Where people work there are always conflicts. Large or small, you encounter problem situations in every company and every project. The project leader or manager has the thankless task of dealing with such crisis situations and, where possible, converting them into new energy for the entire team. Just like in customer service situations, a conflict is also a great opportunity to achieve a positive turn. How? We discuss that in this blog.

How does a crisis arise?

Your project has serious problems. You exceed your budget, you are behind schedule and/or the team members are arguing among themselves. We all know such situations. Morale is low and the stakes are decreasing. The start of the solution is often to carefully analyze how the crisis came about. So, before taking action, try to test the following possible reasons against the situation. 9 out of 10 crisis situations are caused by one or more of the points below:

Insufficient support from the project sponsor(s): there is too little commitment from the clients or management, so that there is no need to perform.

Unclear expectations: no one knows exactly what is expected and what the scope of the project is.

Inexperienced team members: especially within government organizations, project members are often assigned to projects with which they have relatively little experience. Not a big deal, but a possible inhibiting factor.

Poor or feasible planning: especially if the wish comes from above, there may be too much pressure on the planning or the initial planning may not be feasible at all.

Lack of structure: project management is a profession in itself. Has a clear project management process been formulated?

Cultural problems: do team members come from various departments, units or even from various (merged) companies? Then it may be that corporate cultures are causing problems.

Unclear division of roles: in many projects it is not entirely clear what everyone's role is and what is expected of the various team members.

Inadequate communication: the most common cause of crisis situations is of course communication. Or rather, the lack thereof.

How do you tackle the crisis?

Once you have discovered the cause of the conflict and where it is going, you can take action to transform this threat into an opportunity.

Recognize the signs

Do not intervene until the crisis has fully matured and the atmosphere has dropped to zero. Usually signs can already be recognised. Small complaints or cautious whining about certain team members, for example. Or the fact that interim deliveries are only completed just in time. Address minor irritations immediately and don't wait until frustrations build up and the volcano erupts.

Recognize the crisis, take charge

Recognition is the first step of recovery. When a project is in crisis, it is often denied by the team members. As a manager it is your job to take charge, that is what is expected of you. Recognize the crisis, make this clear to the entire team and set the guidelines. Your project team has been unable to complete the project independently, whether they realize it or not. It is your job to intervene and take charge.

Investigate the matter before judging

Preparation is crucial. Especially when you are appointed as a crisis manager to manage a project in trouble. Read all (email) conversations and delivered documents before speaking to team members personally. By following the communication paths you are able to make an objective analysis for yourself before it can be influenced by personal emotions and arguments.

Have a 1-on-1 conversation with the team members

Bringing the stakeholders together and discussing everything openly. That often sounds like the most pragmatic solution. And yet that is not always the case. Due to vulnerability, uncertainty, fear or any other emotion, team discussions in the event of a crisis can turn out to be negative rather than positive. If tensions are high, you may consider first speaking to all team members one-on-one and then meeting with the entire team.

Stand behind your team

No matter what happens, stick by your team. Even when you are appointed by higher management or even management to save a project. As a project leader, it is your job to get the most out of the team members. That won't work if you smear them behind their backs or complain about the motivation in your team. No matter how much irritation you get, stay positive and always defend the interests of your team members.

Perhaps you are already an experienced crisis manager or a project manager with ambitions to become a project leader. Managing complex situations requires a healthy dose of experience, but can certainly be trained and coached. At Kenneth Smit we do not choose the easiest path. Sometimes our training & coaching programs are confrontational. It's tough, but it gets you there!