How can you manage a team member struggling with project expectations?

Dig into the root cause of the issue, make a clear and concise action plan, with achievable targets. Prepare weekly checkpoints, clearly communicate the expectations, and keep them on track. I guess, the key here is clear communicate, I firmly believe that everyone on the same page, allows people to conquer most of the things.

Good Listening skills and Empathy would help you make the concerned team member open up and express themselve freely. Any half information would not help to resolve issues in the long run. Once the person is comfortable ask them right questions to get to the bottom of the situation and facilitate resolution with a plan to those problems.

1. Communicate with a team member and try to air their grievances, so that the root cause for struggling may be found out. Set up meetings (in-person) on a regular or biweekly basis, where project objectives, goals and expectations are revised. Provide him/her with knowledge and resources which are key to the success of the project 2. Create baby steps for monitoring projects so, that risks are identified and provide training on new software 3. Give feedback, and acknowledge their small contributions 4. Follow up so that if a team member, fails to coup up, a new plan and teaching techniques should brought to the table for effective result

In my experience as Project Manager, I prioritise to know my team even before the project starts. It is crucial to understand how a team member performs under different scenarios. Emphasis on the success criteria and goals must be established with the team members during the entire project lifecycle. If a team member is not aligned towards the project goals, we need to start analysing by asking questions like - 1. What piece in the project work which is motivating the team member? 2. What is the one thing which demotivates the team member? 3. Is the project helping the team member with their growth towards their personal career aspirations? 4. Is the team member truly aligned to the success criteria and goals established for the project?

Gerne starte ich in so einer Situation mit dem "Warum?". Hat das Teammitglied vielleicht in einem anderen Projekt schlechte Erfahrungen gemacht? Gibt es eine andere limitierende Komponente. Gemeinsam versuchen wir den Grund herauszufinden. Mit der Aufteilung in kleinere Arbeitspakete und ein agiles Projektmanagement können die Erwartungen besser kontrolliert werden. Als mögliche Arbeitsmethode empfehle ich Kanban, um eine transparente Zusammenarbeit im Team zu ermöglichen.

Positive attitude, clear communication is the key. First, the issue must be addressed. Delving into roots of the problem together should be followed by action plan. Weekly calls could be arrenged to follow up the progress and provide feedback.

Positive feedback towards the members of each team is essential to mark on the map where we are and where we want to go because how could each member know what to improve if we don't dedicate the necessary time to show them their strengths and weaknesses that need strengthening, in short, to help them align their steps towards the right path, besides, it is necessary. In my experience, if we don't do this, team members will never know what expectations we have of them or how the sum of all efforts achieves the goal. Therefore, the goal must always be SMART so that everyone can understand it regardless of their cultural or social context.

In my experience, feedback comes with understanding the situation. Being able to analyse the factors at hand, reviewing the situation, responses without personal biases clouding the facts; thereby, ensuing the appropriate feedback is provided, in a clear and concise manner.

This is 3rd on my list, provide individualized feedback to more than just the one person. Singling out one project member will only push them further behind. Chances are they were hired for a reason and it wasn't to be fired. Not all people are self motivated. In fact the majority of people need incentive or praise even for the small victories. You have to be careful in this feedback stage though, nobody likes a micromanager on the team. This isn't something that should be done weekly but it is nice to drop by say "hey heard you're doing great things, keep it up and this project will wrap up soon". Or "hey noticed you falling back a bit, is there anything I can help with?" Little things make big impact.

After identifying the team members' struggles, offer feedback to support growth and project success. Initiate a private chat to ensure a safe space. Begin by acknowledging strengths and accomplishments, then gently address areas for improvement with real examples. Emphasize solutions and growth over dwelling on mistakes. Encourage open communication, listen to their perspective, and offer continuous support. Let them know we are here to support them. Conduct regular check-ins to monitor progress and celebrate wins together. With empathy and collaboration, we can foster a supportive environment for all to thrive.

The steps to create a good plan we must assist them in following these steps: 1. Evaluate the level of commitment. To achieve a goal that requires a lot of effort, it's important to ask the team member how committed they are to the team and the project because the team's overall success depends on their level of commitment and consistency. 2. Divide the goal into sub-goals. Breaking down the goal into smaller parts will allow the team member and the entire team to create a step-by-step action plan to achieve the overarching goal. Remember to emphasize that these sub-goals should also be specific and measurable.

3. Establish a timeline. This will help them stay accountable and focused on the time it will take to achieve the sub-goals. This step is crucial, especially when there is a lack of interest or when the main goal appears unclear or unfocused. 4. Change our mindset. Often, it's our mindset that tells us we are not adequately prepared, so to overcome imposter syndrome, it's important not to indulge in self-pity. This is the only way we will win the battle against ourselves and strive to maintain inner control.

So personally I feel that this should take place before providing any feedback. This gives you the opportunity to write up scenario based responses as well as to talk to higher leadership. The people appointed above you more than likely have dealt with similar issues over time. Also as part of the plan I would suggest short term attainable goals to be reached throughout the process instead of just one big end of process goal. As I said before, many like instant gratification so if there isn't any short term goals to meet many will lose interest or drive all together.

Creating steps, means you’re able to identify the path to follow, with all the considerations and progress that needs to be made to move forward to the next step. It allows them to organize and also feel more motivated when completing each step. However is important to define KPIs in each part of the progress so it actually meets the expected results/performance.

Die Integration von Kanban in den Managementprozess könnte eine wertvolle Strategie sein. Kanban, als bewährtes Agilitätswerkzeug, ermöglicht die Arbeitsaufteilung transparent zu machen, den Arbeitsfluss zu optimieren und die Teamzusammenarbeit zu verbessern. Durch den regelmässigen Austausch und die laufende Anpassung an die Projektsituation kann so ein produktives Arbeitsklima geschaffen werden.

Mit der Einführung von Kanban als Projektmanagementtool wenden wir auch die Prinzipien aus Kanban an. Retrospektiven sind ein zentrales Element, um aus Erfahrungen zu lernen. Sie bieten die Möglichkeit aus Arbeitsprozesse gemeinsam zu reflektieren, Verbesserungspotenziale zu erkennen und Veränderungen einzuleiten. Indem Kanban für die stetige Verbesserung genutzt wird, verbessert sich die Leistungsfähigkeit des Teams und auch die Zufriedenheit jedes Einzelnen. Dies trägt zu einer stärkeren, resilienteren Teamdynamik bei und unterstützt eine erfolgreiche Projektabwicklung.

If an accurate record is kept of all lessons learned throughout the project life cycle, we can learn from mistakes and share those discoveries with other project managers. Sharing lessons learned across teams is an excellent way to prevent the recurrence of similar errors. You may have already implemented this technique under a different name; often, it is referred to as the '5 Whys' and is employed to identify the root cause of project failure. You can identify these root causes through the following steps: Step 1: Conduct a lessons learned survey, Step 2: Schedule a lessons learned meeting, Step 3: Conduct the meeting. By following these steps, you can systematically analyze and share valuable insights gained during the project.

There is never a one size fits all solution to difficult conversations. Learning from experiences, and building your own skills will support greatly benefit your team and project expectations.

Managing a team struggling with project expectations involves clear communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills. Start by openly discussing concerns, revisiting project goals, and breaking tasks into manageable steps. For me, it is the best way to offer support, resources, and training where needed, and encourage collaboration and feedback. Regular check-ins can help track progress and address issues promptly. Flexibility and adaptability are key in adjusting strategies as needed to ensure the team's success.

1. Communication: Have an open and honest conversation with the team member to understand their challenges and concerns. 2. Clarify expectations: Clearly define the project objectives, milestones, and deliverables to ensure the team member understands what is expected of them. 3. Set achievable goals: Break down the project into smaller, manageable tasks with achievable deadlines to help the team member stay on track. 4. Adjust responsibilities: If necessary, adjust the team member's responsibilities or workload to better align with their skills and capabilities. 5. Document performance: Keep records of performance discussions, goals set, and any support provided to track progress and ensure accountability.

It is important to have buy-ins and clear expectations from all project team members for a successful project execution. If any member is struggling with expectation, for me the best approach is to understand the problem a person is dealing with. It can be professional and personal. Hear out the story and suggest a solution if it is in your control, otherwise escalate appropriately. This will ultimately solve the problem in all cases and would provide proper support to the team member struggling.