Project management is often the element that can make or break the success of a project. When done well, project management creates discipline, structure and accountability. One of the top reasons projects fail is lack of communication across stakeholders, so one of the most important aspects of project management is the ability to integrate workstreams and know when it is time to bring groups together.

Thinking about a project manager as the driver of collaboration across a project, instead of the master of tasks, can elevate project management capabilities as well as overall project success.

Here are five compelling reasons to incorporate collaboration into project management:

  • High performing teams that communicate frequently are the foundation of a successful project
  • Decision makers need to be active participants in moving a project forward, they need to do more than review status
  • There are key decision points in every project where groups are required to come together to collaborate in order to provide feedback and buy into components of the solution; when that doesn’t happen a great deal of time is wasted
  • It is important to get to the root cause of why a project is stalling, quickly! Bringing the team together to address the issue head on will help make the necessary adjustments quickly
  • Even the best project plans need to adapt to support continuous group learning, it is important to understand the best next steps, not just what is written on paper

Seeing a project manager as the facilitator of collaboration across the project, and developing their skill set appropriately, will ensure projects are delivered not only on time and on budget, but with high quality and buy-in across the organization.

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