How do I work in Project Mode? How Project Mode works

You must have already heard about it. Today, businesses operate more and more in project mode. This way of working has a number of advantages. In particular, it makes it possible to decompartmentalize organizational silos by promoting global collaboration within companies, by reducing or even eliminating hierarchical links with vertical management and by allowing more flexibility and responsiveness.

Do you also want to adopt project-based operation? Follow the guide.

What is operating in project mode?

Operating in project mode encourages the collaboration of people from different professions or departments on the same project. We therefore focus on implementing and achieving a common objective while respecting a given budget envelope and imposed deadlines, and no longer on carrying out recurring activities specific to a service.

Thus, to carry out a project from A to Z, it is necessary to bring together a set of people with different and complementary professions, skills, qualifications, experiences and main qualities. They can come from departments within your business, or from outside companies. These people will form the project team.

To guide and support team members in their work, they can rely on the project manager. More leader than manager, the project manager motivates his team to follow a common methodology, vision and goals. A true conductor, the project manager ensures the smooth execution of the project while listening to his collaborators, by showing the example and by not hesitating to delegate. In short, he is far from the inaccessible department manager, hidden in his office and whose tasks we don't really know.

For example, if you are planning to build a house, you need, among other things:

• an architect to draw the plans of the house,
• of a mason to build the walls,
• from an electrician,
• from a plumber,
• from a manufacturer of doors and windows,
• of a carpenter, roofer and zinc-installer for the roof,
• of a plasterer-plasterer,
• etc.

As a project manager, you need to manage, organize, and coordinate the team, schedule, and various task lists in order to build a solid home while staying on budget and on time.

Why work in project mode? What are the advantages of this type of organization?

If it is so popular, it is because the project-based working method offers several advantages:

• the end of traditional pyramid organization and hierarchical management;
• better work organization;
• the decompartmentalization of services;
• a global vision of the projects and a precise schedule;
• better communication and improved collaboration between the various departments;
• better sharing of information for better communication;
• the accountability of employees;
• a better distribution of the workload;
• the acquisition of new skills;
• the creation of cohesion between team members.

What are the differences between project mode and product mode?

When working in project mode, the project team generally follows a specific roadmap that was developed beforehand. It develops the functionalities of the product, previously identified, one after the other until reaching the final result.

In product mode, the team focuses more on the user rather than the end result. She works by leaving room for the unexpected and possible changes. The aim is to help the user solve the problem they are facing or to satisfy a new need.

The project team can accomplish its mission without departing from the initial vision. She achieves her goals if she succeeds in completing her project within the costs and deadlines initially set.

The product team works from a given problem and seeks the solution by trial and error. She works by iterations in order to continuously improve her product. It succeeds when the customer or user is satisfied.

Thus, project mode focuses on processes and resources in order to achieve the set objective while the goal of product mode is to create value for the user.

Advancing in project mode works perfectly when the environment is predictable from start to finish and when unexpected events or changes are rare. As for the product mode, it allows you to explore new paths, and to be more flexible and adaptable. These two methodologies are both different and complementary. The company must adopt them and make them co-exist in order to innovate, and to best meet its needs and challenges.

How do you organize yourself in project mode? 7 tips for working in project mode

If you are convinced that your business should adopt project mode, follow these 5 steps to set it up.

1. Define a clear vision and specific goals

To start, you need to precisely define the contours of your project. It is important that the project manager and his team have all the information that is essential for effective project management.

All the data essential to the realization of the project are therefore grouped together in the specifications. In particular, you will find:

• the context,
• the challenges,
• the goals to be achieved,
• the budget to be respected,
• the resources and skills needed,
• the schedule to follow,
• limitations and potential risks.

This information is valuable for the smooth running of the project and allows the team to know where they are going with a clear vision.

2. Establishing everyone's roles and responsibilities for teamwork

To carry out your project, you need a qualified team that has all the skills necessary to complete the various tasks.

Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member. Who is in charge of monitoring the budget? Which employee keeps an eye on deadlines? And make sure that this information is easily accessible to everyone involved in the project.

3. The QQOQCCP model as a checklist

In project mode, the Questioning Method or QQOQCP (What, Who, Who, Where, Where, When, How/How Much, Why) is a very practical tool that allows you to ask yourself the right questions, regardless of the situation.

This method allows you to quickly and accurately analyze the situation and problem you are facing and then implement a relevant action plan.

4. Importance of the project manager, skills and essential qualities

The project manager is responsible for overseeing the progress of a project. Like a conductor, he must coordinate the various actors and the various tasks, taking into account the vagaries and the unexpected in order to ensure that the project will be carried out while respecting the cost, quality and deadlines set.

The missions of the project manager are very varied and include in particular:

• the definition of the objectives,
• the drafting of the specifications,
• the development of the project plan,
• task planning,
• managing relationships with stakeholders,
• the animation of the project team,
• project management (monitoring the progress of tasks, verification of indicators, etc.).

To achieve this, he must have essential qualities including:

• have a sense of listening;
• have an excellent ability to communicate;
• be organized and rigorous;
• know how to delegate;
• know how to say no;
• know how to manage conflicts;
• know how to convince;
• be stress-resistant.

5. Ability to manage change

Going from a traditional organization to operating in project mode is an important change that can be difficult to implement. This situation will undeniably elicit different reactions within your company:

• total rejection,
• enthusiasm,
• indifference,
• fear.

Your employees may be lost, of not knowing who to refer to in case of doubts or questions, and some may even refuse to adopt this new way of working.

To get people to accept this change, start by identifying the reasons, fears, and doubts that may be blocking your employees. Then, provide answers and reassure them by implementing concrete actions.

6. The art of changing corporate culture

Now that you have successfully got your employees involved in project mode, you need to:

• train your collaborators with project-based working techniques and management methodologies of project;
• define standards, both in working methods and in the documents to be used;
• empowering employees;
• encourage communication;
• promote creativity, innovation and involvement.

7. The advantage of using a collaborative tool

A multitude of tools are available to help you work effectively in project mode and improve your productivity. The most efficient and the most complete is undoubtedly the project management software.

Software such as Wimi makes it possible to centralize all project data, to monitor and coordinate its evolution, to have visibility on all the tasks, to easily organize teamwork and to promote exchanges between the various people concerned. With such a tool, working in project mode is much easier. Test it for free and without obligation, and you will see that you won't be able to do without it.

Conclusion

Thanks to operating in project mode, say goodbye to hierarchical management and the compartmentalized organization of your company, and hello to collaboration. The advantages of this collaborative way of working are numerous, and if its implementation requires some changes, you will quickly see its effectiveness.

Finally, remember that to be efficient in project mode, the acquisition of a project management software is indispensable.