People in Projects
Are you an SAP Project manager or a Delivery manager or aspiring to become one? Would you like to know some tips to create a better project outcome. Read On..
People aspect is the first among equals in People, Processes and Technology which are considered three important aspects of any successful digital transformation programs with SAP applications.
Lets discuss the “People” aspect in Project success, specifically people belonging to one’s own team
What is in a Structure?
Specialist consultants, business resources, administrators etc who comprise “People” of the project , love to have a structure In which they can operate. Structure can include -Sitting arrangement, Meeting rooms, Staffing, Process and contacts to book air tickets and hotel, plan of meetings, shared folder, access request process and so on.. It gives them ease to operate without having to go around asking questions and promotes efficiency. i recommend an Onboarding document and Communication plan to be authored soonest in the start of the project.
Motivation.. anyone?
The challenging part behind motivating is building the relation with team members otherwise why would they listen to you when you are motivating them?
This requires being available and having the cultural sensitivity, especially in a multi-cultural environment. Larger and geographically spread out the team, the tougher it is to build relations as we know remote working is increasing and travel budgets are decreasing in SAP Projects. The team members are more culturally diverse consequently communication becomes important and challenging.
Finding a common ground or topic to instigate an online discussion, Publishing a presentation with bio’s of onsite and offshore team members and sending greetings on birthdays and local holidays are just few of the ways to build relations. Remember to have a good laugh and light hearted discussions with your team members to build a warm relationship.
SAP provides peer to peer recognition awards which employees can use to appreciate the work done by colleagues. The details can be found at SAP internal portal.
Team satisfaction = Customer satisfaction
It’s an important aspect of project management to keep checking engagement and satisfaction level of team members. This holds true regardless of the length of the SAP project or solution. If unchecked it can lead to team members leaving the project, drop in quality of work, delay of tasks and team activism.
Depending on the region and culture the project manager must act tactfully to fulfill the desires and requirements of team members. Project manager must be proactive to gauge the pulse of the team via informal coffee sessions or by creating meet up opportunities outside work or one on one session. My recommendation is to use a combination of Empathy, Contract terms and Policies to address the demands and requirements raised by team members. It’s a usual and unsaid expectation of the team members that the project manager will “win” for the team, so put all your efforts to win something that makes a difference to the team members. It’s also one of the most effective way to build trust and boost motivation.
SAP gives a lot of importance on Employee experience and any query regarding policies can be clarified via a one on one session with an HR expert. Check SAP Internal portal for more details
Lets talk Business Case
Everyone is in such a hustle to complete project tasks such that it becomes highly probable for team members to not know why the project is being undertaken, what are the perceived benefits and what are the value levers? This is where the Project manager can create awareness of the business case and help team members adjust their actions to align with the business case and as a team to row in same direction. Digital transformation programs usually run with multiple SAP applications or modules and one way to assist decision making around integration is by referring to the big picture that customer has in mind.
The above topics are “large scope” with no thumb rule or guru mantra available. Which also gives the opportunity for a project manager to be creative in his/her approach.
Do you have any more ideas or experiences or just a feedback on this blog that you want to share? Do so freely in comment section
