Have you ever experienced a situation where a project encounters significant problems or emergencies, and the project manager may be urgently called in to address issues arising from inadequate project progress or untimely delivery for various reasons?
After reluctantly taking on the role, you find:
Reform is complex, and the tasks assigned are always met with challenges and countermeasures.
Inadequate support, with leaders providing neither time nor resources.
Difficult clients are demanding changes daily or even hourly.
Lack of support from subordinates, who complain when there are changes to project systems or assignments.
You seriously doubt your abilities and blame the leader who tasked you with putting out the fire. However, this is neither a problem with your skills nor a leader intentionally challenging you. If the leader chooses you to handle the project's crisis, your abilities are up to par, and there is enough trust.
The difficulty in handling a project crisis lies in not adopting the right strategy while addressing the issues, being led by the project, and reacting hastily to wherever the fire breaks out.
A skilled professional in crisis management focuses on strategy, builds the entire framework step by step through clever communication and information gathering, and ensures the project is completed before even starting it.
So, what are the strategies of a skilled crisis manager? They mainly consist of the following steps:
1. Don't Dive into Work Right Away
As a crisis manager, never jump into work immediately upon taking the position. After gathering a certain amount of information before taking office, many project managers become overconfident and halt the work of all responsible parties on the original project. They reallocate tasks, leading to more problems. Eventually, the situation worsens, causing resentment among subordinates and a crisis of trust with leadership – questioning your competency.
For a project manager, the correct first step is to calm everyone down, provide yourself with a buffer, and take the time to understand the entire project comprehensively. When you first arrive, communicate with subordinates like this:
For example: "Don't stop because there's a new project manager. Each person should continue with their work. Let me first understand the situation. If anyone has work to do or questions, feel free to share them with me. I will do my best to assist. However, please give me some time before I fully understand the situation. Let's not be in a hurry." Then, please provide them with a specific time point. This way, each responsible person knows when to follow your command.
2. Collect Two Types of Information to Fight a Certain Battle
Information gathering involves collecting information from the original project manager and information from subordinates in various departments. You can understand the entire project only by gathering accurate, non-paper-based information.
Collecting information from the original project manager: The previous project manager, forced to step down, is likely disgruntled. Through communication, they recognize their abilities in daily conversations, such as, "It's the company's misjudgment that led to this situation. They're making you suffer." Make the previous manager feel that you and they are on the same side.
For example: "Oh, what's going on with the company? I think you're good; why are they not letting you handle this anymore? It's annoying that they've thrown this on me." If the previous manager feels unfairly treated and has no one to vent to, they will likely complain to you, allowing you to collect accurate project information through casual conversation. Additionally, after collecting information from the original project manager, gather information about the leader who replaced them to avoid stepping into the same pitfalls.
Collecting information from subordinates: When collecting information from subordinates, first make your team understand your attitude – you've arrived to collaborate with everyone in solving problems. After that, each team member's progress and issues were compared using a project management sheet, gathering progress, issues, and suggestions. Especially during the information-gathering process, avoid making hasty statements to prevent subordinates from looking down on you when the problems can't be solved in the short term.
3. Define Project Goals and Establish Delivery Structure
The primary requirement for a project is to achieve its goals. You must first clarify the nature of the project and understand its goals – whether it's about cost reduction, efficiency improvement, or profit generation. If it's a profit-driven project, think about the project's difficulties in terms of profitability, the challenges you will encounter when running the project, and how to overcome them. If it's about cost reduction and efficiency improvement, specify the tasks for increasing and decreasing, understand how the original project achieved cost reduction and efficiency improvement, and decide whether to follow the same path or try a new approach. Once you've figured these out, the project will have a clear structure and control points.
4. Apply the 80/20 Rule - Solve the Eight, Not the Two
After a clear understanding of the entire project, its fundamental problems will be apparent. Identify the three most difficult problems among all issues – and don't solve them immediately. If a new leader tries to address a problem but can't solve it, it's easy to lose credibility. Apply the 80/20 rule and focus on solving the eight less critical issues first. As minor problems are gradually resolved, the team will trust you more. Once the team is united, you can tackle the most challenging issues.
5. Communicate Upward to Revive the Project
Removing the original project manager is a significant blow to the entire project. The whole project team is unsettled. To carry out project work steadily, you must stabilize the team by communicating upward. Obtain support during the upward communication process, and let the team understand that following you will yield results.
During the process of obtaining support through upward communication, you should secure at least one of the following three supports:
Support One: Time Support
For a newcomer to the project team, familiarity with the timeline is essential. If the timeline is too tight, it leads to chaos and numerous problems.
Support Two: Financial Support
In cases where time support is not possible, and you want to expedite the project, providing money is the most effective solution. Apply for bonuses and directly allocate money upon project completion, and the team's efficiency will significantly improve.
Support Three: Leadership Support
When both time and financial support are unavailable, having a leader visit and speak positively about the project stabilizes the team. Especially when the leader promises specific achievements, it can ignite the team's enthusiasm.
In conclusion, a project manager's role in crisis management is both a problem and an opportunity. If you are an excellent project manager, be prepared for crisis management. If an opportunity arises, understand crisis management principles and realize your self-worth.