Who’s in charge?

I was just working with a client who was having trouble moving projects along, meeting deadlines, last minute changes, you know the drill.  Working with their team it became clear that there was some finger pointing going on.

They missed the first step in project management, no one had been assigned as the project leader.  There were leaders in many aspects of the project, but no one assigned to own the whole process.

Here are a tip and responsibilities for project leaders to ensure your success.

Tip:  Formal authority.  When you’re assigned to head up a project everyone involved needs to hear, from the boss, that you’re the project leader.  Bosses shouldn’t assume everyone will automatically know you are the project head.  This will give you the green light to proceed.

Now that you’ve been given the authority and leadership, you’re in charge!  Here are your responsibilities.

1.  Call for meetings – set regularly scheduled meetings that everyone can put on their calendar right away.  You’re more likely to get better attendance.

2.  Communicate with the entire team – make sure all meeting minutes go to all team members.  Document decisions and assignments.  Bring everyone along as the project progresses.

3.  Set the milestones and timelines – understand how much time activities take, what can be done concurrently and what activities need to follow others.  You’ve got the overall vision to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

4.  Delegate tasks – you make the assignments based on your team members’ strengths.  Document who will do what and by when.  Ensure the whole team has this information.

5.  Keep everyone on task – you might feel like you’re herding cats.  Follow up to make sure deadlines will be met.  Provide the resources necessary for your team members to be a success.

6.  Document the project – document as the project unfolds.  It will become valuable information to use on your next project.

7.  Motivate the team – public appreciation of work, as it is happening, goes a long way to keeping the motivation high.

8.  Debrief after the project is complete – this is a step that many project leaders forget.  Review what went right, what could be improved and what you would do differently the next time.  Memories are short, so debrief soon after the project is complete – document the results.

What has been your experience?  Any other responsibilities that I forgot?  We would love to hear from you.  Leave your comments below.

To print this or any other post, click the first icon in Share the Knowledge below.