10 ways to manage your project manager
TRANSCRIPT
ispitfiregroup.com
i 10 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR PROJECT MANAGERBy Michael Stratton
spitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
AGENDA
• OPENING POLL• EXERCISE – Q/A• 10 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR PROJECT MANAGER
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
OPENING POLL - PRIZES
• BY A SHOW OF HANDS
• HOW MANY OF YOU THINK THAT PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS: • VALUABLE?• NOT VALUABLE?• VALUABLE BUT MY PROJECT MANAGER IS A
WINGNUT?
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
EXERCISE – Q/A
• WORDS YOU WISH YOUR PM WOULD SAY?• ACTIONS YOU WISH YOUR PM WOULD TAKE?• WORDS YOU WISH YOUR PM DID NOT SAY?• ACTIONS YOU WISH YOUR PM WOULD NOT TAKE?
• WHAT DOES PROJECT MANAGEMENT MEAN TO YOU?• DOES A PM ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO LEAD A
PROJECT?• DOES IT HELP TO HAVE A PM LEAD A PROJECT?
PROJECT MANAGER
PROJECT MANAGEMENTDISCIPLINE
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
Spitfire - Project Management
• GUIDE ON THE SIDE• NOT THE SAGE ON THE STAGE
• HOW YOU WORK THE WORK
PROJECT MANAGER
PROJECT MANAGEMENTDISCIPLINE
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
10 Ways to Manage Your Project Manager
1. USE THE PM LOVE LANGUAGE2. FIGHT TIMESUCKER TASKS3. SIMPLIFY – ONE TASK AT A TIME4. FOCUS – FAIL FAST5. FOLLOW ESTIMATE ETIQUETTE6. UNDERSTAND YOUR END GAME7. GUESSING IS FOR GUESSING8. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FORUM TO CHALLENGE YOUR
PM9. LISTEN10.BE AGREEABLE – 75% OF THE TIME
ispitfiregroup.com
Contact Spitfire Today
+1 303.485.1880
@spitfiregroup
Spitfiregroup.com
Thank You!
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
1. Use the Project Manager Love Language
• BE SPECIFIC• Come to your PM with a specific risk, concern,
dependency, open decision• Your PM will LOVE you
• Come to your PM with alternatives on how to address• Your PM will LOVE you
• TRY THIS• Avoid approaching your PM with a generalized
complaint• Be constructive with your feedback . . . . please
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
2. Fight Time Sucker Tasks
• YOU ARE THE PM OVER YOUR OWN TIME!• Your time is your biggest asset
• Protect it with your life!• Be intentional with your time (with whom you
spend it, what you talk about, what you work on)• TRY THIS
• If you are asked to do a time sucker task• Track the time it is taking you to complete a
time sucker task• Have a conversation with your PM
• Your PM needs to understand exactly how much time you’re spending on a time sucker task
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
3. Simplify – One Task at a Time
• MULTI-TASKING IS A MYTH!• Never accept more than 3 tasks at once
• TRY THIS• Understand your first priority and commit• Understand your second priority and carefully
commit• Understand your last priority and absolutely
don’t commit
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
4. Focus – Fail Fast
• FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION – FASTER – BY FAILING FAST• Every decision ever made has a chance to fail when
implemented• TRY THIS
• Time yourself – You are your best competitor• Give yourself 30 minutes to complete a task.• If you’re not done after 30 minutes
• Are you on the right track? • Need to start over?
• Time your team – If your team does is not done with a task in 4 hours. Why not? Is it the right solution? Scrap or no? Be mindful with your work
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
5. Follow Estimate Etiquette
• ESTIMATE ETIQUETTE• Be Realistic – With Estimates• If you don’t know – say you don’t know
• Optimism can kill a project• Pessimism can kill your reputation
• If you are optimistic – say you are being optimistic
• If you are a “buffer it” kind of developer – don’t over buffer –You will get found out and look silly
• Try this• If you are not 100% confident in an estimate
that you give, build in some buffer but tell your PM you are doing this
• Have a real conversation with your PM about your estimate
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
6. Understand Your End Game
• BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND• Stephen Covey
• TRY THIS• Spend 30 minutes on what you think is the
correct format of the final deliverable and send it to your PM to keep your PM in the loop (the fact that it is a draft doesn’t matter)
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
7. Guessing is for Guessing
• NO GUESSWORK ACCEPTED• If you are not crystal clear on a task, find out fast
• This is YOUR responsibility to know what YOU are working on• Not taking the time to do this turns your
work effort into a time sucker task
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
8. How to Challenge Your PM
• THERE IS A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING!• Try this
• Challenge the thing, not the person• Use 1:1 time to provide feedback• Use small group time to provide feedback• Be calm and use non-confrontational yet very
specific language that supports your challenge statement
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
9. Listen
• IF YOU LISTEN, THEY WILL COME• Practice intentional listening
• TRY THIS• Put down your phone• Close your laptop • Look your PM in the eyes• Don’t interrupt• Show respect
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
10. Be Agreeable – 75% of the Time
• CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES!• < 50% Agreeableness = counterproductive. • If you are sitting at 50% of the time – you just may
not get it or your may not be in the right job fit• I’m not saying roll over but conflict can be seen
as ‘you don’t like what you are doing’• 75% - gives you room to provide very valuable
feedback when you disagree with something.• People listen when you don’t disagree all the
time• People value your feedback when you don’t
disagree all the time• TRY THIS
• Will your objection ultimately improve business value?
• If yes, then let time and quality guide your decisions (and voice your objection!)
ispitfiregroup.com
ispitfiregroup.com
Thank You!
• BY A SHOW OF HANDS• HOW MANY OF YOU ARE CONVINCED YOUR
CURRENT PROJECT MANAGER IS A NIMWIT? If so . . . . .
1. USE THE PM LOVE LANGUAGE2. FIGHT TIMESUCKER TASKS3. SIMPLIFY – ONE TASK AT A TIME4. FOCUS – FAIL FAST5. FOLLOW ESTIMATE ETIQUETTE6. UNDERSTAND YOUR END GAME7. GUESSING IS FOR GUESSING8. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FORUM TO CHALLENGE YOUR PM9. LISTEN10.BE AGREEABLE – 75% OF THE TIME