To that end, I do a lot of work in the project’s planning stage. I meet with the team to discuss scope and
what needs to be accomplished, and we discuss various
options and their associated risks until we reach the
best one. I also ask my team members what they specifically want to achieve on a particular project and how
they plan on achieving it.
Once the project gets underway, I hold face-to-face
discussions with team members during which they can
talk about their needs and concerns with the project.
Asking for feedback lets me fix misunderstandings as
soon as they arise. Plus, I’ve found that when everyone
on the team feels heard, it’s more likely that they’ll happily proceed with the job at hand.”
—Nick Fartais, PMP, project manager, Endeavour Energy,
Sydney, Australia
Manage the Workload
Stress management equals workload
management. It’s difficult to make sure
any single team member doesn’t feel
like the project is entirely on his or her shoulders, but
always remind them that—to paraphrase Ben-Hur—we
all exist for the good of the ship.
I was working on a project to develop a training
exercise for two U.S. Army divisions and several smaller
units. As the Army kept adding units to the exercise, we
rapidly outgrew the available space. My team’s stress
level climbed as the units were added.
The first thing I did was remind the project team
members who weren’t affected by the space issue to
continue on with their parts of the project. Then I took
the remaining team members down to the training site.
A 3-Step Solution
What’s Your
Solution?
There are myriad
ways to prevent and
manage stress. Share
your tips and tricks
on the PMI Project,
Program and Portfolio Management
LinkedIn Group.
After three weeks of problem-solving, we determined
how to maximize the space and remotely connect to
other sites so everyone could participate in the exercise.
Be the shield that protects your team. And of course,
know when to send your people home.”
—Brian Schonfeld, PMP, operations officer and travel
program manager, Mission Command Training Program,
U.S. Army, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
Work Toward a Common Goal
As a project manager, you have much to
gain by building a strong sense of shared
purpose. Make the team collectively com-
mit to complete work within a sprint. Help the team by
removing impediments to progress. Then there should
be no reason to feel any stress.
A couple of years ago, I was leading the project
management office (PMO) at Europe’s leading provider
of accessories for sound and vision. We had the opportunity to pursue an emerging product category, but
the technology was immature and not widely tested.
The engineers had no real feeling for the product or
the purpose.
However, the CEO helped by providing an inspiring market vision and customer dialogue. To avoid
stress due to uncertainty, we designed in modules and
prototyped a lot. With time, the modules grew into a
shippable product. As a result of the hard work we put
in, we became early adopters of the product and the
team became industry experts along the way!”
—Richard Svahn, PMI-ACP, PMP, project manager, National
Civil Authority, Stockholm, Sweden
Stress is a natural defense mecha-
nism to keep us alert to possible
danger. It’s also subjective: During
the same project, one team member
may feel much more stress than
another. Alan Patching and Rick
Best’s 2014 study, An Investigation
Into Psychological Stress Detection
and Management in Organizations
Operating in Project and Construc-
tion Management, published in
the journal Procedia—Social and
Behavioral Sciences, suggests three
steps for managing individuals’
stress levels: 3. Monitor the results
1. Note job-related
stressors and apply risk
management strategies
2. Monitor when a team
member seems stressed
and teach him or her
coping techniques
