Are you Project Manager or Coordinator?

Project Manager
Project managers are by nature must execute the projects efficiently and effectively. They are the ones who make sure to balance the interests of both internal and external stakeholders. Also, they must learn to know the importance of the changes of client’s requirements and address their changing needs and manage them. Finally they must make sure that the basic goal of project is achieved i.e. Keep the balance of Scope; Cost and Timelines are all in sync.

Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator generally makes sure that the project runs smoothly based on the plan drawn / supplies to him. They are the ones who make sure that the organizational process is followed in the project. They generally take care of the interests of the internal stake holders and not bothered about the external stake holders.

In Brief, in Indian scenario, most of the so called Project Managers are actually coordinators. This is because most of the time the designated project managers are tightly controlled by the management teams. If the management is matured enough in understanding the importance of the client’s need, they encourage the Managers else, you will end up as a coordinator.

Travel and Hospitality Practice Strategy

Introduction:
Travel industry is on the rapid growth path now after the recent economic slowdown that disturbed all the industries across the world.

According to the US Travel associations forecast, Total Domestic (USA) Person-Trips (Millions) will increase from 1901 in the year 2009 to a healthy 2091 Total Domestic Person-Trips (Millions) in the year 2013.

Total international arrivals in 2009 are standing at 880 million persons and the expenditure is standing at 887 billion USD.

The expenditure on the USA domestic travel will increase from 704 billions USD in 2009 to 902 billions USD in 2013 and the international expenditure will increase from 887 billions USD in 2009 to around 910 billions USD in 2013.

Travel and hospitality companies are now gearing up to increase their investments to meet the demands and to grow their business.

The service providers of this rapid growth Travel and Hospitality industry are poised to grab a big bite of the spending from this growing industry.

Currently there are numerous service providers in the industry who are serving the Travel and Hospitality industry and there is no clear edge for any service player.

Now the question is on to how to differentiate your self from all other service providers.

Currently many service providers are responding to the single piece of work and are not having the vision to become the complete offerings service provider.

There is a great deal of opportunities if we think out of box and this will easily leads to out performing the other players in the service provider sector of travel industry.

Travel companies across the world are seeing rapid growth in their business and wanted to be competitive and just concentrate on their core business of selling their products, design new products and take the new products to the market fast.

In this scenario, travel companies are ready to out source their complete IT departments to the service providers.

The travel companies in the above said perspective are looking for the IT partners who can take these responsibilities.

Current trends

What is that travel companies are looking at their IT partners?

1. Very good technical expertise to help them in taking to the market on the new products.
2. Help them in identifying the current trends in the market and come out with a product that caters to the change in the trends in the market.
3. Do the complete BPR (Business Process Outsourcing) to increase the efficiency of the current operations to improve the ROI
4. Take care of the complete IT operations in order for them to concentrate on the core business. 5. Integration with Social media. According to USA Today, nearly half of U.S. adults using social networking sites, expect more time-sensitive "flash sales" offered via Facebook or Twitter, more real-time postings of travel experiences, and faster response from companies and institutions fearful that negative opinions will go viral.

What should be the strategy of IT companies?

1. Have the industry experts in the advisory board.
2. Have Consultants who can study the existing business and come out with the analysis as is and how it should be tomorrow. For example with more than 300 million people traveling each year for religious and pilgrimage reasons and with annual revenues that exceed $18 billion, faith tourism has become a significant global industry that extends from cruises to volunteer vacations.
3. Take over the knowledge and implement IT systems that improve the efficiency of business.
4. Seeing believes. Have a test IT infrastructure and Web site to show case the IT capabilities faster. For example all the GDS systems provide test beds to the developer community. So build a web portal to book rooms, air and Cruise. Do a dynamic packaging engine, Yield management, PMS, Accounting, Marketing, and EMS also.
5. Show casing the technology capabilities by building a Server farms, Web farms and DRBC also. Web 2.0 or Travel 2.0 in terms of end user facing capabilities.
6. Becoming the members of the travel associations of the respective countries will provide access to the invaluable data in exploring the business. For example US Travel association membership will provide a platform to know the trends and also a chance to network while exploring the new business.

Top Ten Things Heard on Successful Projects

You know you have good PMs when you hear these words come out of their mouths.

10. "Bad news does not get better with time"
Early warning on projects drives successful projects. By raising the awareness of a problem early, the team has an opportunity to methodically address the issue, before it forces them into crisis mode. Not raising the issue early causes a double whammy: 1) The problem usually gets worse with time, and 2) the team has less time in the project schedule to recover.

9. "Let me check the project plan to understand the ripple effect of this issue"
A good PM does not just create a detailed project plan, but uses it as his guide. I am continually amazed at the number of PM's who use the project plan more as a checklist, rather than a planning tool. As changes or issues arise, a good PM will use the plan to identify areas of concern down the line, and then consult appropriate team members for mitigation steps.

8. "I need some help"
I spoke with a PM who managed a large project that significantly missed its delivery date. During a post mortem review to examine the key issues, it was evident that the project had been in trouble for quite some time, but the issue was never raised. When asked why he didn't request assistance, the team lead replied that he didn't want it to look like he couldn't manage the project. Ironically, the events that unfolded proved out his fear, and his inaction contributed to the project failure. Had he come early to management with data and facts showing the need for support, he would have delivered a successful project and been hailed as a genius.

7. "What are the data and facts regarding the issue?"
Have you ever had someone escalate an issue without fully understanding the problem? Sometimes the size or the timing of a problem can cause a swell of emotion and lead the team to a "sky is falling" mentality. While intentions are good, it can often lead to loss of focus on the project, solving the "wrong" problem, or creating overly complex solutions which may not be warranted. When an issue arises, the PM must get a clear and concise understanding of the issue based on real data and facts. That is the only way the problem can objectively be resolved with the appropriate level of attention.

6. "Trust, but verify"
Ronald Reagan first made this quote famous, referring to the dismantling of nuclear arms with the Soviets. These words hold true in other areas of leadership as well. The PM needs to trust his or her teammates and know that they are capable and knowledgeable in the areas they represent. However, blind trust is a recipe for disaster. It should not be considered an insult or demeaning for a PM to question, challenge, or review the work from the team members. This raises the knowledge base of the whole team and improves the overall quality of the project.

5. "Let me explain why this project is important to our customer."
Sometimes a team can get lost in the details of their work on the project, and forget why they are doing it or the value of their tasks. By ensuring everyone understands the business impact of their effort, the leader builds a stronger, more cohesive team with common goals. This also drives the team with a single focus.

4. "What can we do now, to prevent a problem in the future?"
I see this as the definition of risk mitigation. The team should continually be looking forward on their project and preparing now to AVOID problems in the future, rather than to react to problems when they occur. It is significantly easier to address potential problems when the team is planning than when it is implementing.

3. "Don't tell me why it can't be done; tell me what it takes to get it done!"
When responding with reasons why something cannot be done, the team is unintentionally placing restrictions on their problem solving. The thought process is clouded by perceived constraints, such as resource, time, tools, or assumptions. By asking what it takes to get it done, the PM is driving a solution-based approach to problem solving. This method removes the self imposed constraints, and often provides for solutions not previously addressed. In the very least, it provides perspective of cost-benefit for the solution, and allows for an objective decision regarding feasibility.

2. "Let's prioritize our key issues"
True project leaders know where to focus their efforts and the efforts of the team. It is critical that the team understand the top issues and work to resolve them first. Frequently, team members can get into a mode of solving easy or familiar issues first, which may or may not be the most vital to the project success. Although at an individual level, they feel like they are accomplishing a lot, the critical project issues may be not getting the proper attention.

And the number one quote heard on successful projects......

1. "A little Paranoia is a GOOD thing"
I am always worried when someone says they are not worried. Without a little paranoia, it is easy for a leader to get complacent when things are going well, and loose focus on preventing things that could go wrong. By maintaining a healthy dose of paranoia, a great PM will continually verify that all is well, and identify any potential issues early.

Courtesy: Rick Klemm