Chad Schmookler, Senior Director, International Operations, InComm
Through this article, Chad Schmookler, Senior Director, International Operations at InComm, explores the evolving landscape of project leadership in the digital age. He discusses how the rapid advancement of technology, including AI and machine learning, is reshaping traditional project management methodologies. He highlights the importance of integrating human expertise with emerging technologies to enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and foster stronger collaboration.
Schmookler also examines key challenges in project execution, from stakeholder communication and team resilience to adapting leadership styles for a new generation of workers. He emphasizes the role of project leaders in maintaining clarity, fostering adaptability, and leveraging technology as a complementary tool rather than a replacement for human insight. He concludes by offering valuable strategies for future-focused project leaders, ensuring they are well-equipped to navigate transformation while building high-performing, engaged teams.
The traditional ecosystems that underpin Project Management (PM) are shifting at an unprecedented rate thanks to technological advancements and the demands of the ever-evolving workplace. As change accelerates, so does the need for the Project Leader (PL) to stay ahead of the curve. So, how can PLs navigate such waters while ensuring projects are delivered successfully, teams remain interconnected, and tech is viewed as an ally? PLs must position themselves for success in an uncertain future by focusing on the intersection of people, innovation, and leadership. While many practical strategies exist, PLs can quickly establish a successful partnership between humans and tech to transform the project management journey completely.
Understanding the End Goal: Clarity & a Shared Vision
A project’s success correlates with a clear and shared understanding of its objectives. PLs must ensure project stakeholders are always on the same page. This requires a balance of strategic thinking and vision casting.
Techniques:
• Vision Workshops: Workshops bring stakeholders together to define the project’s vision, goals, and success criteria, creating a unified direction from inception.
• User Stories & Acceptance Criteria: Agile methodologies, including creating user stories and acceptance criteria, ensure every team member clearly understands the project’s desired outcomes. This also keeps focus on the “why” behind the effort.
• Regular Check-ins: Frequent check-ins help address questions and ambiguities and can reinforce objectives throughout the project lifecycle.
• Team Alignment: Sharing the project’s goals is insufficient; PLs must communicate the overarching purpose. This fosters a deeper understanding and greater engagement amongst the team.
Incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can keep everyone aligned with goals in real time. Predictive analytics can be used to track progress and adjust objectives accordingly. These technologies can also identify risks and opportunities early on.
Building the Team: Human & Technological Collaboration
Building a high-performing team involves more than just assembling a group of skilled individuals. In today’s complex and tech-driven world, it also requires deftly blending human talent with tech resources.
Human Resources:
• Diversity of Thought & Team: Diversity in all its forms – whether in skills, experience, or cultural background leads to improved problem-solving and greater innovation.
• Continuous Learning: Creating an environment that supports continuous learning, particularly around emerging tech and new PM concepts, is vital.
• Skills & Potential: While experience and skills are essential, potential performance should be valued similarly to past performance. This means fostering a growth mindset in all team members and embracing less-seasoned contributors.
Integrating Technology:
• Leverage Existing Tech: Assess your team’s current tech stack and identify gaps. This will inform decisions about which emerging tech to introduce and how best to integrate it.
• Emerging Tech: Integrating AI, Robotic Process Automation, and ML can automate routine tasks, reduce human error, and allow the team to focus on strategic and more nuanced work. For instance, AI could be used for predictive analytics, helping project members foresee and remediate potential project bottlenecks.
Emerging tech and other tools should be viewed as project team members, not just tools. Understanding the strengths and limitations of these technologies is crucial to overall team success. For example, AI might excel at analyzing large amounts of data quickly but may require human expertise to make informed decisions based on that analysis.
Navigating Challenges: Building Resilience & Camaraderie
Every project faces challenges – whether technical, interpersonal, or organizational. Often, project success hinges on how project teams address these challenges.
Identification & Resolution:
• Early Detection: Encourage the team to spot and share potential problems early on. This provides an opportunity to take corrective action before issues become major roadblocks.
• Structured Problem-Solving: Implement a structured approach to problem-solving. Encourage collaboration and brainstorming to identify solutions that benefit the entire team.
• Collaborative Tools: To facilitate communication, leverage collaborative tools, both digital (like PM software) and analog (like in-person meetings and whiteboard sessions).
Developing Team Strength:
• Challenges as Growth Opportunities: Frame challenges as opportunities for team growth and learning. With every obstacle overcome, the team’s resilience and camaraderie improve and solidify.
• Celebrating Successes: Recognizing small and large victories keeps morale high and can send momentum into overdrive. This can vary from simple team shout-outs to more formal recognition.
Maintaining Morale & Momentum:
• Transparent Communication: A transparent approach fosters trust and encourages team members to feel more involved.
• Rewarding Contributions: Recognizing individual contributions is crucial to maintaining morale and ensuring everyone feels valued. Saying “thank you” can take many forms, including small tokens of appreciation like a cup of coffee or a bag of someone’s favorite candies.
• Supportive Work Environment: A culture of mutual support and safety pushes contributors to be proactive, take risks, share ideas, and work together.
Effective Stakeholder Communication: Clarity & Consistency
Clear and consistent communication keeps stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle. With emerging tech, this process is becoming more streamlined and more efficient.
Best Practices:
• Establish a Plan: A solid communication plan ensures updates, risks, and issues are communicated quickly and effectively.
• Visual Dashboards & Reporting Tools: Visual dashboards provide stakeholders with near real-time information. They can also be supplemented with regular status reports. Interestingly, simple visual aids tend to keep stakeholders energized and active.
• Real-Time Insights: AI-powered reporting tools can provide real-time updates, flag potential risks or delays, and offer actionable insights to human decision-makers.
AI and automation toolsets can also deliver dynamic reports and manage certain aspects of project workflow. Such reports can automatically adjust to reflect the most accurate metrics and essential updates. Meanwhile, automation constantly runs in the background, advancing progress whenever possible.
Connecting with the Next Generation: Flexible Leadership
As the workforce becomes more diverse, especially regarding generational differences, PLs must adapt to meet the needs of younger workers.
Connecting with Younger Employees:
• Flexible Work Arrangements: Offering flexible work hours and remote work options can enhance productivity and satisfaction, particularly among younger employees who deeply value work-life balance. Contributors can be paired based on their preferred schedules and modes of operation.
• Mentorship and Growth Opportunities: Providing clear paths for growth, mentorship, and continuous learning helps retain top talent and ensures younger employees remain engaged and valued.
• Digital Communication Tools: Adopt emerging tech quickly and promote digital tools already accepted by younger generations. This will lead to a more connected and agile team.
Fostering Collaboration:
• Value Diverse Perspectives: Recognize the strengths that come from diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge. Younger employees often bring new and innovative ideas. It’s essential to provide them with a platform to share their thoughts safely.
Bringing People & Technology Together in the Age of Transformation: In Closing
Emerging techs such as AI, ML, and the like hold exciting potential for reshaping the project management landscape. However, these technologies should not be positioned as saviors or replacements. Instead, they should be placed as complementary project resources and managed accordingly. By integrating tech with the human elements of a project, like strategic thinking or relationship building, project leaders can drive extraordinary results.
The future of project management is about optimistic human and tech partnerships, not fear. The goal is to lay the groundwork for a future where projects are delivered successfully and teams thrive in a supportive, tech-enhanced environment. The successful project leader will establish a shared vision, build a robust team, navigate and learn from challenges, communicate effectively, connect with the next generation of workers, and embrace technological advancements.