Project me: Dealing with a high level of uncertainty

Dealing with a high level of uncertainty has become the only certain thing about the new normal. We asked project managers to give us their tips on how to do it in a way that benefits you and your career.

My five top tips

George Bratt, risk manager, AECOM

1 Approach peers. If you can take the focus away from your situation and direct it toward someone else’s, it may help you cope. Helping others helps you to deal with stress and adapt to change.

2 Welcome new opportunities. Change often translates to possibility. Reorganisations/mergers can create new positions, departments or job titles.

3 Preserve connections. Stay connected to past co-workers and continue to broaden your network. You never know when you might need each other.

4 Accept rather than escape. Escape-coping is where you alter your behaviour to avoid confronting troublesome things. Active-coping is where you tackle a problem head-on. This is better as you are addressing the stress, not avoiding it.

5 Over-communicate. When things are changing, communication is crucial. Communication gaps lead to speculation, which creates more fear. If you can effectively communicate concerns, your anxieties can be better alleviated.

Flip it on its head

Georgia Shaw, junior project manager, Atos

What if we replaced the word ‘change’ with a more positive word like ‘innovation’? It suddenly seems easier to embrace. It’s always easy to find reasons not to embrace change – perhaps this means learning how to use complicated new software, and perhaps it will cost you time and money. What if we flip this and list the associated benefits? You will learn a new skill and save time and money in the long run. But let’s acknowledge that it’s OK to be anxious about change. Try writing a list of anxieties and uncertainties and look at the best-case scenarios for each. Train your mind to always see the positives, even if there are also some negatives to contend with.

Keep calm and do what you do best

Roberta Epps, associate director, RSK Biocensus

Project managers tend to crave order and design, but we also need enough imagination and creativity to adapt and not get too hung up on the ‘perfect’ project plan we had mapped out. If recent months have taught us anything, it’s that we are unlikely to be able to predict every eventuality, and depending on a single pathway to success leaves us vulnerable. Mindset is key. Change your focus from the end result to those mini-milestones that are achievable today, and that will keep your project moving in the right direction tomorrow. Keep your projects close: talk to your clients, a lot. Listen to who is saying what in your team and ask them what it’s really like on the ground. If you understand those things, you’re more likely to pick up on any changes early and can adapt more quickly. Now is not the time to stand back and wait for our situation to become familiar again.

Focus on what you can control

Abdul Wahab Ghumra, principal project manager, Mott MacDonald

Change is a given; what we need to develop and master within ourselves is our attitude to change and how we respond to it. If we embrace it as an opportunity, rather than seeing it as an obstacle, we will be able to successfully navigate past it to continue to deliver successfully. Change also allows us to develop new skills and techniques that will put us in good stead for the next change. Only by stretching ourselves can we truly realise our full potential. When dealing with change, break the activity down into components – those in your control and those outside of your control. You can then focus on the key activities.

Adapt and be content

Sobitha Sashikumar, PMO UK, UBS

The main things that have helped me are adaptability and contentment. I have had to adjust to staying at home almost all of the time. I have found that my choices were almost non-existent, but on the positive side I came to realise that I didn’t really need much. This was the perfect opportunity to be content with what we had – to appreciate it and turn it into an opportunity to help others. This was both rewarding and timely.

Establish effective team communication

Sarah Connolly, assistant project manager, EDF Energy

One tool that has proven invaluable during this pandemic is effective communication, which has been vital to ensure our team has remained focused while feeling connected and remaining safe. Managing uncertainty starts with understanding the team and their needs through regular data collection points. The data then helps form a strategy for casting the right information in the right way. Understanding what level of information is required, and the frequency, method and output, has resulted in a supported, well-informed team. Remember to ask the team what they need to fulfil their roles; create a safe space for questions, feedback and suggestions; introduce live interactive collaboration platforms, such as Teams, to support flexible working; and upskill your teams. Also remember to have fun. Arrange socially distanced activities such as quizzes and escape room challenges. While change can bring uncertainty, it can also present us with opportunities.