No matter how many projects a team aces, nobody can stay unfamiliar to the taste of failure. Every project manager goes through failure since it’s inevitable. However, what matters is what one takes from this experience. Spotting your faults, learning where exactly the team went wrong and rectifying those errors in the next project is the real win. As the famous saying goes, “If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.”
There are a number of factors that result in a project not meeting the customer’s demands and failing to deliver but the most important ones are those mentioned in the topic of the blog. The damage caused by blame game, micromanaging and interfering is often underestimated as the gravity of these factors is yet to be understood.
It’s impossible for a team to not make any errors. When an error is made, a series of blame game begins. No one takes the responsibility of it because of the fear of being confronted or because of the fear of being labeled as the reason behind the failure of project. Error, be it of any nature, has to be tackled. A project manager must ensure an environment that does not make team members afraid to admit where they went wrong. Blame being pushed around from one member to the other causes nothing but exhaustion and a feeling of demotivation. The truth is blame game is not the solution. It does not fix anything. What works is actually rectifying the error made and adopting ways to counter the problem. Gather facts, wrack your brain to find potential solutions. Involve the team members to find a way out of the problem and get to work instantly to tackle the issue smoothly.
As a project manager, you’re bound to be on your toes all the time worrying about every little task and time constraints of the project. Since project managing is not just managing tasks, it’s also about managing people so it’s only plausible to be tensed about every member doing the job correctly and on time according to the schedule designed. However, it’s also a drawback if you interfere too much. Let’s admit it, nobody likes to be dictated. Your words alone should have the power to convince the team members. Interfering in every little task, dictating at every point of a task can put off the team members and make them uncomfortable to work with you. Every employee needs space and liberty to work as per his own style. Let the team members be creative and try new methodologies because innovation leads to great successes.
However, this definitely does not mean a project manager should ignore the tasks. That is a big no. Be aware and step in when you feel it is needed. The key is not to over worry especially about things that are not in your control. Control your nerves, do not micromanage, be aware and always be efficient and prepared to deal with issues while working on a project.
