particular business area, give similar types of businesses a look. For instance, most sites offering services will have similar themes regardless of the specific service offered. Let’s get to it…

Internet Business

Sales From Your Site

Building a web site often can lead to interesting deviations caused by practicalities and changes in perspective. This is okay so long as you keep things simple for prospects.
Many business owners unintentionally erect barriers between themselves and their customers when it comes to the site sales process. Simple mechanisms can be put in place to remove these barriers. A business owner that is always looking for new ways to connect with potential customers often finds his or her efforts paying off many times over. Some of the most common web sales barriers are lack of contact methods, payment methods, and delivery methods. To bridge these potential barriers, a business owner can provide more options to crossing each of these barriers.

Sale Process-6

When choosing a sales force automation solution, keep in mind your clients and your sales force. Without flexibility to meet their needs precisely, you are likely to lose efficiency in the sales process. Choosing a flexible option will ensure your system will grow with your company.