You're overseeing multiple consulting teams with conflicting priorities. How do you ensure project success?

Two key aspects that in my experience are key to managing conflicting priorities are: Transparency and jointly defined success criteria. What this enables is the ability to ‘collectively’ celebrate little wins and course-correct little issues. Teams that consciously incorporate these ceremonies into their plans are effectively laying the foundation of eliminating the ‘who did it’ to ‘look what we did’

The success of any project depends on various disciplines and teams working together. It is therefore essential to ensure that all teams are aligned on the project plans, milestones and the success criteria. To ensure alignment among teams with conflicting priorities, it is essential to establish clear, shared objectives from the outset. This can be achieved by conducting a comprehensive kickoff meeting where all teams are present, facilitating open communication, and defining roles and responsibilities. This will encourage a culture of collaboration and mutual accountability and it will ensure that everyone stays aligned on the project’s goals, leading to more cohesive and effective teamwork

Some quick hacks to effectively manage conflicting priorities. - Ensure clear goal definition for each team - Create a positive environment for team members, where they would be comfortable highlighting what is not going well. Support them with the required support to help them navigate the situation. - Work on effective planning of the smaller milestones. - Implement positive competition and enable recognitions and rewards that help celebrate successstories.

Whilst everyone has their functional priorities, preferences and peculiarities, there is a general goal that can bridge a workable consensus. Whilst a football team may have different composite departments focused on their immediate job functions, such as defence, midfield or attack, they one way or the other are parts of a larger goal, which is to win. When individual units see the big objective, they fulfill their immediate job tasks more collaboratively and aware of the impact of their own contributions.

Esta é uma habilidade essencial que desenvolvi ao longo dos anos. Eu gosto de usar a tríade do tempo para ajudar as equipes a diferenciar entre o que é urgente e o que é importante. Isso ajuda a evitar que as equipes fiquem presas em tarefas urgentes de curto prazo que não contribuem significativamente para os objetivos de longo prazo. Também incentivo a prática de reuniões semanais de planejamento com a dinâmica de spronts, onde revisamos e ajustamos as prioridades conforme necessário. Compartilho minha experiência de ter trabalhado em projetos onde a falta de priorização clara levou a atrasos e frustrações, enfatizando a importância de ter uma abordagem estruturada para determinar o que realmente precisa ser feito primeiro.

- Clear communication upon priorities framework - Strong alignment with senior leaders about overall goals - Recurent planning sessions to reviw and correct expectations and possible trade-offs - Engage stakeholders along the processes - Allow teams a time to solve their particular difficulties - if they are not able to, I´ll manage them quickly

Any sizable project has multiple cross-functional teams working together. Often, they have competing priorities. In order to ensure that success of the overall project, it is essential that the project manager is orchestrating different tasks and all teams agree on priorities and work together. The project manager should begin by establishing a unified project vision and clearly defined objectives. Regular cross-team meetings and collaborative planning sessions help maintain transparency and foster a shared understanding of goals. He / she should also encourage open dialogue, actively solicit input from all teams, and create a culture of mutual respect and cooperation.

Priorisieren Sie Aufgaben, indem Sie ihre Auswirkungen auf den Erfolg und die Dringlichkeit bewerten. Eine effektive Priorisierung sorgt dafür, dass sich die Teams auf das konzentrieren, was wirklich wichtig ist, und verhindert eine Streuung der Ressourcen. Verwenden Sie Methoden wie die Eisenhower-Matrix oder die MoSCoW-Methode, um eine klare Hierarchie der Aufgaben zu erstellen. Durch regelmäßige Überprüfungen und Anpassungen der Prioritäten bleiben die Teams flexibel und können schnell auf Änderungen reagieren. Dies fördert nicht nur die Effizienz, sondern auch die Motivation, da die Teams sehen, dass ihre Arbeit einen direkten Einfluss auf den Projekterfolg hat.

Significa ordenar y clasificar actividades según su importancia y urgencia para maximizar el uso del tiempo y recursos. 1. Identificar tareas: Hacer una lista de todas las actividades que debes realizar. 2. Evaluar importancia: Determinar cuán importantes son cada una de las tareas en relación con tus objetivos y metas. 3. Evaluar urgencia: Identificar cuán urgentes son cada una de las tareas, es decir, cuáles tienen plazos límite o consecuencias inmediatas. 4. Utilizar una matriz de priorización como la siguiente: - Urgente e importante (hacer primero) - Importante pero no urgente (planificar y programar) - Urgente pero no importante (delegar o automatizar) - No urgente ni importante (eliminar o minimizar)

The success of any project depends on effective collaboration among various team. During the life-cycle of the project, some times are there are conflicts among the different team or members on the same team. Resolving conflicts among the teams or individuals in a timely manner is crucial to ensure the success of a project with competing priorities. When conflicts are addressed promptly, it minimizes disruptions and maintains the focus on project goals. Timely conflict resolution helps in aligning team efforts and ensuring that critical tasks are not delayed. This proactive approach not only enhances team morale but also contributes to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the project, leading to successful outcomes.

Je pars sur le principe que "les conflits sont des émotions mal gérées". C'est pourquoi il est important, en amont, d'identifier les signaux faibles qui doivent permettre de "déminer" une situation qui risque d'aboutir à un conflit encore larvé. Maintenant, lorsque le conflit surgit, il faut toujours veiller à adopter une posture de médiation et chercher à comprendre les causes exactes qui sont très souvent la résultante d'incompréhensions et de représentations des situations qui diffèrent d'un individu à l'autre. La médiation consiste à pousser les forces en présence à "faire un pas les unes envers les autres". Pour cela, il est important que le Manager tienne une position d'arbitre, neutre.

Resolver conflitos de maneira eficaz é uma parte inevitável e crítica do gerenciamento de várias equipes. Em minha trajetória, percebi que os conflitos muitas vezes surgem devido a falta de comunicação ou diferenças de percepção. Eu adoto uma abordagem proativa, incentivando uma comunicação aberta e honesta desde o início. Quando surgem conflitos, procuro mediá-los pessoalmente, escutando todas as partes envolvidas e facilitando um diálogo construtivo. Minha experiência mostrou que muitas vezes os conflitos podem ser resolvidos encontrando um terreno comum e estabelecendo compromissos claros. Compartilho casos onde uma mediação bem-sucedida não apenas resolveu o conflito, mas também fortaleceu o relacionamento entre as equipes.

Oft basieren Zielkonflikte auf falschen Annahmen über zugrundeliegende Mechanismen. Ein prominentes Beispiel: Kostensenkung vs. Wachstum. Die vermeintliche Gewissheit: ab einem bestimmten Umfang an Kostensenkung geht das Wachstum zurück. Es heißt ja nicht umsonst: in Wachstum investieren. Schaut man sich einiger der Mechanismen genauer an, wird man feststellen, dass sie nur nicht nur linear wirken („weniger von“ oder „mehr von“), sondern auch lateral: „anders vorgehen“. Auf einmal wird sparen und wachsen möglich. Ein typisches Beispiel: nicht auf die Effizienz von Instrumenten oder Maßnahmen achten, sondern auf deren Effektivität. Also: bei Zielkonflikten die zugrundeliegenden Annahmen genauestens überprüfen.

Resolving conflicts effectively while managing multiple consulting teams with competing priorities requires clear communication, defined roles, and a focus on project objectives. Team leaders should be trained in conflict resolution, and regular check-ins are essential for addressing issues quickly. Creating a collaborative environment where teams work towards shared goals and being flexible with plans and resource allocation are crucial. Also, documenting agreements helps prevent future disputes and maintain alignment, contributing to overall project success.

A monitoração do progresso é vital para garantir que os projetos estejam no caminho certo. Eu sempre implementei um sistema de checkpoints regulares para acompanhar o andamento dos projetos. Gosto de utilizar dashboards de progresso e ferramentas de gerenciamento de projetos como Trello para visualizar o status das tarefas e identificar rapidamente quaisquer desvios do plano original. Na minha experiência, realizar reuniões de atualização semanais ou quinzenais com as equipes ajuda a manter todos focados e identificar rapidamente quaisquer obstáculos que possam surgir. Compartilho a importância de ser flexível e estar preparado para ajustar o curso conforme necessário, baseando-se em dados e feedback contínuo, com auto-responsabilidade.

Eine effektive Verwaltung erfordert präzise Messungen. Implementieren Sie ein umfassendes System zur Überwachung des Fortschritts in allen Teams. Verwenden Sie maßgeschneiderte Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), um den Beitrag jedes Teams zum Projekt zu beurteilen und sicherzustellen, dass Zeitpläne eingehalten und Ziele erreicht werden. Regelmäßige Check-ins und detaillierte Fortschrittsberichte sind essenziell, um frühzeitig Probleme zu identifizieren und rechtzeitig Gegenmaßnahmen zu ergreifen. Dies gewährleistet die erfolgreiche Umsetzung des Projekts und fördert eine kontinuierliche Verbesserung.

Es importante monitorear y evaluar el avance hacia la consecución de objetivos y metas. El proceso sería el siguiente: 1. Definir metas específicas y medibles. 2. Seleccionar métricas relevantes para medir el progreso. 3. Obtener información regularmente sobre el avance. 4. Examinar los datos para determinar si se está avanzando según lo planeado. 5. Detectar cualquier desviación significativa del plan. 6. Realizar cambios necesarios para volver al rumbo correcto. 7. Compartir hallazgos y ajustes con todas las partes interesadas. 8. Repetir el proceso regularmente para asegurar que se esté avanzando hacia los objetivos.

Não é empoderar as equipes já tem poder, é dar liberdade à iniciativa para o sucesso a longo prazo. Eu sempre busquei criar um ambiente onde os membros da equipe se sintam valorizados e tenham autonomia para tomar decisões dentro de suas áreas de responsabilidade. Acredito que a liberdade vem com a confiança e a delegação adequada de tarefas. Incentivo as equipes a desenvolverem suas próprias soluções para os problemas e a serem proativas na busca de melhorias. Compartilho a experiência de como a confiança e a liberdade resultaram em uma equipe mais engajada e inovadora, destacando casos em que essa abordagem levou a resultados excepcionais.

Responsabiliser les équipes fait référence à un paradigme incontournable pour tout manager: l'empowerment. Ce terme anglo-saxon est un processus d'émancipation et d'autonomisation par lequel le pouvoir est donné à un collaborateur ou à un groupe dans l'objectif d'agir sur les événements auxquels il fait face.

Make time for delegating authority; if you struggle, consider why• you’re struggling. Is it… - A lack of trust in your team (if so, why?) - A need for training (either/or *your team’s training* or *your own training to do a particular task or project?) - Adequate definitions of who is responsible and accountable for which tasks (if everyone is responsible and accountable, nobody is?) Truly consider what is holding you back, and assess if you are truly delegating authority.

Uno de los aspectos más importantes para la culminación de un proyecto, es lograr el empoderamiento del equipo al proyecto. Cuando cada miembro del equipo hace suyo el proyecto y por ende el objetivo del mismo, hará todo lo que esté a su alcance para alcanzar la meta. Esto vendrá acompañado por la experiencia de cada uno de ellos y si por otro lado, les das todos los elementos y herramientas necesarias, pues el exito del proyecto será casi un hecho. Recordemos que las personas cuando saben que lo que están haciendo es importante tanto para ellos como para la empresa, dan todo lo que tienen en sus manos para dar.

As a consultant, I often come across different teams that have conflicts, this conflict is often about having limited resources to share to fulfill a client's needs. A good way is to look at the resources that are needed often, and develop ways to have templates that could be used as a standard SOP. The more the teams could group common resources the better the teams will be able to establish some form of sharing such as can conflicting team uses same resources to solve both teams problems at the same time, or could teams with similar requirements be grouped together to share ideas and common solutions.

Étymologiquement, communiquer c'est "avoir part", "partager" ou "être en relation". On y voit la dimension essentielle dans la gestion des équipes. Relier sans communication est quasi-impossible et tout ce qui touche au verbal mais surtout au non verbal sont des points incontournables qu'il faut entretenir. C'est pourquoi la "distance" est compliquée et doit absolument être adossée à une hybridation du travail. Rien ne remplace une discussion autour d'un café....

Make time to connect meaningfully. With global teams across different time zones, asynchronous work still requires opportunities to connect and share information… and build relationships. A really good book recommendation for this: Remote not Distant by Gustavo Razzetti.

Sin comunicación no se logra nada. Para ello debemos asegurarnos de tener los medios y canales adecuados y eficientes para comunicar todos los aspectos relevantes al proyecto. Recordemos que cuando uno navega con los ojos cerrados, no sabe hacia donde va!

clear communication and active listening is one of the key success factors, getting all on the same picture, making sure that all are understanding the goals and are aligned with, while prioritization is highly important, but (reprioritization) revisiting the priorities is a key success factor since the consulting always comes with challenges and conflicts, where the need for the reprioritization arise.

To ensure project success: 1. Set Clear Goals and Priorities: Define and communicate objectives and priorities. 2. Maintain Effective Communication: Hold regular meetings and ensure open information flow. 3. Manage Resources Wisely: Allocate and adjust resources based on project needs. 4. Resolve Conflicts: Address conflicts early, facilitate compromises, and escalate when necessary. 5. Use Project Management Tools: Track progress and manage resources with software and dashboards. 6. Foster Collaboration: Encourage teamwork and cross-functional collaboration. 7. Monitor and Adjust Continuously: Conduct regular reviews and realign as needed. 8. Provide Strong Leadership: Lead decisively and support teams in overcoming challenges.

Ensuring project success, while overseeing multiple consulting teams with conflicting priorities can be done by proper planning and communication. Planning the projects and reviewing the progress on regular basis can help in keeping pace. Also a very important point is effective communication. Creating an environment for open communication and discussion helps in solving major conflicts and issue.

To ensure project success while handling multiple consulting teams with conflicting priorities: 1. Align on key objectives and priorities 2. Communicate/collaborate frequently and set expectations 3. Empower team, support/guide members and ensure success