How to Get Your Team on the Same Page When You Change Your Project Management Methodology

Change is inevitable and can come anytime whether you are prepared or not. As a project manager, you should know that when a change comes, you might be forced to change the way you do things including the way you manage your team at work. For instance, you may be required to change your project management systems or methodologies applied to ensure that the project and the entire business succeeds without failure or unnecessary delays. However, bringing everyone on board with the changes can be a bit challenging especially if new technologies are adopted. Here are some tips that you can use as a project manager to bring everyone else on board when working on a project management methodology.

1.     Identify The Things That Worked Well With Each Department

Before introducing a new system or aspect to a team, it is good to understand what they have been using and how it have been working for that specific department. With this knowledge, it will be easier to match and unify your new methodologies with the systems used by each team. If your new methodology cannot work well with their systems, you can drop their old schemes and introduce new ones that are compatible with your new methodology. In doing this, ensure that you explain in details why this is necessary and also train such team on how to use the new schemes.

2.     Know The Needs Each Team Requires To Work Efficiently

When a new technique or methodology is introduced as a way of improving project management, it is good to consider the needs of your team to ensure that they can use the new technique without complications. For example, you cannot introduce a new marketing tool that is only accessible through an iOS system, yet some of your sales department employees are using mobile phones with an android system. You will have to find a way for them to either access the tool through their current mobile phones or get them the gadgets that are compatible with the new tool. Also, consider training the teams that will be using the new methodology, and this will build their confidence in it and hence embrace it.

3.     Incorporate Inputs From Other People

Implementing a new methodology or a system in an organization cannot be carried by one person alone and be successful even if this one individual came up with the idea. According to Brian Setencich, an experienced property manager in both private and public sector, it is very important to incorporate the input of other people in different teams from the lowest level in the hierarchy going up. This cooperation will help reduce redundancy of work, communication issues and also encourage everyone to be on board when their opinions are valued. The teams in the project are the one who will do the work, and if their inputs cannot be heard, they will lose all the morale they had in completing the project. As a leader, it is good to retain some amount of autonomy but when it comes to implementing some new project systems consider being on the middle and incorporate everyone.

4.     Shift In Phases

The fact is that a system that worked two years ago might not work effectively today. However, rather than introducing a new system as a whole and expect everyone to embrace it, it would be easier to migrate from the older system in stages. This way, people will not feel a sudden change happening in their work and will slowly accept the tools from the new system as time goes by. Brian Setencich says that you must be able to Communicate efficiently in every step so as to ensure that everyone is on the same page as you. This approach will also give you a chance to incorporate other peoples’ inputs in the new system and therefore work more efficiently at the end.

Many people tend to be rigid when it comes to change, and as a leader, you will have to be strategic and considerate when introducing new aspects in a project. These tips will help you drive every team onto the same page as you without making them feel intimidated.