In the Executing process how would you deal with a members needing to take vacations and or some other obligations that have come up and still ensure that the project that is being worked on deadlines are not missed in their absence?
As a project manager, it is important to know how to deal with interruptions in project schedules which could very well be caused by employee vacation times or other obligations that need tending to. Therefore, developing systems to seamlessly transition job tasks is essential to avoid disruptive workflow. One system could address how to split tasks in case of an employee’s absence. Of course, not every situation can be mitigated by carefully planned systems so it is also important to understand that due to these absences some tasks may not be completed on time. This goes back to being flexible and understanding that some obstacles may not allow for a perfectly executed timeline.
I think the pandemic has showed the world that we are now able to work remotely and still be effective on projects. I think if the PM has the necessary tools to track the process of the project and ensure that the team is keeping up with their task on a timely manner, then the original idea of working in the office will now become obsolete and save companies money from renting out space. There have been over 25 major companies that have gone remote permanently. “Our best estimate is that 25-30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.”
Source:
https://buildremote.co/companies/companies-going-remote-permanently/
This would honestly be an easy fix as long as the team is fully staffed and proper protocols are followed. If I was the PM, I would firstly make sure that my team is fully staffed and have multiple people in place that are able to do multiple jobs in different areas of the project. I would also make sure we have a vacation protocol/ procedure in place that states that everyone should vacation at least a month in advance. That gives me and my team time to prepare for these absences and put someone in place to take over that person's role in their absence. For unexpected and sudden absences, I would have an on call schedule in place to make sure if someone calls out sick unexpectedly, someone else would be responsible for coming in a covering those task for that day or days.
Well if I was the project manager in this case I would have planned for 2 to 3 employees leaving during the course of this project. So, them taking a vacation should not effect the over all progression of the project. However, if more employees leave or something happen that was not expected then I would try to dispersed the unexpected workload equal among the remaining employee and myself if able or giving portions of it to employees who are further along in the project.
Francis, Great reply to the post. It is really amazing to see that you actual have real world experience with this. Because it is easy to give a test book answer to this problem to to actually have to face it and still it in real time can actually be a bit more challenging and difficult.
In the Executing process how would you deal with a members needing to take vacations and or some other obligations that have come up and still ensure that the project that is being worked on deadlines are not missed in their absence?
To answer my question I will say to deal with members apart of the project having to take vacation and or other obligations that come up and still make sure that in their absence no deadlines are being missed I would while within the planning process ask that all known engagements to be requested in the planning process. Any unforeseen obligations that arise I would have system that is in place to make sure that someone takes over those said tasks so that nothing is missed. That the project does not fall behind in any way. I believe that with a proper plan as a manager you can handle what comes your way and deadlines are not missed because you have planned accordingly.
From my personal experience, I like to give my bosses' a sometimes two months in advance notice if I am going on vacation when I know there is a strong push in the executing phase of a project. Even though this notice time may seem large, this gives them more than enough time to allocate my responsibilities to other workers.
If I were a PM and one of my employees needed to take a vacation or handle other obligations, I would do what my bosses' had done when I was in a similar situation. No matter what, the project and its completion come first. Other people would need to pick up the slack of the missing employee and complete those tasks as well. If the employee that had to go on vacation is available to complete the tasks from home or wherever they are, that is also another option. That way, the employee's tasks would not need to be divvied up between the remaining employees.
Knowing everyone’s schedules can make the executing process go smoother when someone is absent. This will allow for slight modification to ensure their tasks are covered. If they have the ability to put more hours of work in to get ahead, this will help dramatically. Often, vacation is put in a few weeks to months in advance, so its relatively easy to prepare. In the case of sudden absences, the team will just have to do the best they can to pick up the extra slack. In the beginning of the project when tasks are being assigned, weaving the responsibilities throughout the team can prove to be beneficial. This will ensure at least two people are responsible for one task.
normally there are lots of people working on the same project. normally if some one need to take a long time vacation, they will have to report to project manager several weeks before the vacation. so the manager can distribute his tasks to other group members to ensure the project move as the plan. Also most time manager won't allow multiple people take vacation at same time.
I think the manager should consider this issue while preparing the plan for the whole project. The project manager should make sure the team always has extra time for each different project step in case something might happen and interrupt the project schedule. The manager should know the team members well so that the manager could rearrange the work to the members to avoid the delay. Also, the manager should maintain good communication with the team members, the good communication could allow the manager to know the schedule of the members and the manager could have more time to deal with the issue. At the same time, the team manager should inform the members that they need to report their vacation plan several weeks before the leave.
For most projects this would not be a problem as many people can fill the role necessary. However if the member taking the vacation is an expert in an area and there are no other people that can fill the role, an outside consultant can be hired to make sure the project meets the deadlines. Since there are no real way to plan around when members need to be excused it is a good idea to plan ahead and try to make sure that work is evenly divide an can be transitioned to another member of the team.
It is important to create a Gantt chart before the execution phase of a project begins. When the Gantt chart is being created, team members should communicate the days they anticipate taking off so that this can be accounted for in the project schedule. However, it is possible that unexpected obligations may come up. In these situations to ensure that the project is being worked on and deadlines are not missed in their absence, it is important that there are additional team members that can provide back up support if needed. Additionally, the project manager should incorporate buffer time into the original project schedule and always account for unexpected delays.
If I were a team manager I would include a safety net of a few days to a week when I plan the project schedule. I would try to delegate the member's responsibilities to the rest of the team for the duration of their leave. If they were an expert and their work cannot be delegated I would ask if they are able to keep in touch virtually with the team to either do the work themselves or guide other members through the process.
I would have a team policy that if anyone were to go on vacation, they would need to give 1 week notice so I can plan accordingly and adjust the project schedule. I recognize that situations arise and sometimes someone will need to take a day or two off, so I will take on some of the work and spread the some of the work out to other team members. Being a manger means that you need to represent the people under you and provide a fair and understanding working environment.
