Embrace what you can't change and make changes to what you can

As learned in PMP Course online

• project management is not an easy or straightforward process. There are playbooks available, but do they apply to every project? No. Do they provide you with a fundamental structure to work with? Yes, in a lot of circumstances. Show me a rigid project manager, on the other hand, and I'll show you the one who fails more frequently than succeeds. Show me a project manager who is very flexible, and I'll show you the one who is likely to be exploited by his team or customer, resulting in a project that is late, over budget, and not considered a success. There has to be a happy medium. I consider myself easy to work with and adaptable enough to fulfill a client's demands or requirements, but I also recognize when too much is too much and a train crash is imminent.

This leads me to the topic of this piece... accepting what you can't change but simultaneously altering what you can. What exactly does that imply?

The customer wants what they want

This is the stage when you accept what you can't alter. I worked with a project client who was the head of human resources on a very technical project. He was not interested in seeing a project timeline, Gantt Chart, or anything like that. He refused to look at a thorough project progress report. He only wanted a list of issues. He was also adamant about it. As a result, that's what I offered him. It's not how I handled the project and the team as a whole, but it's exactly how we ran every project meeting, and he was ecstatic. We had a really successful project in the end, and our project sponsor never felt overburdened by PM tool parts and reporting structure that he didn't understand and didn't want to comprehend.

You must find out what the project is really about

As learned in PMP Course online - this is about altering what you don't want to accept. The project customer approaches your team with a project requirement, but it may simply be a symptom of a larger project. Just as every time you've ever had a plumber replace a broken pipe in your house or a mechanic fix your automobile, there's always something more to fix beneath the hood, right? I'm not saying they're lying – though some are – I am saying they're specialists who need to get to the bottom of the issue. And that's where you and your project team come in as you work with the customer on requirements and design. Don't just change their accounts payable system when the problem is with their complete accounting system. Of course, offer customers an option because the price difference might be significant, but think of it as a two-step or five-step process or five-part project rather than a one-time repair.

Implementing what’s best for the project and customers

In the end, it's all about doing what's right and best for the project, the customer, and, if relevant, the end-users. It's also about matching all of your initiatives – your complete portfolio of projects – with the organization's broader goals and mission. If it isn't part of your project portfolio management (PPM) scope, you must know when to say no. Alternatively, appropriately prioritize it. A good project, and effective PPM, is all about ensuring that your stakeholders accomplish their objectives. It will also encourage a satisfied customer to return to you for future jobs. Make an effort not to just say "yes" to everything the project client believes he wants or needs. The project manager and team are responsible for analyzing and determining the true cause of the problem.

Want to learn more about the same? Enroll in project management courses online today!

Richard Pierce An expert in Pmi and Iiba Certifications.