Effective Project Management During the Pandemic

In one of my recent LinkedIn Live broadcasts, someone asked how project management could evolve, given new and changing rules imposed by the pandemic. Here are a few key ways in which project management could adjust to be effective during the pandemic.

Focus on using tools for remote work effectively. More than ever, project management involves people working remotely, which amplifies the need for contact and useful communication tools. Those shiny new team management tools available today provide new communication and collaboration capabilities. However, without establishing new habits, those tools might be used improperly (or not at all) leading to missed or mangled messages. To ensure tools for remote work actually work, get with the team to understand the habits and approaches they use from their home office.  Then, strive to align your stakeholders around a common set of practices.

Address work circumstances in project requirements and the requirement gathering process. The pandemic adds a whole new dimension to requirements collection. Team members and clients might work in offices, at home, or both. They might work different numbers of days per week in each location. They might work different work hours because of childcare responsibilities. These circumstances are a consideration both for the requirements gathering process as well as the project requirements themselves. The idea of belonging and inclusion that is popular thinking in the talent management world needs to be applied to projects. Project requirements should address how information and interactions are transferred and how integrations between processes and tools are managed. And the requirements process should support requirement gatherers and requirement providers working in different places and on different schedules. One things for sure — counting on people sharing information over the cubical wall is a thing of the past.

Robust communication planning. Communication needs are broader and more challenging. during the pandemic. How do you ensure stakeholders feel informed when you can’t see their reactions easily? The Project Management Institute (PMI) states the person who initiates communication is responsible for ensuring it’s received and understood. That takes serious work when stakeholders are dispersed and remotely located. In a pandemic-era communication plan, center stage belongs to follow up calls, careful scrutiny of email replies, and diligent follow-up when no response is received.

Place emphasis on integration and interaction risks. Risk plans should emphasize specific risks associated with integration, interactions between staff members, and assumptions about serving clients. For example, we can’t assume transport or product delivery will be normal until the pandemic truly subsides. While things are improving in wealthier nations, virus-related impacts and restrictions could remain in other countries for some time to come.

More focus on organizational change management. Peter Senge is quoted as saying “People don’t resist change. They resist being changed.” Organizational change planning and execution needs to have greater emphasis in our pandemic-affected world. Change can be difficult because of isolation and the stressful changes people have to make. Be sure to focus on potential change fatigue and work hard to understand the magnitude of change people need to absorb. Also, consider how to provide more individual attention to stakeholders to ensure project business outcomes are realized through organizational change.

Do you have suggestions for other ways project management needs to adjust for pandemic realities? Let’s get a conversation going in the comments! The LinkedIn Learning library has some great courses about working and building relationships when working remotely. Go to the library and then search for “remote work.”