Author: ajays599

How to get the most from your project team

Posted on by ajays599

I read an article from a website (please see below for link to the source) that briefly elaborates on how should a project manager successfully manage the project and the team. After reading the article, I reflected to my role in the recent project I was pulled into at my work and thought about how these points mentioned in the article actually apply exactly as intended. The following are some of the ways to get the most out of the team:

1) Choose the right staff

2) Give them the big picture

3) Have confidence in the team

4) Spend time with the team

5) Set targets

6) Be a good communicator

While it will be of no value to the reader for me to delve into the above points. But my role in the current project at my work is very small in scope and time. I have been assigned just  a tiny piece of puzzle (and immaterial). But even then, the project manager made sure he spends time with me and the rest of the other folks who have been pulled in for support and resourcefulness. We have been give n a deadline to work with and also the consequences of not following the strict timeline. A sense of urgency has been created but this simply proves the point of being a good communicator. It is hard to motivate people who are really not interested in the project but by being good communicators and letting the person know how important his/her role is, a person will be motivated.

My question is, is project manager like a leader, that is born but cannot be trained? It doesn’t matter how much we learn in class, or even at work and with experience, there are some characteristics such as charisma for example, that only some folks possess. Do you agree?

Microsoft Surface

Posted on by ajays599

Microsoft recently unveiled a new product, Surface. It is a tablet that directly competes with Apple’s Ipad. The reviews so far have been saying nice things about the Surface and some of them actually dare to say that it is better than Ipad. These are professional reviews, not consumer reviews. In one of those reviews, the blog writer mentioned that it would be worth noting how Microsoft places this product in the market; whether it will be targeting business or household customers. In project management, I think it is crucial to follow up with a great project that yields a top class product.

Microsoft probably does not have the marketing skills that Apple possess. It was evident with their Zune product. Did Microsoft think about how are they going to market the Surface during the project management? Did they consider the features they want for their customers they had in mind? If yes, then marketing should just be a follow up.

I think project management does not end with a great product or service. But it is a never ending process, as Apple has proved it to the business world. One after another, it follows up with the previous projects in a timely fashion. This is because Apple in the early days faced a near bankruptcy situation due to poor project management skills.  Let us take the example of Sony. It is facing a a financial crunch, probably it couldn’t follow up with a new project in time to keep the pace with competition. In today’s business world, my view is that project management is a never ending process. A corporation has to follow up one after another project to keep itself above waters.

I propose a question to the post readers, when would you consider project management 100% complete for a particular product/service? Is it a never ending process?