Project Performance Secrets – Managing Underperforming Personnel

In Project Performance Secrets – Managing Underperforming Personnel, you'll learn ...

• To analyze typical project work processes for opportunities of process improvement
• Why a different approach to a situation is required for a different outcome
• To identify the difference between being productive and busy
• To express performance expectations in terms guaranteed to result in productive outcomes

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 5 PDH

Length: 76 pages

This course is designed for new, "seasoned" or potential project managers who are willing to consider a fresh way of looking at project execution in a search for improving performance. This course can help them avoid many traditional problems that impact a project's performance while learning tips on decreasing the time-to-productivity time gap of new team members.

The course offers a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to improving project performance, focusing on uncovering and addressing subtle, cumulative performance issues that can derail even the most well-planned projects. The central thesis is that experience, while valuable, can sometimes be a barrier to innovation if it leads to reliance on outdated methods. Instead, the course encourages project managers (PMs) to challenge assumptions, adopt new perspectives, and implement structured, proactive strategies.

One of the key concepts introduced is the “Project Emergency Kit,” a proactive tool created by gathering key insights and process evaluations from department leaders before the project begins. This kit serves as a reference for early detection of issues, onboarding new team members, and ensuring continuity in leadership transitions.

The heart of the course lies in eight “Project Performance Secrets.” These guide PMs to identify job functions that may signal trouble, define performance indicators, establish "trip wires" for timely intervention, and implement remedies without causing further disruption. A diagnostic flowchart is included to help isolate root causes of performance issues, many of which are within the PM's control. This structured problem-solving process promotes a data-driven, non-punitive approach to performance management.

The course also emphasizes the importance of differentiating between “being busy” and “being productive.” Productivity is defined through a triad of quality, quantity, and timeliness. PMs are encouraged to analyze workflows to identify inefficiencies before deciding to add staff.

When additional staffing is necessary, the course provides an in-depth guide on hiring competent help. It outlines a structured interview process focused not only on technical qualifications but also on critical behavioral traits like multitasking, teamwork, and adaptability. Tools for developing relevant interview questions, evaluating candidates objectively, and avoiding legal pitfalls are included.

Furthermore, the course explores team integration strategies, including mentoring systems, working style assessments, and the creation of a “Project Who’s Who” to accelerate assimilation and enhance communication. It highlights the value of aligning individual working styles with team dynamics to reduce friction and improve collaboration.

Overall, the course aims to equip project managers with actionable insights, diagnostic tools, and management strategies that empower them to anticipate and address performance issues early, boost team productivity, and ultimately deliver more successful projects—even when past experience might tempt them to do things “the old way.”

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze typical project work processes to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Explain why a different approach to a situation is required to achieve a different outcome.
• Distinguish between being productive and being busy.
• Express performance expectations in terms that support productive outcomes.
• Identify opportunities within existing workflows for potential tripwires that can stimulate action.
• Explain the benefit of a "Project Emergency Kit."
• List the elements to include in a Project Emergency Kit.
• Describe methods for reducing the typical time required for a new project team member to become productive.
• Guide functional leaders in analyzing project workflows for potential problems or delays.
• Determine whether workflow problems are isolated events or part of a dangerous trend.
• Assess whether a project workload exceeds the capacity of the existing staff or whether staff members are underproductive.
• Explain how to help talent recruiters find the additional personnel a project may need.
• Identify job-specific behavioral requirements that are separate from the position’s technical skill requirements.
• Analyze team-member performance issues to isolate the root cause of a problem.
• Explain how to address performance problems without demotivating project team members.
• Determine whether team members are receiving appropriate performance feedback.
• Distinguish when to train, retrain, or terminate team members whose performance does not meet requirements.
• Define a project job description more specifically.
• Identify terms to avoid when interviewing project team applicants.
• Recognize clues in a team applicant’s résumé that may signal potential concerns.
• Develop a strategy to accelerate a new team member’s assimilation into the project.
• Create a project "Who’s Who" database to improve internal communication and accelerate new-member assimilation.
• Identify qualities to consider when selecting a mentor for a new project member.
• Apply the concept of working styles to enhance team performance and member interaction.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 25 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.