Your team is struggling to meet deadlines. How can you turn things around?

In my experience, setting clear goals is very important to solve this Look at all ongoing projects and their deadline­s. Find any problems causing delays. Set spe­cific aims for each project. Make sure­ your team knows what needs to be­ done and by when. Divide proje­cts into smaller parts. Assign each part to team me­mbers. Identify the most crucial tasks to do first. Prioritize­ tasks based on how important and urgent they are­. This helps focus on vital tasks and meet ke­y deadlines. Ensure that the team has the resources (time, people, tools, etc.) needed to complete the tasks by the deadlines and within the specified parameters. Make sure that every team member is aware of the goals, deadlines, expectations, and scope of the work.

Setting up clear goals/scope and timelines can solve this issue. Sometimes you need to act/run along with your team members to see why they are failing to understand the full scope early in the project cycle to avoid hiccups later. Assume all scenarios, deliverables, and assumptions very clearly to the project team and clients.

According to the PMBOK guidelines, we should create the product backlog by identifying the deliverable items and then prioritize them with the help of our team members, who are responsible for their execution. Once the prioritization is done, we can then move on to creating a sprint backlog, which includes the items that will be completed in the first step. Also, we can hold a sprint review meeting that helps us review the results weekly or monthly. This approach can reduce the risk of not meeting goals within the specified time frame.

To turn things around when facing deadline struggles, assess the root causes, prioritize tasks, and allocate resources effectively. Re-evaluate deadlines if needed and streamline processes to eliminate inefficiencies. Maintain open communication, provide support to team members, and monitor progress closely. Celebrate achievements along the way and learn from mistakes to prevent similar issues in the future.

If the team is struggling to meet deadlines, then as a Project Manager you'll need to make sure of a couple of things: - Has the scope changed? If so, was it at the Client's request? Then you may have grounds to push the deadlines back or request more finances to have more resources to achieve the deadlines. - Are we burning more than we are earning? i.e. are we doing more than is required on each deliverable? Make sure that the level of detail for the current project phase is clearly understood by the team. - Are we sticking to the scope? i.e. are we providing more documents than quoted and/or required for this stage of the project? Make sure that the document schedule is communicated to everyone on the team.

Develop a comprehensive work breakdown structure based on the project schedule. Meet regularly with all current resources to review the WBS task by task. When tasks are falling behind, adjust resources to compensate. If milestones will not be met, communicate this to project management immediately. The delayed milestone can then be updated in the project schedule, so changes can be made to get the project back on track.

I believe open and honest communation with team will be an encourage ;In parrallel communication with Clint and orher stake holders can result in setting new target dates and more realistic plan .

Before executing any thing planning is the most important aspect which everyone should follow which helps in aligning the things in proper manner and allow you to match all the deadlines by maintaining good quality of work with minimum amount of effort.

Project schedule is the path to the destination. Without the planned schedule is not easy to start and finish the various projects.

Meeting deadlines relies heavily on effective project scheduling. Plan meticulously, considering resources, tasks, dependencies, risks, and milestones. Utilize tools such as Gantt charts, network diagrams, or critical path analysis for visualization. Regularly monitor and update the schedule, tracking progress and promptly reporting deviations or issues to clients and stakeholders ensures timely project completion.

Clear and Frequent Communication: Maintain open channels of communication with team members, clients, and stakeholders. Share information, feedback, and decisions promptly to keep everyone aligned. Use Appropriate Channels and Formats: Choose communication channels and formats that suit the message and audience. Utilize emails, meetings, and collaborative platforms effectively. Establish a Communication Plan: Develop a communication plan outlining the purpose, frequency, audience, and methods of communication for the project. Ensure adherence to the plan throughout the project lifecycle. Resolve Conflicts Promptly: Address conflicts or misunderstandings swiftly to prevent delays or disruptions.

Effective communication is vital in engineering design projects, especially within diverse teams. Maintain clear, frequent communication with team members, clients, and stakeholders, utilizing appropriate channels and formats. Share information, feedback, expectations, and decisions while resolving conflicts or misunderstandings promptly. Establish and adhere to a communication plan outlining the purpose, frequency, audience, and method of communication for the project, ensuring transparency and alignment among all stakeholders.

Actually the communication with a client, design office and your fellow team is effective way to meet the goals. The lead should be taken by a senior in a team who could resolve the issues in a design and implementation stage.

Communication hold the key to success, it makes things go easier. It opens the channel of understanding and to build faith, it allows you to share the positive and negative of every aspect which helps in concluding the tasks on constructive note.

I cant stress too much on "communication is key" in projects. I have seen meetings getting booked but the people that really matters arent invited. I have seen meetings help everyday and everyday is basically the same breakdown. Is it really necessary to have a meeting everyday? I have seen a trail of emails en I got only included in the tail end of the discussion. Just by including the correct people or even a whole team involved from the get go will eliminate uncertainties and miscommunication. For instance a draftsman shouldnt go and ask for a design from a engineer. It should be given befor the asking happens. Department should know what the others need to commence their work.

By tracking resource loading in the project schedule, you can predict when a resource is over booked. It is important to do this so that the required tasks get done by the due dates. Reviewing the work breakdown structure regularly also allows shifting and delegating to avoid project delays.

Delegate tasks according to team members' strengths and workload capacity. Encourage collaboration and teamwork to share ideas and solutions. Provide support and guidance when needed to facilitate smooth progress. Foster a culture of accountability to ensure tasks are completed efficiently. Summary: Delegating tasks wisely and fostering collaboration enables efficient utilization of resources and expertise, promoting teamwork and accountability within the team.

When delegating be aware of shared situational awareness and shared cognition. In good teams everyone has the same understanding of the situation. This helps them make better decisions within the greater project. In really good teams, they know what each other is thinking - shared cognition.

Support is few and far between. And collaboration can be difficult. I habe seen companies being devided in to engineering, process and drawing office. To be a teamplayer you must stand in your teamates shoes. You need to know how your teamates work. You need to know what they need. And you need to know what support and value you can add as a teammate. Get to know all department you deal with. I think Roll swaps for a week will help with this. Swop rolls for 1 week within the devision.

In one of the projects, the capacity of the Elevator was selected as 1.5 Ton. However, per the project requirement only 1 ton capacity would have sufficed the duty. So, one of the engineer was keen to discuss with Client and convivence them to consider only 1 Ton capacity. On the other hand, the Project Manager was not in agreement with that idea considering (1) not significant cost advantage of 1 ton over 1.5 ton elevator (2) the HOLD on construction activities till Client approves the suggestion hence lesser/no work front available to site contractor which would cost more than the cost advantage.

This is likely a result of co-evolution. A very common phenomenon in any design task. Including engineering design tasks. As one tries to solve the design problem, the problem become better understood - and new requirements become evident. This is something that needs to be understood by all involved in any design project. And there should be something in the project plan to account for this nuance of design. If you have stages where you review the design requirements and the nature of the challenge, allowing for new directions and timelines to be implemented, then you can better manage these risks from the onset. If you are sure there will be no need for changes in the project requirements, then it's probably not a design project.

There should be a backup plan. Plan B must be worked out well in advance. Risk & opportunities should be planned, there may be some risks which turns into opportunities.

Scope challenge is a way to make project scope lean, on a tight schedule and fit for purpose. You can spot and challenge hobby horsing and gold plating by applying criteria like costs, proven in use and duration. Often project delays are caused by prototypes and experimenting. Select people to challenge project scope who are not in the project team, and who have experience in the related knowledge and practice areas. Modularize and assign clear accountability for parts of project. Project manager must flag any project scope creep, project spend creep and de-bottleneck in time. Motivate team by recognising performance, capture lessons learnt and best practices. Encourage honesty with mis-steps.

Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies. Remain flexible and adaptive to changes in priorities or project scope. Continuously monitor progress and address any emerging risks promptly. Have contingency plans in place to manage unexpected disruptions effectively. Summary: Proactively managing risks and changes involves identifying, mitigating, and adapting to potential challenges, ensuring smooth progress and minimizing disruptions to the project timeline.

Fast-track where possible. Look into parts of the scope where you can overlap activities without compromising outcomes. This is possible when the Engineering Manager has the experience to identify applicable parts of the scope.

It is best to take a step back to see what is the cause of the issue. The above are various possible action steps but in reality you must first consider if a realistic time schedule was initially anticipated and are the activity relationships accurate. Errors in the initial planning will give a false impression of project status. Doing risk analysis at potential impact of resource conflicts will help you build in necessary float to be able to implement contingency plans.

Identify the hold points, and know the ETA date for the item holding the delivery then change the plan accordingly Discuss with team in detail and explain how to proceed to meet the required target

Is there enough manpower to get the work done? No matter how much talent you have, if deadlines are not getting met (and all other topics reviewed), then check amount of work per person. (I cannot understand why Harold can never meet his weekly task of making 540 unique drawings.) Communicate realistic deadline expectations with upper management! Is the team fatigued from overwork? Keep members focused on their task. Communicate a clear mini-deadline for that single task. Check on it if need be. Throw a pizza party or some other event. Get your peeps motivated and integrated as a team.

From experience the following were carried out .. Identify root causes Improve communication Prioritize tasks Break down task Hold daily morning hurdles Monitor Progress Celebrate little achievements Provide support and resources Address issues quickly Set realistic targets