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Author: Tracy Contrino

Tracy is Ingenuiti's Director of Project Management and has nearly 20 years experience managing projects in the eLearning and corporate training sectors, including but not limited to the automotive, retail, compliance, financial, and insurance industries. Her experience includes new course builds, course redesigns/refresh and course maintenance, using both waterfall and agile project management. Tracy enjoys working with clients to achieve their scheduling goals and goes the extra mile to ensure her clients are happy with their final deliverables. When not working, Tracy is probably taking care of one or several of her pets: three dogs, four cats, and two turtles. She also enjoys hiking with her dogs, thrifting, reading, and photography.
PMTimes_May07_2024

Avoiding Road Rage: Ensuring a Smooth Project Ride

One recent unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon, I was  running errands alongside two-thirds of the American populace.  Having finished the current errand, I reached for the seat belt, confirmed I heard the familiar “click”, and was off to complete my final run for the day.  Truthfully,  I was tired and moderately cranky, due to the fact that this gorgeous day was lost to me as I drove from one corporate megastore to the next.

Traffic is more congested than normal for a weekend, again, probably due to the lovely weather.   I approach a highway requiring me to use an onramp with no merge, and after what seemed like an eternity, I see an opportunity.  Accelerating, I pulled into the lane when a vehicle suddenly approached at high speed forcing me to make a split second decision- floor it or move to the shoulder.  My anger grew (did I mention that I was already in a poor mood?).  I decided to floor it. My SUV used all it’s muscle to pull through and into the lane, requiring, I’d imagine, the speedy dude to slam on his brakes. He tailed me at a dangerously close distance, clearly intentional.  This continued for a good minute until finally he pulled into the faster lane, sped off and mouthed obscenities through his window as he passed.

Ahhh, good ol’ road rage.  It’s so common, and although it most often ends without incident, it can and does escalate. When we’re in this situation, sometimes it’s difficult to think clearly and it’s certainly easy to make bad decisions. And oddly enough, after my nerves settled, my mind wandered to work.  I was reminded of a particularly challenging project and client that’s caused me some heartburn as of late.  The similarities to this road rage incident and my project issues were, well, astounding.  And another article idea was born:  applying strategies for successful conflict resolution to both road rage and project management.

 

Stay Calm: Did that driver just flip me off?

Our clients are the most important thing in our business, but yes, clients may be irrational, demanding, and unwilling to negotiate. When someone seems unreasonable, keeping your thoughts calm is the first line of defense, and avoids putting your mind into a flight or fight response.  Take deep breaths, relax your muscles, and remind yourself that getting angry won’t solve anything. In fact, getting angry with your clients makes you look bad.

Project managers are often the face of the company so it’s your job to ensure client success.  Does that mean escalation isn’t an option? Of course it is, but ensure that you’ve done what you can to remain focused and offer concrete solutions to the clients. Make sure you have meticulous documentation.  Do your best to keep the project moving despite tensions.  The only thing you can control are your actions- whether behind the computer or behind the wheel, a steadfast manner wins every time.

 

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Plan Ahead: Don’t aggressively speed, change lanes, or flash your high beams

Road rage is more easily incited if you’re rushed, anxious, or angry.  It’s not always possible to leave for your destination early, but certainly try to allow for extra time to account for unforeseen problems such as traffic, construction, or weather.

Project managers are familiar with rushing and more often than not, when our clients ask for urgency, they back off once they realize that they too need to act with urgency.   Although project managers may breathe a sigh of relief in such situations, the effort required to book resources in preparation for a rushed project, which later fizzles to a more standard schedule, is also stressful.

Planning is the definition of project management and a PM’s golden ticket is building a solid schedule.  It goes without saying (but I’m saying it) that a schedule gauges risk up front and protects the PM should things get really ugly. Sometimes a well designed schedule will encourage clients to add the additional time back in, helping you avoid the dance of perceived urgency altogether.  Keeping your clients educated, informed and updated when projects are high-risk makes all the difference.

 

Emotional Intelligence: Get this driver off my tail!

Successful project managers exhibit high emotional intelligence, can better control their emotions and know how to empathize with others.  When we have challenging clients, it’s incumbent on a PM to focus on the big picture- your project’s success.   It’s easy to make a client’s cranky disposition personal.  Don’t.  You can not control, and likely have zero knowledge of, the day-to-day activities of your clients.  Do your best to listen, be objective, be empathetic, and don’t let someone else’s bad day get to you.

As well, PM’s who exhibit high emotional intelligence are more successful communicators during stressful, awkward or challenging project situations.  We all know that clear communication with your clients is paramount. The messier the project, the better the communication skills need to be.  Communicating frequently and consistently will go a long way during a rough project because it will not only act as your record, the client will undoubtedly appreciate it, even if the appreciation goes unstated.

Whether driving a project via a Teams meeting or driving your vehicle home, control what you can control: remain calm, be courteous, and don’t inflame the situation by getting angry.

 

Leadership: Oh? You wanna race…?!?

Every project manager is a leader. Effective leadership motivates team members, sets a positive tone, and fosters collaboration. In stressful situations, it’s critical to maintain a leadership style that keeps everyone motivated. Showing genuine appreciation for team efforts keeps morale high. Plus your team looks to you for direction.  Maintaining a professional level of courteous interactions when engaging with testy clients fosters respect from your team members and reduces tensions when stress is elevated.

Believe it or not, the client looks to you as a leader too.  Bringing stability and calm to challenging situations helps reduce possibilities for poor communication.  There are always situations where a client outburst can’t be avoided, but as already mentioned, if you’ve planned well, stay calm, and use thoughtful and empathetic language, your leadership will shine through.

 

Steering the project toward success: Anticipate the actions of other drivers

As project managers, we’ve all had our road-rage-like projects.  It’s part of the job and it’s inevitable.  Although the experience can be exhausting and overwhelming, you play a big part in how the project will ultimately fair.  Plan ahead and plan well, stay informed, remain calm when tense situations arise (use that emotional intelligence!), be mindful that a client’s bad day is likely not about you, and finally, focus on the task at hand and the overall success of your project:  That’s all you can control and that’s what’s expected of you.

PMTimes_Mar19_2024

Brewing Success: Managing Your eLearning Project One Cup at a Time

Coffee is a staple of my morning routine.  With little deviation, I make my coffee as soon as I sleepily saunter into the kitchen.  I don’t think much about it, the process is nearly hard-coded at this point: choice of favorite mug, mug placed, coffee prepped, brew cycle on- then I await the pop-pop-popping of hot water as the sweet aroma fills my kitchen. My brain is hyper focussed on both the sounds and smells like a Pavolivan trained dog awaiting the liquid award.  Then finally, I add cream and a touch of honey (yes honey, it’s delicious!) and after my first sip, my morning is ready to begin.

 

I get it. I’m in a rare class of those who need this cup of coffee to go beyond the simple, great, I have coffee.  I admittedly spend a lot of money on this caffeinated nectar.  It’s my one true pleasure each morning. I have a deep appreciation for connoisseurs who hone their skills and master the art of selecting beans, grinding them to perfection, and brewing a rich, flavorful caffeinated beverage. I read about coffee entrepreneurs and love to smell fresh beans when I’m in a coffee shop.  I even enjoy reading the descriptions of flavors: medium body with tasting notes of nutty, sweet chocolate, mild citrus and a bright finish….yes please, I’ll have a cup of that!

 

I realize that for the vast majority of the population, the process behind an excellent cup of coffee doesn’t really matter, it’s about the end result done right.   Yet one morning, I started thinking about both my morning routine and the overall coffee process, going from a bean in a field to a liquid in someone’s cup. And that’s when it hit me that the process of making coffee bears a striking resemblance to eLearning project management.   As it happened that morning, I had a busy day of deliverables and thought to myself, “huh, as clients receive their final deliverables, they’re likely unaware of all the careful planning, execution, and evaluation that goes on behind the scenes. They want their deliverable, done correctly and as expected”.   So I set out to write about the two processes and their similarities.

 

Selecting the Right Beans (Project Initiation/Needs Assessment)

A high-quality, aromatic coffee bean sets the foundation for a rich, silky cup of Java and a well- organized pre-project launch process is paramount to the success of an eLearning project.

For example, a coffee’s success includes bean variety, the growing region, climate (including altitude) and how the beans are harvested and processed.  Typically, there’s no need to think about anything else in the process. Sound familiar?

 

As PMs, the project initiation phase is arguably the most critical stage of the entire project.  Above all other tasks, a PM’s job is to review and/or confirm the target audience, determine what, if any constraints or risks are present, understand scope, draft a schedule, confirm resources and ensure that all source materials were shared. In other words, conduct a thorough needs assessment.   An air-tight project initiation sets the stage for a balanced and mellow project experience. Again, if done right, there’s no need for your learners to think about anything else in the process.

 

Measuring and Grinding (Project Planning)

Precision is key in both coffee and project planning. How one grinds coffee beans will play a significant role in the flavor, aroma, and strength of your final drink.  If your beans aren’t measured correctly before grinding, or if the grind size doesn’t match the intended strength, that cup of coffee will taste acidic, weak, or sour, all things I cannot tolerate.

 

In eLearning, the best way to avoid a weak project finish is early preparation to ensure that all team resources are informed of the project objectives, deliverables, schedule and risks. An eLearning project is only as successful as the individual parts.  The more project information a PM shares with the project team members, the higher the probability of success.  Kickoffs are the best way to communicate with your project teams.

 

Kickoffs ensure that your team understands the schedule, the deliverables and that everyone knows the part they’ll play in the project.  It’s a time for the team to ask questions, get to know each other if they don’t already, and to understand accountability for the project success.  Projects started without kickoffs often go sideways because they’re missing precision from the start.   Take the time to measure the project needs beforehand, so that your project begins from a position of strength.

 

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Power on- Whirring, Sizzle, Gurgle, Drip! (Official Project Kick-off)

Few things are better to coffee lovers than hearing the sound of the coffee machine preparing for your morning brew. It’s surely my favorite part, as I detailed at the start of this story.

 

The official kick-off with your learning team is akin to powering on your coffee machine.  Kick-off meetings are the time to confirm project scope, timing of milestones, agreements around project responsibilities, establishing meeting cadence, verifying source material status, and highlighting risks.  Kick-off meetings set the foundation for a strong project start.

 

The best way that PMs can level-set expectations is via note-taking.  Holding everyone on a client call responsible for their individual or collective parts is key, and live scribing is highly suggested so that the collective team agrees to action items and deadlines.  With the advent of AI-based tools that are creating quite the sizzle in our industry, note taking is easier than ever before so there’s no need to skip this important step!

 

Brewing (Project In-Flight, Monitoring & Control)

Obviously, the best part of the brewing process is your satisfying cup of coffee.  The preparation of your coffee beans invites the flavors from coffee grounds, and at that point, your coffee should brew as expected.  Still, like any process, problems might arise.  For example, the water temperature (targeted between 195°F to 205°F) could be off, or the wrong type of brewing method is used for the ground type which would heavily influence the role in flavor, or worse yet, user error- inserting the wrong sized filter or not measuring the water correctly.  Keeping a close eye on the brewing process throughout and adjusting parameters as needed is the best way to achieve and brew the perfect cup.

 

Similarly, an eLearning project that is meticulously and methodically organized (during initiation and planning), should percolate to an ideal state, assuming the PM’s involvement includes excellent communication, detailed awareness, shared notes and prompt resolutions.   Regularly assessing project progress is critical so that you can identify and rectify any issues quickly.  Incorporating feedback from stakeholders is an ideal way to glean that your near final product is meeting/has met expectations.

 

Ask open, thoughtful questions during status meetings that begin with “How”, “What”, or “Tell me” as examples.  Sending short (3 question max) surveys mid-project works too.  Dropping a quick email that simply reads, “I am interested in hearing your feedback around how the project is progressing to date” could glean rich insight of an issue that may have not been covered during a standing meeting.

Enjoying the Final Cup (Project Closure)

Finally, it’s time to serve your eLearning project like a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. Present the finished product to stakeholders and ensure they have the tools and knowledge to make the most of it. After successfully conducting LMS testing and launching, your project is complete.  Celebrate your team’s hard work and savor the sense of accomplishment.

 

And so, much like brewing a good cup of coffee, managing an eLearning project involves distinct phases, each crucial for a satisfying end result. Skipping or rushing through any phase can lead to a less-than-desirable outcome. By carefully tending to each step, eLearning project managers can ensure a successful and effective learning experience for their audience.  If you brew your eLearning projects with the same care and precision as you would your favorite cup of coffee, you’ll serve up excellence every time.