Tag Archive for: #projectpointers

The most valuable projects support short-term business goals and contribute to achieving strategic objectives. Aligning projects with an organization’s strategy requires specific, often overlooked approaches. Here are some practical techniques:

• Review the organizational strategy before producing the project charter. Review the entire strategic plan, not just the executive summary. Look for specific objectives, the metrics used to measure them, and the vocabulary used to describe success. Then draft the project charter, mirroring the language used in the strategy to directly connect the project to the organization’s strategy. 
• Review (or build) an Outcomes Map. Instead of a flowchart to outline process steps to achieve a specific result, Outcome Maps capture the initiatives or projects required to deliver broad strategic initiatives. Review the outcomes map with the sponsor and key stakeholders to make sure they agree that the project will fulfill one or more of the map’s steps. If senior management can’t clearly see how the project supports the pathways outlined in the Outcomes Map, revise the project charter to align with management’s intentions. 
• Include strategy reviews in status meetings.  At least every quarter, revisit the alignment between the project and organizational strategy. This is important, as strategies can shift. What made sense in January might be off-target by July. Use strategy reviews to confirm the project still supports the current long-term objectives and to determine whether the project approach needs adjustment. 
• Design project governance with the strategy in mind. Encourage the sponsor or steering committee to go beyond approving budgets and timelines. Propose that they participate to ensure major project decisions support the organizational strategy. To reinforce this, project managers can require teams to explain the strategic rationale for any significant change or new direction. Then, the change review board can evaluate and confirm that rationale before approving any change. 

Take your current project or a recent one and build an outcome map to see how it aligns with the organization’s strategy. If you find a weak link, apply these techniques to beef up the project’s alignment.

For more information on Outcomes Mapping, go to https://www.outcomemapping.org/

My course Project Management Foundations was #4 in LinkedIn Learning’s Most Popular courses of 2025. Watch it for free with this link!

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 100,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Leveraging processes helps improve overall efficiency and delivers continuous improvement to projects. Here are ways experienced project managers leverage a process-focused approach to increase effectiveness.

• Projects are viewed as consistent and predictable.  When project managers follow standardized processes, teams deliver predictable results and stakeholders know what to expect, strengthening trust and credibility. 
• PMs make better decisions more efficiently (especially when under pressure). Clear processes helps project managers respond efficiently to issues or proposed changes. With documented processes for addressing risks and issues including who examines scope changes and how, PMs ensure that the right people assess impacts when making these significant decisions.
• Project managers streamline communication. With a documented communication plans, the PM and team leaders consistently and predictably share updates and documents. This reduces confusion and misinterpretation of project status and upcoming activities.
• Documented processes speed up knowledge transfer. When processes are documented and repeatable, and project control deliverables are methodically updated, project managers can bring new key stakeholders, team members, and even sponsors on board faster and more effectively.
• Processes reduce risk and boost compliance. Projects are more likely to meet regulatory, contractual, and governance requirements when everyone follows standard processes. Because project audits focus on whether critical processes are documented and followed, defined processes help the PM protect their organization’s reputation and the results they deliver.
• Processes empower team members. Documented processes help project team members understand what is expected of them, how they must produce their deliverables, and how those deliverables fit into the big picture. Well-crafted work breakdown structures, task data dictionaries, and process-focused deliverable reviews help team members support one another.  This clarity boosts confidence and encourages greater ownership. 

Look through your project documentation to evaluate your project management processes. Find any missing ones or some that could be improved? Pick one each week to document until everything is up to date.

For more about processes, check out my Project Management Foundations course and Chris Croft’s Process Improvement Foundations course.

Coming Up

As Project Online approaches retirement, organizations face important decisions about the future of their project and portfolio management tools. Bonnie Biafore and Ira Brown will explore several paths for transitioning away from Project Online, discussing options such as Project Server Subscription Edition, Planner Premium, Smartsheet, and also the use of standalone Microsoft Project. Join us for Office Hours on Friday, December 5, 2025 at 11am MT/1pm ET. Click here to join!

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 100,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Great project managers not only manage the project’s scope, time and cost (the triple constraints); they make sure those constraints will deliver positive results. That means focusing on outcomes rather than just activities. Here are ways you can demonstrate a results-focused approach. 

• Define success criteria. Draft scope statements that define project outcomes and explicitly describe how success for those outcomes will be measured. Success criteria ensure that everyone knows what project success looks like. This reduces the risk of getting sidetracked and helps evaluate changes to scope. For example, a success criterion “Improve manufacturing line throughput” is vague. How much does it need to improve to be considered a success? A proper success criteria would be “Improve manufacturing line throughput by 20% by March 31 as measured by process X.” 
• Manage scope change requests while maintaining good stakeholder relationships. Evaluate each scope change request against the project’s success criteria and either say no to the change, negotiate a trade-off, or agree to expand the scope by asking for adjusted timelines and budgets. No matter the decision, there is a solid rationale that reinforces the integrity of the project’s success criteria. Communicate the rationale to interested stakeholders without judgment, while listening actively to their responses. That way you can maintain a productive relationship with your key stakeholders. 
• Make decisions quickly, even when complete information isn’t available. Analysis paralysis is detrimental to a project. To keep your focus on results, gather enough data to make an informed choice, then commit and move forward. Making a good decision today beats a perfect decision three weeks from now, especially when those three weeks put deliverables at risk. However, revisiting decisions might be the responsible thing to do when new information comes to light. When that happens, reassess your decisions if feasible. You’ll have to put your ego aside for the sake of project success.
• Communicate status using business outcome terminology. Completed tasks on a schedule isn’t what’s important to key stakeholders. What is important is the status compared to expected outcomes. For example, “tasks 39 to 51 are done” doesn’t mean much to management. However, “we’ve circumvented the highest risks without any issues” or “we are 2 weeks away from a workable prototype” are more meaningful and outcome-focused. Results-oriented status updates keep stakeholders informed about what is relevant to them. 
• Prioritize features to adjust the project based on business value. When time or resources get tight—and they often do—be sure to reevaluate scope. That way, you can use business value to defer or cut lower-priority scope items, while fully delivering the highest-value items. 

If you’re like me, you probably get a dopamine rush by crossing to-dos off lists. But make sure you’re building those to-do lists based on project results and that you define your success criteria before diving into work.

For more about the importance of project results, check out my Project Management Foundations course.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 100,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Productive relationships with sponsors, key stakeholders, vendors, and the project team are essential to project success. And successful project managers build relationships, rather than treat discussions as transactions. Here are approaches that help build strong relationships.

• Be present. Every discussion is an opportunity to get to know someone better. To really get to know your stakeholders, eliminate distractions during conversations. Put away your phone, close your laptop, and don’t watch for other people passing by (even if you really need to talk to them). To build and maintain relationships, really listen and respond only after carefully considering what someone says. With mindful focus, each interaction is a positive step in fostering a healthy relationship.
• Follow through. As a project manager, work to be the person who always follows through on commitments. Relationship building isn’t a once and done exercise. Reach out to continue and expand communication with others. Schedule informal get-togethers. Invite stakeholders to relevant, well-planned meetings. Take opportunities to solicit their views. 
• Focus beyond the words. Research by psychologist Albert Mehrabian suggests that body language and tone of voice communicate more than the words used. Develop your emotional intelligence and watch for the true meaning behind what stakeholders’ say. If you struggle to “read the room” or interpret stakeholders’ intentions, consider training in emotional intelligence. Also, use the richest medium possible (phone rather than email, video rather than phone, in person rather than video) so you can get the most out of every conversation.
• Adjust your schedule and agenda to meet the needs of others (and yourself). Everyone has good and bad days, which can show up in how we communicate. Be flexible with stakeholders. Work with them on topics and approaches that are sensitive to their mood, available time, and level of interest. It might be better to move a crucial conversation to another day to achieve a successful outcome and maintain a positive relationship. Note: The same applies to you, the project manager. If you’re in a bad mood, wait until your mood improves before having an important conversation with a stakeholder.
• Take a long-term view. Building constructive relationships takes time. Some conversations will be easy-going and some will be challenging. Build trust through honest interactions. Be open, sensitive to others’ needs and perspectives, and listen to different points of view. Share information proactively, even with bad news. Avoiding difficult conversations won’t lead to successful relationships. Consistency and trustworthiness over the long term are keys to building strong relationships.

You know you have a meeting or conversation coming up. Use it to practice being present and see what happens!

For more about building relationships, check out Emily Anhalt’s Skills to Build Stronger Work Relationships course.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 99,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Managing change is a fundamental aspect of project management. Project managers must lead assessment efforts to determine whether requested changes are appropriate and beneficial for their projects. A Change Mindset is needed to do this well. Here are ways to embrace a change mindset and improve project success.

• View change as inevitable. In a churning, competitive world, change is a given. So, project managers must design their initiatives with as much flexibility as possible. Check with stakeholders just before making any procurement decisions or undertaking build-related tasks (that cannot be easily reversed).  That way you can consider including the latest stakeholder views and perceived needs in the project, thereby optimizing outcomes. Note: For these and all other changes, practice change management diligently.
• Be prepared for significant change triggered by items outside project control. Change may be spurred by the actions of competitors, new demands from customers, or regulatory changes mandated by the government.  These can result in shifting priorities, requirements for different skills, or substantial scope change requests. The need to re-plan, determine a new solution approach, or alter the schedule is likely. It will also require a new round of communication with team members, key stakeholders, and the sponsor. It’s a lot of work, but it’s necessary to maintain project integrity and align with the project’s business case. Note: In instances where more than 20% of the project will be affected, it might be best to create a new business case and revalidate the project before proceeding. 
• Keep track of technical product capabilities that can trigger change. When dealing with technical components that are susceptible to rapid technological advances (such as AI or robotics), project plans might need to be reassessed to accommodate the latest breakthroughs. For instance, consider a year-long project to develop a specialized manufacturing line that incorporates robotics and high-end workstations. Some capabilities with AI and robotics aren’t available yet but will be soon. So, the project must produce the known parts of the infrastructure up front and the parts using new technology later—without creating cumbersome rework. Capitalizing on the latest advances can make all the difference for your business when it comes to project acceptance. 
• Understand that internal politics is a strong motivator for change. Project changes might be requested without an apparent business reason. In most cases, “rolling with it” is the best course of action. Evaluate the change for cost or schedule changes, their impact on the business case, and present the results. Also, identify risks the change may trigger and document those concerns. The role of the project manager is to evaluate and report the impacts of a change, rather than trying to override management desires. Go with the decision that key stakeholders and the sponsor agree upon. But keep the change-related documentation close at hand in case any questions arise.
• Reactionary factors can inspire change requests and a need to push back. Key stakeholders might react to business pressures by requesting a change that is already covered in the scope or is something entirely different from the project’s intent. In this case, consider having a one-on-one conversation with the stakeholder to discuss their concerns. If the stakeholder persists, a discussion with the sponsor is in order. If those conversations don’t result in a retraction of the change request, assess the change and present the results, along with the risks and issues it presents. Include a strong recommendation that the change is not accepted. After that, the proper action is to conform to the desires of the sponsor and stakeholders.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 98,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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