Project Management: Soft Skills & Social Intelligence

Project Management - Session 2

• Contact for Project Management: Eva Aileen Jungwirth-Edelmann, MA
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +43-(0)-69916613399 (weekdays 9:00 – 17:00, no WhatsApp)
• Emails are answered during working hours, and resent emails are answered last.

Time Schedule

• There are 14 sessions in Room 403
• Group 1 meets Mondays from 9:00 - 10:30
• Group 2 meets Mondays from 10:45 - 12:15
• Group 3 meets Mondays from 16:15 - 17:45
• Session 6 has Quiz 1
• Session 12 has Quiz 2
• Session 12 has Feedback Presentations
• Sessions 13 and 14 have Presentations

Session Blocks

• Session 1 covers Organizational Issues & Introduction to Project Management
• Session 2 covers Soft Skills & Social Intelligence
• Session 3 covers Planning; Defining an Aim; Stakeholder Analysis
• Session 4 discusses Deliverable Plan & Work Breakdown Structure
• Session 5 covers Work Package Specification & Milestone plan
• Session 6 is Quiz 1
• Session 7 covers Gantt Charts & Human resource plan
• Session 8 covers Project Cost Plan & Project Organization Chart
• Session 9 discusses Project Controlling; Risk Analysis; Rollout Matrix
• Session 10 covers Initiation process; Project coordination; Marketing process
• Session 11 covers Agile Project Management
• Session 12 is Quiz 2
• Sessions 13 and 14 present Project presentations

Project Management Skills

• Skills sit between hard PM skills and soft skills, and are underpinned by proactivity

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills in Project Management

• Hard skills needed in project management include planning, problem-solving, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, and time management
• Soft skills needed in project management include communication, leadership, conflict resolution, negotiation, empathy, and adaptability

Soft Skills in Project Management

• Soft skills include communication, critical & structured thinking, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, negotiating, self-management, time management, conflict management, cultural awareness, and common knowledge
• Soft skills also include responsibility, etiquette, courtesy, self-esteem, sociability, integrity, empathy, work ethic, project management, and business management

Critical Soft Skills for Project Managers

• Project Managers need to cast a vision, make complex things simple, get buy-in, and coach/mentor
• Project Managers also need to create solutions, execute a plan, build a team, and manage a crisis
• All of these rely on clear communication

Why Projects Fail

• The most common reasons for project failure include poor communication, poor planning, resource insufficiency, optimistic assumptions, unclear roles, and time pressure
• Other reasons include mental overload, rigid hierarchies, poor skills, deficient controlling, and inadequate IT tools

Communication in Project Management

• Communication involves shaping relationships, adjusting relationships, relationship maintenance, conflict management, and establishing networks
• Communication is essential as it maintains relationships; contact

Communication Management in Projects

• Communication is often responsible for project failures or successes
• 85% of PMs value communication as the most important factor; projects can fail when communication is poor
• Communication is considered more crucial than experience
• Communication is most problematic in change management, mergers, and after cost reductions
• Limited time constrains personal communication
• Project Managers need to ensure good, productive communication
• Continuous individual contact often fails because of limited time, resources, and budget
• Project Managers’ tasks include transmitting information, motivating, and involving themselves in projects
• Studies show these competencies are lacking
• Communication mainly occurs via email, where critical information is often lost
• In-person meetings are the most effective communication method

Soft Skills: Communication

• Communication runs from sender to receiver
• There is an information channel between the two
• Malfunctions can occur in the communication process

Communication Parts

• Body language contributes 58% to communication
• Voice/tone: 35%
• Content: 7%

Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication

• Verbal communication includes spoken word, sign language, and written word
• Non-verbal communication includes gesticulation, eye movement and contact, dealing with distance and place, touch and body contact, para-linguistic stimuli, body language, and silence

Body Language

• Movement involves Gesticulation, Eye movement, Touch, Manner, Movement and Tempo
• Space encompasses Territory, Distance, Touch, and Position
• Posture includes Center, Muscle Tension, and Physique
• Skin colour falls under the remit of Involuntary, plus Sweating, shaking, Ticks, crying/laughing, yawning, Puls and smell
• Time includes how one deals with time, Point in time; Initiative; Duration; and Before/After
• Appearance constitutes Make-up, Jewellery, Clothing, and Status symbols
• Tone is Pitch of voice, breaks, break fillers, Tempo, Modulation, Volume, and Emphasis
• Energy constitutes Breathing, Vibes, and Presence
• Environment constitutes Culture and Rituals

Soft Skills: Intercultural Communication

• Challenges can stem from cultural origins
• Touch, in some cultures, is normal, but in others is viewed as sexual harassment; greetings also vary
• Overlapping or alternating communication, signals active listening in some cultures but is ill-mannered in others
• Silence can be pleasant, unpleasant, respectful, or indicative of a problem or guilt
• Attitudes are psychological tendencies, both positive and negative
• Stereotypes categorize characteristics but can lead to preconceptions
• Perception involves judgment or organization
• Interpretation involves how a person believes something

Intercultural Project Management

• Action & Implementation is shown to vary for an Austrian, American/UK, and South African

Communication & Conflict Management

• Communication plays a major role in Conflict Management
• Bad communication can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts

Communication, Conflict Management & Identifying Conflicts

• Conflicts can be identified by impatience, changes in one's voice, body language changes, refusal, personal attacks, and remarks
• Conflicts can also be identified by changes in communication, attitude and perception

Non-Violent Communication

• Non-violent communication is a method of communication and conflict management
• It focuses on the needs and wants behind statements, and avoids judgment
• Non-violent communication avoids evaluation, accusations, critique, and attack
• The aim is to reach a point in which all parties’ needs are satisfied

Non-Violent Communication Components Include

• Concrete actions (Observation)
• Feelings about observations (Emotion)
• Needs, values and wishes (Needs)
• Requests and clear requests (Requests)

Active Listening

Stages of active listening:

• Pay attention
• Observe non-verbal signal
• Paraphrase & repeat
• Do not think you know
• Encourage everyone to speak
• Visualise

Soft Skills: Negotiating

• Negotiating involves two parties to achieve a mutually acceptable solution
• Negotiating should not result in a winner and a loser
• Skills include defining objectives, exploring options and preparedness

Negotiating Tips

• Prepare well, compromise, write down objectives
• Check which issues are open to compromise
• Begin with uncontroversial points, and let parties finish, before interjecting
• Pause if an unknown element is introduced
• Offer small concessions first
• Give everyone an opportunity, and you may not need to go any further

Soft Skills: Leading Teams

• Leaders should create a good atmosphere
• The atmosphere should enable expression of ideas and goals
• The leader should facilitate and inspire the team
• The leader should ensure tasks are implemented in a co-ordinated manner
• Leaders identify individual skills, and match them to expertise required

Tips for Leading Teams

• Always choose leaders on merit
• Give the team the freedom to make its own decisions
• Deal with problems quickly
• Encourage positive contributions
• Display team progress daily
• Use conflict constructively

Soft Skills: Coaching and Mentoring

• Coaching and mentoring use the same skills and approaches, but coaching is short-term and task-based, while mentoring is longer term
• Mentoring develops the mentee professionally
• Coaching develops specific development areas

Tips for Coaching Effectively

• Train your people so they can undertake a variety of tasks
• Set an example to your staff
• Set realistic targets
• Deliver praise to the delegate whenever appropriate
• Follow up regularly when delegating (weekly)
• Appoint a deputy
• Manage your boss

Soft Skills: Motivation

• Recognize your staff's needs
• Apply Maslow's theories and strive for higher levels

Motivation Tips

• Ask what motivates an individual
• Use competition
• Ensure work is Fun and not always Easy
• Ensure rewards are the icing, not the cake
• Use each person’s skills
• Show respect
• Ask for any suggestions to improve motivation

Soft Skills: Decision Making

• Decisions can be routine, emergency, strategic, and operational
• Base decisions on the type, relevant criteria, and analysis appropriate to that type

Decision-Making Steps

• Identify the issues
• Undertake the analysis
• Evaluate the options
• Identify the choices
• Implement the decision

Tips to Keep in Mind during Decision-Making

• Consider all potential outcomes when making decisions
• Communicate reasons for non-agreement
• Ask colleagues or peers if you need further information
• Consider all criteria
• Accept advice
• Be disorganized in generating ideas, but organized in developing them
• Capture and handle information wisely

Soft Skills: Influencing

• Consider who is affected when decisions are influenced
• Consult colleagues and peers
• PMs often lack authority, and the ability to influence stakeholders can be critical

Key Influencing Skills

• Be persuasive and articulate
• Have active and effective listening skills
• Be aware of perspectives
• Gather information and reach agreements whilst maintaining mutual trust

Soft Skills: Time Management

• Know yourself, concentrate, focus, and get into "the flow"
• Identify distractions
• Utilize techniques, such as meditation, sports, or music

Time Management Tips

• Clear daily tasks
• Organise free and busy time slots
• Set up an effective filing system
• Keep essentials on the desk
• Plan meetings beforehand
• Use technology wisely
• Stop subscriptions to non-essential magazines

Handbook Assignment

• Page 10 covers Project Organisation
• Discuss member’s specific skill sets
• Check Project “Rules”
• Discuss where meetings are set up
• Discuss how communication is organised
• Discuss the importance of the handbook
• Discuss how conflicts and differences in opinions will be managed
• Discuss individual styles
• Discuss how time is managed
• Etc.