How to Improve Project Quality in 2022

The new year is the time to look back, consider lessons learned, and make plans for even higher project quality in the future. Project management has many best practices, but it is also a laboratory where experience and results count. PMs should not shy away from the chance to experiment.

To improve project planning, execution, and measurement, it is often necessary to think differently. A change of perspective can be just as potent as new tools and techniques. Luckily, all three are available in the toolkit of a modern project manager.

Let’s take a look at three ways Australian PMs can excel in the coming year.

1. Use Artificial Intelligence in Project Planning and Execution

The Australian Institute of Project Management cites artificial intelligence among the top opportunities emerging in project management, particularly for organisations concerned about sustainability. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform project management, especially in the planning phase.

Artificial intelligence can be integrated into project management in a variety of ways:

• Measuring project goals, resources, and scope against past projects to foresee issues
  
• Automating routine data entry to reduce disruptions caused by simple human errors
  
• Evaluating incoming project data to surface valuable insights for mid-course correction.
  

Many different project management and stakeholder management suites are entering the market. Soon, AI will progress from “nice to have” to a necessity. The sooner you begin to familiarise yourself with it, the sooner you will see the compounding quality results AI can offer.

2. Reframe Your Thinking to Achieve More Creative Solutions Throughout Project Lifespan

Decisions made by the project manager reverberate through the future of the project. Project management benefits from a variety of problem solving techniques, but PMs can go a step further by upgrading their fundamental decision-making skills.

A recent article from the Association for Project Management discussed the importance of frames.

Frames are mental models or representations of reality. They are humans’ way of simplifying what lies before us, as we can never have all the facts about the complex environment in which we work. Conscious cognitive re-framing uncovers creative alternatives for problem-solving.

Three simple methods can help teams embrace reframing:

• Counterfactual Thinking: Considering what “could” be, not just the world as it currently is
  
• Cognitive Foraging: Deliberately and actively seeking insight on topics outside your norm
  
• Embracing Diversity: Using inclusiveness to generate fresh ideas built on new perspectives.
  

Reframing offers its greatest utility as a frequent and encouraged practice. It should be built into the team selection and encouraged in communication. It is especially handy during scheduled Waterfall and Agile meetings and when unexpected roadblocks develop at any phase of a project.

3. Embrace the New Way of Communicating

ProjectManagement.com, an affiliate of the Project Management Institute based in the United States, has highlighted the ongoing challenges of communication in a post-COVID world where the “post” part still fails to materialise. Many project stakeholders will continue to be remote, perhaps far in the future.

Project managers must retrain themselves to bring their communication skills to this new hybrid world. That also includes learning to be especially acute to signs of burnout in their team members. Thus, it is now time to iron out any areas where PMs feel they haven’t quite got the hang of the new normal.

To be effective in an ever-changing, highly uncertain landscape – in other words, a VUCA world – PMs must abandon sentimentality about “serendipitous water cooler conversations” or the mystical power of “nonverbal cues.” Believe you retain the power to communicate richly and fully, then find the methods to do it.

For project managers, this begins with understanding their stakeholders, starting with their team and those closest to their orbit. Everyone has different communication preferences that affect their ability to retain and respond to information. Learn these and adapt to strengthen your connections with others.

MetaPM’s Consulting and Resourcing Can Help You Unlock the Power of Your Projects

The MetaPM team consists of Australia’s foremost experts in large-scale projects and change initiatives. We can help you deliver even better results in 2022 in a range of ways, including:

1. Project Management Consulting Built on Today’s Best Practices

Our project management professionals are part of a vetted and dedicated community that strives for excellence. It can take months to hire even one project management expert in the top 10% of talent in Australia – with us, you can get started in a matter of days.

2. In-Person and Online Project Management Training

Project management leaders must continuously uplift their skills and certification. MetaPM makes it easy through your choice of on-site training or virtual project management training you can access anywhere. You can select from over the 50+ accredited courses offered, or we can work with you to co-design a learning and development program aligned with your goals, team, and budget.

If improving project quality is high on your agenda in the coming year, as it should be, visit our Resource Centre for useful templates, guides and interactive experiences covering a range of project disciplines. And if you'd like to learn more about how MetaPM can help in the delivery of your complex projects, we'd love to hear from you.