Course: Managing People in a Project Environment

People management skills are often overlooked in favour of technical skills by project managers. However, effective people management, team management, influencing and communication skills, enable project managers to gain commitment from the project team and achieve the performance needed to successfully deliver against objectives.

This 2 day programme will help delegates to develop their people management skills, both for people working full time on the project and people who have other responsibilities and demands on their time.

Outline

The Project Manager’s role:

• Understand the importance of running a successful project to the organisation
• Explain the importance of people management in projects
• List the skills required to manage people when running a project
• Identify the line/ project manager’s responsibilities for managing people

Leadership styles in the project environment:

• State the range of leadership styles available
• Discuss the criteria for deciding which style is appropriate
• Know when to effectively use a style at each stage of the life-cycle of the project

Building the project team:

• Understand the difference between a project team and a work team
• Demonstrate how to map the project team
• Know the stages of team development
• Be able to build team roles

Managing the individual in projects:

• Set objectives for project team members
• Set responsibilities and assign accountability in projects
• Use single point accountability to delegate and motivate
• Define a process for effective delegation
• Recognise the do’s and don’ts of delegation

Motivating to achieve project success:

• Recognise and avoid de-motivational factors
• Develop and build motivation after setbacks have been experienced
• Use recognition within the project to motivate
• Individual empowerment, when it is useful and when it is not

Persuasive and influential communication:

• Build persuasive communication skills to gain buy-in from team colleagues and stakeholders
• Learn techniques to ensure your communication is clear, concise and clearly understood
• Understand and develop a more active and effective listening process
• Enhance your questioning skills

Difficult situations – influencing senior managers successfully:

• Communicate challenging or sensitive messages and minimising conflict
• Manage conflict and dealing with difficult situations and people

Managing stress in yourself and others:

• Be able to define stress and its causes
• Recognise the causes and symptoms of stress in yourself and others
• Understand how personality type can affect an individual’s ability to cope with stress
• Recognise the five stages of stress management and how reframing can help limit stressful responses
• State practical methods for reducing stress in yourself and others