Introduction

I am sure that every project manager will tell you that one of the keys to delivering a successful project is ensuring that the project team is motivated. A motivated team is a productive team. It is also a team that will produce better quality results. As a project manager, you have a critical role in ensuring that the team is well motivated. You need to provide leadership to help them remain committed to the project until that glorious day when you hand over the final deliverable.

This article will provide you with some tips on how to motivate your team so that they deliver a good project.

Engage the team in the planning process

We have all been on project teams in which nobody was really committed to getting the project done well. A reason that poor motivation often emerges is that people do not feel ownership over the project. The team does not feel that success or failure hinges on them; rather, they feel that they have simply been told to do something and how to do it. The team members might follow instructions, but they will not participate creatively, nor try to identify and solve issues before they arise.

Engaging the team in the planning process is the first step to keeping them interested and committed. People are more committed to things they have a hand in shaping. Projects are no different. Teams are naturally more committed to doing a good job if they have helped to create the strategy. When there are project crunches or issues arise, the team members will be much more likely to put in the extra time or help you identify a sensible solution to the issue.

Respect their expertise and skills

Each individual has a skill and expertise in a particular area. Raj has a degree in communications and adult education, and knows much about creating manuals for end-users. Juana has been developing databases for 20 years, and knows just about everything there is to know about creating useful datasets and reports. These people likely know much more about their areas of expertise than the project manager. You must respect their skills and expertise. Trust that the advice they are giving you about how to accomplish something is positive and beneficial for the project.

Provide them with growth opportunities

We have all worked on projects that we found somewhat mundane and dull. This is often because the work does not challenge us. I remember delivering a small project a few years ago that was very similar to two others that we had just completed. Fortunately, we were able to identify some of the key risks that we would face and initiate strategies for addressing them early. We had also honed the project approach in the other two instances, and delivered this one in the same way. The end result was a fine project, but a very bored and uncommitted project team (including me). They were not challenged during the project.

Most people enjoy being challenged because it helps them to grow and learn new things. Look for ways in which you can provide growth opportunities for your team members. You could give them work that is a little different than that to which they are accustomed, or partner a junior person with a more senior person for mentoring opportunities. People generally enjoy learning new skills or areas of training because it helps them both personally and professionally.

Provide sincere and specific praise

Nothing boosts the morale and motivation of a person more than being told they are doing a good job – as long as it is specific and sincere. Make sure that you compliment the project team members on the work that they are doing. Identify specific examples of what you feel was well done or when team members rose above and beyond the call of project duty. Or simply thank them for a particular deliverable. Remember that people can see through a fake though! Be sincere when you offer the praise.

Chastise in private

Nothing destroys the morale and motivation of a project team more than being ‘chewed out’. Some project managers feel that the project team needs a chewing out when things are not going so well. My own experience suggests that this only serves to irreparably destroy morale and cause the team to lose confidence in the project manager. It is true that you will run across team members who do not pull their weight or who are not contributing as fully as they could be. Deal with these people in the privacy of your office. Outline your concerns and work with them to identify opportunities to create change. Disparaging them with a good chewing out benefits neither them nor you.

Summary

Motivating the project team can be a Herculean task sometimes, but it is also one of the most critical factors in delivering a successful project. One of your roles as project manager is to keep their motivation high so that the project is delivered successfully.

This article gives you some tips for motivating the project team to ensure the project rolls smoothly along. The ideas presented are quite practical and perhaps very obvious. You might be surprised, though, at how many times these basic ideas are forgotten when delivering a project! Keep them in mind as you move through your project and see if they work for you.

Blair Witzel (blair@mcdoane.com) is a member of the Project Management Institute and a consultant with McDonnell Doane + Associates, an information management and technology firm focusing on the not-for-profit and public sectors. His work centres on managing multi-project portfolios and working with organizations to develop project management methodologies to more effectively deliver projects.