Strategies for Managers in new Organizational Setup
Imagine you’ve just started at a new company, and you’re tasked with launching a project that involves multiple teams or departments. Shortly after joining, you’re inundated with status updates from all these different parties, creating concern about your own updates not causing any negative impressions or disrupting egos. So, you’re constantly seeking the best approach. I’ve outlined some tips that could benefit a new project or program manager navigating such a situation and how to approach this new assignment.
Firstly, it’s crucial to gather comprehensive status updates from your team members and the involved departments to understand the current project status and each department’s needs. This initial assessment helps identify where potential issues lie within the project.
Secondly, assess the contributions of each department or individual involved in the project. Understanding their roles and responsibilities prepares you to handle any disruptions effectively. By evaluating their past actions and behavior, you can anticipate potential challenges and plan accordingly.
Thirdly, as a project or program manager, empowering your team members is essential. Clearly defining tasks and goals and holding individuals accountable for their updates fosters a bottom-up approach to task management, crucial for effective progress tracking.
Furthermore, take a proactive approach to project status reporting. Designing a self-serving status system eliminates the need for constant inquiries and shifts the focus to understanding why certain statuses are as they are, fostering accountability and problem-solving.
Delegate tasks within your team and across departments to distribute responsibility and prevent undue blame. Diversifying tasks ensures that no single person shoulders the entire burden.
Maintain a proactive stance by promptly addressing failures with the relevant departments or escalating them to senior management as necessary.
Finally, ensure regular senior-level and management meetings. Proactively communicate meeting summaries and current project status updates to keep stakeholders informed and involved.
