Project post-holiday hang-over? Not with these 3 rules
The holidays can be a busy and stressful time. There is so much going on that causes your project team to lose their focus; shopping, parties, decorating, and other seasonal responsibilities. Keeping your project on track can be extremely challenging. Use these rules to make sure your project stays on the path of success.
Create awareness and set expectations. Make team members aware of the holiday schedule from the outset of the project and how the project schedule will impact them. No one likes a surprise, especially during the holidays. With expectations set of hours to be worked and project tasks to be completed in advance, everyone is on the same page. Also, be sure to revisit expectations with the team throughout the life of the project, and more frequently as the holidays near. By making the team aware and outlining the expectations early, it allows them to prepare and alter plans, to meet personnel and professional obligations and to focus on the project.
Be prepared, flexible and realistic. Make sure that you’re on top of the project schedule and resource availability. While I’m not endorsing the arbitrary use of a work around, or resource leveling, these can be two tools that can really go a long way in making sure whatever project tasks, before, or during the holidays, get completed.
Know what motivates your team. There are a lot of ways to keep your team members motivated, and knowing what makes them tick is key to helping projects stay on track during the holidays. While one team member may be motivated by a bonus, another might be by a nice meal out on the company, or even time during work hours to take care of some personal holiday tasks. By knowing your team members and what motivates them as individuals, you are able to effectively tailor your approach to ensure they receive what resonates most with them and keep them motivated to keep the project moving forward.
By keeping in mind these 3 rules, create awareness and set expectations, be flexible, prepared and realistic, and know what motivates your team; you set your project up for success during the busy holiday season.
How do you manage projects during the holidays? Feel free to leave a comment below or shout out to
us on Facebook or Twitter. Of course, you could always write your own
blog post on the subject and share it with us… We’d love to read it!
