projects - Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting https://josephkmuscat.com Take A Leap & Transform Mon, 01 Apr 2024 22:23:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://josephkmuscat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cropped-Icon-32x32.png projects - Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting https://josephkmuscat.com 32 32 Project Management: Build & understand your relationship with your stakeholders https://josephkmuscat.com/build-understand-your-relationship-with-your-stakeholders Tue, 07 Sep 2021 07:36:02 +0000 https://josephkmuscat.com/?p=1 A key element in a project is stakeholder management and for a project manager, it is fundamental that they build and understand the relationship with those key parties. No matter what level you are at in the hierarchy of a company or in project creating, relationships will ensure you have the support and corporation needs to complete a project. When managing stakeholders, there are several steps a project manager must take. Each of these steps will lead you to strategically building those vital relationships. Identify your stakeholders Your stakeholders will be internal or external. In either case, create a profile...

The post Project Management: Build & understand your relationship with your stakeholders first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

A key element in a project is stakeholder management and for a project manager, it is fundamental that they build and understand the relationship with those key parties. No matter what level you are at in the hierarchy of a company or in project creating, relationships will ensure you have the support and corporation needs to complete a project.

When managing stakeholders, there are several steps a project manager must take. Each of these steps will lead you to strategically building those vital relationships.

Identify your stakeholders

Your stakeholders will be internal or external. In either case, create a profile on each one. These profiles should outline who is an ally, who can you turn in your favour, and who is an obstacle. Each of them will have their reason for being for or against the project, so this is where you will need to find out their motives.

To help in the profile’s creation, you can reach out to other individuals or past project managers for their advice and experiences with that stakeholder/s. The best resource is to arrange a one to one with the stakeholders. At some point you will meet them all and find out what makes them tick; this is where you lay the seeds for building that relationship with them.

During that interaction – which of course should lead to more meetings to further strengthen that relationship – you need to discover their reasons for supporting or opposing the project, how they will support you, who will be your ‘go to’ expert on a particular area of the project and what value they get out of supporting the project, or why the project is against their objectives. In either case, you are outlining what their level of involvement in the project will be.

Juggle Motivation

In the exercise of creating a profile, one of the key discoveries is stakeholders’ motivation. The more stakeholders you have, the more you will have to juggle. The first thing to do is to find your biggest supporter; the chances are they are the ones who wanted this project and could see the benefit.  In addition, usually, they are also the foremost expert who can provide guidance, as they see the overall big picture.

On the flip side, you then need to identify who is against the project and again it is usually the ones who did not advocate for the project because in their opinion the benefits are not favourable. In these situations, you need to understand where they are coming from, try to present an objective view of the project and get their support… not of the project but towards you, the project manager.

Regardless of whether they want the project or not, you want them to at least be in your corner because they value you as the project manager. This way it is not about the project, it’s about how much they value you and the work you are producing for the sake of the company, the client and for everyone involved.

Create A Productive Strategy

With your profile in hand and understanding their motivations, you now have what you need to create a strategy for how you manage your stakeholders. You need to ask and answer these types of questions:

How will you communicate with those who support you?

How will you manoeuvre around those who block you?

Who holds the purse strings?

Who influences who?

With these types of questions, you will need to develop strategies that will ensure you are successful in completing the project.

Stay In Constant Communication and Keep them involved

Building the relationship with stakeholders gives you a gateway to maintain their commitment. There are of course several tools in use already, such as highlight reports, stand-up meetings and end of stage reports; this help to maintain that engagement, to get their input and to seek their expert advice.

Let’s not forget that one-to-ones don’t have to happen just once. Use it when you can and when you need it. A one-to-one can and should lead to multiple encounters, as this is how you further deepen that relationship and ensure that you can call upon their engagement.

Ok, this is great if you are an extensive business, but I am a small business or SME; how does this apply to me?

We often see project management as a big business scenario and not applicable to a small business. This is a false narrative. The same principles apply but on a much smaller scale meaning better control and with a smaller budget.

This will be the subject of another blog post which will be tackled separately.

So let’s stay focused and look at stakeholders. Depending on how small or medium the business is, your stakeholders will be the business owner, their general manager and/or a manager, which could be you. If you are the project manager and you are in the hierarchy, this could be a good thing as they value you for your expertise and it also means that you have the owner’s ear, so you can engage and build that relationship.

If you are not at that level of management, then you need to find out who the owner will listen to; this is usually the general manager. Remember, this is your go-to person, and since it was the owner who hired a general manager, to begin with, you need that stakeholder on your side.

Then, of course, if there is no general manager, you are dealing directly with the business owner and this can be tricky. The owner wants a project manager, but may see you as an employee: it might not be an ideal relationship as they may have the viewpoint “this is what I want and you are just there to implement it!”

On the other hand, if they value you for your expertise, are willing to consider your opinion and suggestions, it will be a different experience because they want to build on that relationship and you will be able to handle the project towards a more successful outcome.

Final thoughts

Knowing your stakeholder and building relationships leads to better management of them and the project. As a project manager, the project falls on your plate, so it’s your responsibility to ensure the project succeeds. Therefore, it is equally important to build and understand the relationship with your stakeholders.

Remember the project was started for a justifiable reason, which means most of those involved want the project to be successful, especially on time, resources and budget. If you stay on track with managing the project and maintaining this relationship, your project will achieve the desired outcome.

_____________________

Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

I make a difference

The best solutions is when you
first identify the difference it makes before starting

How can I help you

The post Project Management: Build & understand your relationship with your stakeholders first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]> Communication dilemma and how this affects your projects https://josephkmuscat.com/communication-dilemma-and-how-this-affects-your-projects Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:04:55 +0000 https://josephkmuscat.com/?p=5114 In many situations, whether it is a project or not, when things go astray we hear that there was a lack of communication or a breakdown in the channels of communication. When this happens, the door opens to misunderstandings and misinterpretation, allowing fear to sink in as they need to ask for help. In all cases, the project suffers and the blame falls on the shoulders of the project manager who is responsible for protecting the project and meeting the expected deadline of the deliverable. Let’s explore some of the causes and what can be done to prevent a project...

The post Communication dilemma and how this affects your projects first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

In many situations, whether it is a project or not, when things go astray we hear that there was a lack of communication or a breakdown in the channels of communication. When this happens, the door opens to misunderstandings and misinterpretation, allowing fear to sink in as they need to ask for help. In all cases, the project suffers and the blame falls on the shoulders of the project manager who is responsible for protecting the project and meeting the expected deadline of the deliverable.

Let’s explore some of the causes and what can be done to prevent a project from reaching this point.

Collecting and sharing information

Information gathering is one of the most crucial aspects of communication. Communication has two objectives: to collect and to share what was learned. How can a project succeed if we are not permitting this simple dialogue to occur? Perhaps that is the problem; we don’t allow true communication to be simple.

For dialogue to occur, a project manager must permit structured and non-confusing channels to be made available. This also means an ‘open-door policy, where team members or third-party contractors, are free to reach out to each other.

These channels can take the form of a weekly meeting, weekly reports or tools like email, Skype and project management software. In any of these opportunities, conversation and questions are the elements we need to collect and share information.

Joseph K Muscat Consulting

 

Are we permitting the art of asking questions?

Firstly, are we allowing team members to feel safe in asking questions? Project managers, stakeholders and team managers all say “if you have questions don’t hesitate to ask” and yet they get annoyed when a question or too many questions are asked.

Learning is accomplished if questions are allowed to be asked; how can knowledge be shared if there are no questions?  The gathering and sharing of information are two sides of the same coin, which depends on open communication that supports the asking of questions.

Another perspective relates to the asking and to the response to a question. Let’s look at this from both a neurological and neurodivergent understanding. There is something known as processing speed. What is that you ask? Well, the human brain has two speeds, slow or fast. Some of us can process information faster than others. It is important to note that processing speed has nothing to do with intelligence. Research has shown that when you compare a person with a slow processing speed vs a fast person, on the IQ scale they are more often than not at the same level.

So what does this have to do with asking questions?  The person who asks the question must be patient and give the other person time to process the information and time to give their answer. Too often we look down on people because of our impatience.

Too afraid to communicate

To summarise, are we creating a culture where team members feel safe to communicate with the manager?  Are managers, supervisors and project managers being snappy with those who approach them?  Are they making them feel unwelcome?

For any kind of dialogue to take place, people need to feel that their opinion, expertise and observations are valued. When they feel they are not valued, they won’t bother to speak up; as a result, scope creep occurs, the project becomes more costly and deadlines will likely be missed.

Who is to blame? Ultimately, it all falls on the shoulder of the Project Manager.

So in conclusion, make people feel safe and valued;  allow for the expression of thought and the sharing of information. This way, issues are identified, motivation is engaged and productivity is up.


What to read more on how to run a smoother project then read: The cycle of a project manager

_____________________

Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

I make a difference

The best solutions is
where people matter

Get in touch

The post Communication dilemma and how this affects your projects first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]> The cycle of a Project Manager https://josephkmuscat.com/the-cycle-of-a-project-manager Tue, 20 Jul 2021 07:07:16 +0000 https://ajdethemes.com/adri-data/impact/?p=3148 Project Managers who enter into a project have a definitive cycle they must follow.  This cycle helps guide Project Managers in what they need to accomplish to ensure that the project meets its projected timely end. Different challenges, such as stakeholders or scope creep, can interfere with a Project Manager’s itinerary and this gives more reason to follow the 4 elements to that cycle. Let’s explore each element and understand why they are important. Planning There is no escape from this: no matter what, planning ensures how we are going to do a project and this responsibility falls on the...

The post The cycle of a Project Manager first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

Project Managers who enter into a project have a definitive cycle they must follow.  This cycle helps guide Project Managers in what they need to accomplish to ensure that the project meets its projected timely end.

Different challenges, such as stakeholders or scope creep, can interfere with a Project Manager’s itinerary and this gives more reason to follow the 4 elements to that cycle.

Let’s explore each element and understand why they are important.

Planning

There is no escape from this: no matter what, planning ensures how we are going to do a project and this responsibility falls on the Project Manager. 

Before any project begins, much thought goes into why that project is being done; this is what formalizes the business case.

The business case is the foundation to starting a project and helps to develop a fine-tuned plan.

This plan will outline every step of the project including revisiting the overall plan followed by micro plans that are within the master plan.

Delegating

Once the Project Manager creates the plan and gets it approved, it is time to assign that plan to the respective parties.  The Project Manager must communicate effectively the expectations and when they are due.

Communication and relationship-building are crucial here, regardless if it’s with an internal team or contracted to a third party.  You want to ensure that good quality work is delivered and this means creating a team environment.

Joseph K Muscat Consulting

Monitoring & Controlling

In every stage of the plan, it is crucial to monitor the progress of both the master plan and the micro plans, in particular, when it has been delegated to your various teams and reported back to you.

Monitoring ensures that the plan is being followed and that quality is being met.  Moreover, this is where you will spot any unforeseen issues; this allows you to step in to create and suggest solutions.

The cycle doesn’t stop here, in fact, this where the cycle will repeat.  Throughout the project, you, as the Project Manager, will be repeating each element of the cycle till the end of the project.

This is vital because as you go through these cycles you will managing time, cost, risk, quality, scope and benefits; the cycle give you the ability to do this, which in turn, makes it possible to have a successful project.

_____________________

Looking to make a change of diversity and inclusion for the neurodiverse in your company?  then click here for a consultations

Listen to this topic and others like it on my podcast Take A Leap & Transform: A Neurodiversity Journey

I make a difference

The best solutions is when you
first identify the difference it makes before starting

How can I help you

The post The cycle of a Project Manager first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]> Task Management: 7 tips on how to implement tasks with your team https://josephkmuscat.com/task-management-7-tips-on-how-to-implement-tasks-with-your-team Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:31:11 +0000 https://ajdethemes.com/adri-data/impact/?p=3136 I often say that a project must be tackled in baby steps. What I mean by this is to take things slow and break things down into smaller parts so the overall task or project itself is easier to manage. Smaller projects are usually simpler to manage as there are usually fewer endearing components in play which make things a lot less complicated to break down overall. When handling a more extensive project, you need a larger team to be focused on it. This team would then need to be broken down into smaller clusters within the team and each...

The post Task Management: 7 tips on how to implement tasks with your team first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

I often say that a project must be tackled in baby steps. What I mean by this is to take things slow and break things down into smaller parts so the overall task or project itself is easier to manage.

Smaller projects are usually simpler to manage as there are usually fewer endearing components in play which make things a lot less complicated to break down overall. When handling a more extensive project, you need a larger team to be focused on it. This team would then need to be broken down into smaller clusters within the team and each cluster will be focused on handling their designated area of the project.

In order for your team to function effectively, they need to understand the objective outcome of the tasks they are responsible for along with having a good understanding of the motivation behind the project as a whole. This means that, in order for you to fully reap the benefits of that outcome at the end of the project, it is your responsibility to communicate clearly along the way.

So, what’s the best way to break your project down and how can you articulate it more effectively to your team members?

Step 1:

Create a clear business case for the project along with a plan of how each task will be broken down and tackled by each team and cluster within the team/s. The business case will give an in-depth explanation of the motivation behind the project both in principle and from a financial perspective.

Step 2:

Choose an effective project management app that will make communication and task assignment more efficient.  Whichever app you decide to go with must be easy to use, ensuring that all tasks are easily accessible and that team members can communicate with each other through it.

Step 3:

In order to improve focus and clarity for the team members, you have the opportunity to break tasks down as they are being assigned. This will greatly help the team understand what needs to be accomplished. Another way of facilitating this is to give clear instructions and present examples of what the desired output needs to look like.

Resist the urge to be vague when giving instructions through an app; write plainly, list things out step by step, make sure it is understandable, and customize instructions in a logical way so that team members get the information they need to receive when they need it.

In past projects, there were times when I spent far more time than necessary, trying to understand what was being asked of me as the information I needed in order to complete the task was not clearly broken down. Break lengthy tasks down into bullet points if need be and always check spelling as one incorrect word could easily change the sense of the instruction. I should be the last person to criticize readability, but, if instructions are not understood, you can’t expect the task to be completed correctly.

Step 4:

Remember that any task assigned is part of the bigger picture so be transparent and allow other team members to visualize what the project’s desired outcome is. By doing this, you will be facilitating their comprehension of how their assigned task is connected to other team members’ tasks and of course the overall project itself.

Step 5:

One element that is often missed is task review.  Directives are often dictated without having first been reviewed. The review should be done internally as well as being checked by a source outside the team.

There’s nothing worse than issuing a directive and then having to retract it as it didn’t meet expectations. This occurs when there is no quality control, a project manager/team manager needs to be involved before the implementation stage and a sufficient number of task review checkpoints need to be in place to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

Step 6:

Every project must meet its due date and this is why having clearly communicated tasks are important. When a task is assigned, it should be clearly understood. To achieve this,  a clear picture of what needs to be done needs to be laid out, and there should be quality control checks in place, to ensure that the due date will be met.

Step 7:

Ensure you have built a culture of support where team members respect each other and are willing to provide assistance when needed.

This requires having an open-door policy and smooth communication channels.  This can be done through the project management app you would have chosen to use, but there should also be an alternative channel such as email. 

Having adequate lines of communication ensures that problems are dealt with and the deadlines for tasks are met because there is an open line of support for team members should they need it. You wouldn’t want staff morale and your project to suffer because the culture shames, abuses, or ignores team members looking for assistance with completing their assigned tasks.

A project is made up of many moving parts, and the project needs a well-managed and motivated team in order to put them all together for the project to come to a close.

When we communicate effectively, everyone understands what is expected of them in an open supportive environment. This is a good sign for you to know that your project is being managed well and will meet its required deadline.

 

Need help in identifying areas of your project that needs more effective task management? Then reach out to me and lets meet to see how I can help you.

I make a difference

The best solutions is when you
first identify the difference it makes before starting

Get in touch

The post Task Management: 7 tips on how to implement tasks with your team first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]> Neurodiverse: Do you know who you work with? https://josephkmuscat.com/neurodiverse-do-you-know-who-you-work-with Tue, 01 Jun 2021 07:37:02 +0000 https://ajdethemes.com/adri-data/impact/?p=3134 A workplace is made up of many cultural elements and personalities that can contribute to or hinder its success. These aspects are usually tackled through cultural awareness and team training exercises.

The post Neurodiverse: Do you know who you work with? first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

A workplace is made up of many cultural elements and personalities that can contribute to or hinder its success. These aspects are usually tackled through cultural awareness and team training exercises.

  • What about how people learn and the challenges they may face during their time at work, is this talked about and trained for?
  • Does a manager or human resources staff member know how many of the staff members are Nerudiverse and do they even know what that means?

Neurodiversity

Relates to learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and visual perspective, to name a few.  These all relate to how different brains function in how we learn and do tasks.

Even though learning difficulties are usually associated with children, children grow up. People do not grow out of neurodiversity and no medication can be taken in order to rewire the brain in the manner people would like to believe. The truth is, neurodiverse children are taught how to cope and process knowledge differently. They grow up and enter the workforce with these coping skills as neurodiverse adults. There is another side to this though, which is what happens when children go through the school system and eventually enter employment without ever having been diagnosed.

As you can see there are many variables to take into account on this subject. There isn’t enough awareness about neurodiversity in the workforce. Managers may see these team members as difficult or a challenge to work with and this can lead to mistreatment or in the worst cases wrongly fired.

 

So what is the organisation to do in order to be inclusive and how can we create a welcoming and productive environment?

1. Create awareness

We must first learn about neurodiversity and understand the rewards and challenges that this can bring to a business. This comes from educating and engaging with your employees or team members.

2. Communication

We need to learn how to communicate effectively as everyone processes information differently. Communicating with a neurotypical person can differ from a neurodiverse.

3. Organisations must adapt

Now, this is a challenge for the organisation because the assumption is that the employee must fit into their place of employment. This is true to a point but on the flip side, the employer must also apply strategies that fit their neurodiverse employees so that they may function and perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

If one of your employees was in a wheelchair, there would be no objection to building a ramp or installing a special desk for that employee. So in cases where the employee is neurodiverse, which is an invisible disability, the same scenario should apply.

Neurodiverse employees have a wide range of talents and shouldn’t be defined or hindered by their place of employment. Employers need to know their team and how to best provide what they need to be both productive and an asset to their place of employment.

 

 

I make a difference

The best solutions is
where people matter

Learn More Here

The post Neurodiverse: Do you know who you work with? first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]> Are you looking at the big picture? https://josephkmuscat.com/are-you-looking-at-the-big-picture Tue, 25 May 2021 09:00:00 +0000 https://ajdethemes.com/adri-data/impact/?p=3132 Scope Creep happens more often than expected. This causes costs to go up, targets being missed, and then triggers a domino effect as it spreads from one part of a project to the next

The post Are you looking at the big picture? first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>

Scope Creep happens more often than expected. This causes costs to go up, targets being missed, and then triggers a domino effect as it spreads from one part of a project to the next.

The most common reason for this to occur is a lack of communication. In most cases, it stems from individuals not asking the right questions or not asking enough questions altogether. When this communication breakdown occurs, there is no clear plan of what needs to be done or who needs to be doing what. At this point, the project has no direction.

So what steps do you need to take to ensure you are looking at the bigger picture of the project?

Step 1

Before even beginning the project, certain questions need to be asked and answered to establish a business case.  A proper business case will outline the justification and objectives of any project.

This is usually done in three stages. Firstly, by asking a sufficient number of questions to establish clear guidelines as to what is to be accomplished. Secondly, pointing out aspects that haven’t been thought of or discussed yet. Finally, bringing up anything that you think might occur at a later stage to avoid anything creeping up unexpectedly. It is important to point out how underestimated the power of asking questions is. We don’t realize that asking questions is a skill set that allows us to dig deeper, define and understand the whole picture.

Having constant communication

Step 2

Ensure you have clarified the actual target date and ensured that this is when the project must be finished. Many times you will find that there are multiple target dates or it is unclear as to when and why the project must be finished by that designated date. 

Step 3

Clearly define and outline the scope of the project using the exercise conducted in step 1.  This will give the project management team and stakeholders a clear vision and path to ensure that project will run smoothly from the start and keep the momentum going down the line.

Step 4

Tighten up your management with a sufficient amount of progress checkpoints, highlight reports or sprints when creating your project plan. This might be interpreted by some as micro-managing, but this is not your intention. On the contrary, what you will be doing is keeping the lines of communication open to ensure there are only short gaps between one briefing and another. In cases where teams go long periods without communicating their progress and any problems they have run into, they can lose sight of the big picture due to unexpected issues which then leads to delays and eventually scope creep once again.

Your project will run more smoothly when you communicate clearly and all parties have a proper understanding of what’s going on as opposed to an assumed understanding of the big picture. When a project is managed properly, it creates engagement at all levels and empowers the team through having a clear path on delivering the project.

I make a difference

The best solutions is when you
first identify the difference it makes before starting

How I can help you

The post Are you looking at the big picture? first appeared on Joseph K Muscat Neurodiversity Consulting.

]]>