Have you ever had a Project Issue? If so, you know how frustrating it can be to manage these issues. Project Issues are inevitable but there are ways to better manage them.
If you are a Project Manager, then you know that sometimes Project Issues can be very frustrating. You have to spend time managing Project Issues instead of doing the work for your team.
The good news is that Project Managers don’t have to do it alone!
In this blog post, we will discuss 5 steps for managing Project Issues. These are tried-and-true methods used by many Project Managers.
5 Step Project Issues Process:
Project Issues can be anything from small problems that need quick solutions or larger issues that require more time and effort. Project Managers have to be prepared for Project Issues because they are inevitable.
The Project Issue process is very important because Project Issues can cause delays. If you are a Project Manager, then managing Project Issues should be part of your job description.
These are five steps for Project Managers to follow when dealing with Project Issues:
- Identify the problem
- Analyze the effects on the project
- Determine cause and its solution
- Implement solutions on the issue
- Monitor the progress and revise as necessary
Now let take a look at every step deeply and how Project Managers can handle Project Issues.
Identify the problem:
Project Managers must identify and document Project Issues as soon as possible while maintaining a level head. They should never assume that there is no issue because many times it’s something small. Also sometimes you may not be aware of what exactly is causing your team members issues so you have to investigate further.
Here are the steps to identify the problem;
- Record Project Issue, including when and where it occurred.
- Identify if the Project Issue is a problem or an opportunity.
- Document any immediate effects on your project such as deadlines or resources being used for this issue.
- Review all available information before making a Project Issue decision.
Once Project Managers have identified the problem, they can move on to the next step.
Analyze the effects on the project:
The next step in managing the Project Issue process is to analyze its effects. You have to figure out how it will affect the people, deadlines and budgets among other things such as scope or quality.
If applicable to your company culture then this analysis will include them and once identified. Now determine whether they are high priority or low priority depending upon impact.
A good example would be maybe an employee didn’t show up to work and Project Managers need to determine if this is a high or low priority issue.
Determine cause and its solution:
Basically, Project Managers have to determine the cause of Project Issues. It’s very important that you never jump into fixing them without first understanding why they are happening.
You can’t just assume that it is something simple or fixable. Sometimes Project Issues are more complex than you think and might take a long time to resolve. If this is true then expect delays in your project which needs careful planning around future milestones to make up for a lost time.
Also, Project Issue effects should be documented at every step. Along with what has already been done about it like any actions taken towards resolving issues like working on solutions or talking with team members involved etc.
The solution could vary but it’s good practice to use templates especially if the Project Manager deals with similar issues all the time. This will help Project Managers learn from previous mistakes and apply a similar solution.
Implement solutions on the issue:
Now it’s time to implement Project Issue resolutions or if possible then improve them with alternative strategies. Project Managers must ensure that any changes are documented thoroughly, including how they were communicated throughout the project team members.
They have to implement the solution as soon as possible. This solution may be a very simple one or something more complex depending upon Project Issues severity and other factors as well. Also, this step will require some research by Project Managers if they are not aware of any possible means for resolving it already.
Project Managers have to take these actions as soon as possible. Because the longer they wait for the more severe it will become and then Project Managers can’t do much about them. Especially if it’s a really big issue that could jeopardize your project goals.
Also, you don’t want Project Issues turning into bigger problems. Usually, this happens when someone is not following best practices or the company’s standards.
Monitor the progress and revise as necessary:
Once you have implemented your project issues management process. Then project managers must monitor progress regularly with their team members towards its resolution.
They should also check back in every so often just to see how things are going from time to time because sometimes plans change over time due to circumstances that were unforeseen at first.
Project managers can also talk with team members and ask for their opinions on project issues progress. Especially if any of them see something that could be improved.
If anything changes along the way especially deadlines or budget. Project Managers have to update the Project Issue status so that everyone is aware of it. And if necessary Project Managers should revise the plan for resolving Project Issues as well. Because you don’t want several Project Issues piling up at once they are quite stressful.
Document Lessons for future reference: (Optional)
This step is optional and Project Managers can choose to do it or not.
Basically, Project issues management lessons are documented for future reference. In case the same Project Issue happens again. This means that Project managers have identified a potential problem with your project issue resolution process itself.
Documenting project issues lessons learned will help team members learn from previous mistakes. So they don’t make them again!
This is why documentation is important because this allows others to learn from past mistakes.
It also helps explain what went wrong and why certain actions are taken lead to negative consequences. Like if someone did something out of line then you need to document everything about their behaviour including screenshots etc.
So when next time comes around you know exactly what to do.
