The Covid pandemic has completely shifted the way people working with each other. Gathering up in a room to focus on a meeting topic is not that easy anymore. The new conditions also require project managers’ adaptability to stay effective with the changing environments.
Major changes in PM skills to adapt to the New Normal:
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- Asynchronous vs Synchronous communication: Communication is still crucial for all projects. The principle to keep a common forum for team collaboration while protecting focus time for members to be productive is unchanged. The changes are around how we keep the information flow remotely in an efficient manner. Everyone should be aware that synchronous meetings with all members are even more expensive than before. Async communication should be utilized more for regular discussion. A variety of tools like Slack, MS Teams can support the changes & the Team should also adopt them in the evolving way of working.
- Single source of truth and Clarity: It’s becoming more important than ever before to maintain the single source of truth, or people will become frustrated with ambiguity and communication overhead. The team’s tools and methodology should allow people to easily pull their needed resources/ data to perform their owned works. It is also easier for all stakeholders to be aware of the big picture – how all activities are integrating to deliver expected outcomes.
- Project Management is everyone’s responsibility: Self-organizing and ownership habits are the keys to success as a team. There might be tons of unknowns for a single project manager but it should not prevent the collective success of the team with cross-function skills. People who are closest to the work should know the most and be in a better position to manage the work delivery.
- Empathy: we are all human beings and understand how this challenging circumstance influences everyone’s life. The project manager should always cultivate the psychological safety for the team, & enable people to share ideas even strange ones. As we are all in an abnormal situation, reaching out to members, identifying problems and finding out suitable solutions together requires special care from project managers.
What is the biggest change in your opinion for PM skill in the New Normal?
Reference: new-rules-of-project-management, CIO.com