Coaching
Project coaching involves the intervention of a seasoned, experienced project manager to provide the client project manager with a greater insight into the way the project is currently managed, spotting areas of potential improvement and pointing out alternative approaches and options available to the project manager.
This is done in a non-judgmental way, encouraging the client project manager to become aware of, and to exploit their strengths. The coach helps the project manager to analyze the current situation, display the appropriate behavior and to take the required actions to address the situation. The coach, in agreement with the client, usually follows a set of standard and proven project management guidelines, processes, tools and techniques to secure client project’s successful delivery.
At EffectivePM, we provide project management coaching support at individual or team level, for the whole duration of a project or a specific project phase. After an initial (free) assessment meeting with the client, the type, duration and coaching schedule are defined and mutually agreed. We also offer telephone or Skype based coaching plans for specific help and advice, as well as longer-term arrangements for project delivery improvement sessions.
The client project manager may be new to the project management profession, new to a currently running project, or new to the organization where he or she is employed. They may also find themselves in a changing environment – such as reorganizations, new technologies, or unreliable suppliers – that are just too difficult to cope with.
In such cases, the project manager may feel overwhelmed by stressful demands of the environment, sometimes leading to discouragement, loss of confidence and therefore to lower performance. This can be particularly acute if the project is experiencing difficulties, running into problems or if things are going wrong. Such situations can happen when the project context is facing unexpected changes, the project manager is not getting the support he or she needs, or is facing (real or perceived) unreasonable demands from key stakeholders.
You may need either help or coaching if you experience one or more of the following:
- There are important activities that you are continuously postponing
- You feel that you are fire-fighting most of the time
- You’ve been assigned a project and you don’t know where or how to begin
- One or more of your team members (or yourself) is just not motivated
- Difficulties in communicating with important stakeholders
- Your project is running late, over budget (or both), and you feel you’re losing control
- You don’t know how to say ‘no’ to a change request (that you can’t afford to accept)
- You need to spend more time with key stakeholders but can’t seem to find a moment
- There is nobody you can delegate some tasks to
- There are conflicts in the team or with external people, and you don’t know what to do
- This project is ‘going into a wall‘ and yet nobody seems to listen
- You need some key training but you feel your hierarchy is not supporting you
- A key supplier is not delivering and you feel ‘stuck’ with them
- Management requires an urgent presentation and you can’t pull it together
- There is too much ‘politics’ around, and this wastes your energy
- In general, a situation, person or group makes you feel powerless, angry or over stressed
In these cases, EffectivePM can bring you new perspectives and provide you with the resources you need to face immediate project challenges. This can be a simple thirty-minute phone conversation or a custom designed on-going coaching plan.
EffectivePM adapts to your needs and we’re only a phone call or email away!