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What could Covid-19 Crisis teach us about Project Management?
(Note – This article provides an overview from a project management perspective; it does not intend to capture all the dimensions as would be in a research journal – as we say in Project Management, it is out of scope of this article 😊)
For sure, COVID-19 has changed the world – the way we look at people, work, and life in general. Forget managing a crisis like COVID-19 at the national-level, even managing it at a city-level could test the skills of even a seasoned project professional! Imagine dealing with just a single city like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, or Chennai with populations in excess of 10 million!
Would you like to know how ‘expert project managers and PMPs’ deal with such situations?
Then read on…
What makes such ‘situations’ extraordinary?
It is a crisis that has no similar history in terms of scale, complexity, ambiguity, uncertainty and impact! Despite these challenges, as project managers how should you apply your project management skills?
Let us start with Project Scope.
Administratively, it is easy to demarcate the scope of the project to the city. However, the challenge is when this scope gets expanded with citizens moving in and out of the city. Despite various toll plazas and check posts, it is very difficult to manage ‘scope creep’ – that is, citizens that escape through borders by other means!
Now, let us come to Project Schedule.
The situation is peculiar – we know the problem, not the solution. In this scenario, the focus needs to be on an optimal solution (or problem containment) rather than a perfect solution. With this in mind, estimates and timelines are drawn by considering various constraints – hospitals, police, traffic, public transport, emergency services, etc.
It is now time for Project Resources.
This gets tricky. While the government machinery has resources, a crisis like this may need greater participation by the entire society – private organizations, health-care providers, transport, and citizens at large. The need for resources becomes very dynamic – moving from minimal resources to a peak as the intensity of the problem increases.
What about Project Costs?
While this crisis is completely managed by the government, one may say that costs don’t pose a constraint. However, when the entire economy comes to a standstill, funding the costs is a major constraint without adequate State revenues!
Project Quality is Supreme!
A crisis like this is a matter of life and death. Not a single action taken by the project team can compromise on quality – cleanliness got a different meaning in recent times! Cleanliness is now synonymous with Sanitize. Such high quality comes at a heavy cost!
Project Stakeholders are Everywhere!
The COVID-19 crisis has really brought out the essence of a ‘stakeholder’ – from roadside vendors, contract labour, housemaids, schools, students, parents, senior citizens, transport providers, places of worship, government agencies, NGOs, business enterprises, and many more! Never was a situation where all the sections of the society were impacted by a single event. More important is the need for all stakeholders’ engagement!
Now the all-important – Project Communication
In the age of social media, it is important to ensure only the ‘relevant information’ is communicated through formal channels. At the same time, it is critical to ‘control’ unwanted information that could do more harm and create panic in the society. It is interesting to observe that the government has made good use of platforms such as Twitter as well as Mobile App – Aarogya Setu to track and monitor the pandemic related updates.
What about Project Procurement?
Since the government does not manufacture/produce all that is needed to deal with the pandemic, it is critical that they collaborate with various vendors of products (medicines, safety equipment, as well as providers of health services, pharmacies, and hospitals). Ensuring that the products and services are available ‘on demand’ is crucial!
Managing Project Risks is the Key!
The level of risks associated with COVID-19 stops nothing short of life and death. While some of the risks were known at the outset, there were many ‘moving parts’ where clear response plans could not be ‘cast in stone’. Additionally, the impact of risks was very, very high. It was essential that the team created ‘response plans on the fly’ as new information became available – classical risk management in an agile way!
Lastly putting them all together – Project Integration
The ability to put together all the dimensions – scope, schedule, resources, quality, costs, procurement, stakeholders, communication, and risks reflects the ability and skill of a master project manager. For this, decision making backed by high-quality data is the key. It is here that the ‘leadership’ gets really tested.
I hope this blog helped you realize…
…what ‘professional project managers’ deliver – they execute strategic and complex projects to deliver value to various stakeholders.
Now, a question for you!
Are you excited to work on path-breaking projects and strategic projects?
If yes, obtaining the coveted PMP Certification would be the first step to showcase your project management skills and expertise to business leaders!
SRISHA’s PMP Prep Workshop is uniquely designed to –
What are you waiting for?
About Author :
Srikanth PV comes with two decades of global corporate and consulting background across industries with diverse roles including Strategy, Leadership, and Management. Currently, he focuses on driving and creating customer value by building and enhancing organizational portfolio, program, and project management maturity by his impactful consulting and coaching engagements. He is also a former member of the Board of Directors of PMI Bangalore Chapter. View his detailed profile on LinkedIn at https://in.linkedin.com/in/srikanthpvpmp