Resolve Project Conflict

You need to face conflict and not ignore it, as ignoring it only makes the problem worse. The earlier you face it, the easier it will be to resolve.

Here are some examples of conflict you might experience on projects:
• Your boss is frustrated with progress and takes it out on you openly, in front of others in your team.
• Your colleague wants something from you that you can't give them, or can't do for them within the timeframe required so they get angry.
• Your staff think you're being unrealistic about timeframes, so they handle it badly by raising their voice and being obstructive.

When conflict occurs, take these steps:
• Time out: If the other person is getting heated, tell them you need to take five minutes to collect your thoughts. Then make a coffee or go for a walk. This will help you both to calm down and reflect on what has happened.
• A pacifier: When you restart your conversation, start with "I know that you're under pressure because of... " This will pacify them a little and will make the atmosphere more positive.
• Problem solving: Then agree that a problem exists and that you both need to work together to resolve it constructively. Discuss the various solutions to the problem and try to agree on the pros and cons of each before deciding on the best course of action.
• Body language: While all this is happening, you need to focus on your body language. Use open stances. Take your hands out of your pockets and never fold your arms. Try and use slow hand movements. Use a passive voice and don't show emotion. Maintain good eye contact. Listen carefully and watch their body language as well.
• A mediator: If the above steps are going poorly, then you need to get someone else involved who can help mediate informally. Tell them you'd like to add a colleague to the conversation as they will have ideas for a solution. Then invite someone who is a good problem solver, whom you trust.
• Giving feedback: When the conversation becomes a little more relaxed, it's time to give the person some constructive feedback. Let them know how you would like them to deal with you next time a similar issue comes up. Only by giving positive constructive feedback, can you change their behaviour.

Decision Making

Steps to Improve Decision Making abilities:

Investigate the Problem

When a problem is presented to you, take the first step by spending the time needed to identify its root cause and make sure it's not just a symptom of another underlying problem. Project problems are usually related to people, processes, equipment or materials. Find out when, why and how it occurred and its impact on the project.

Prioritize it

On projects, problems occur all the time. You need to determine whether each problem needs your urgent attention or not, based on its impact on the project. If it's high impact (e.g. it's preventing your team from working) then it's "high priority" and you need to stop work and get it resolved quickly.

Identify the Solutions

With a clear understanding of the problem and its priority level, you need to identify solutions to address it. Use different techniques available to find the solutions. Then review each alternative to determine whether it actually:
· Solves the root cause of the problem
· Is easy and practical to implement
· Will prevent the problem from re-occurring

Make your decision

Now you have all of the information you need to make your decision. Don't make your decisions too hastily. Take time out of your day to carefully consider all of the pros and cons. Go for a walk, or if it's really important sleep on it so you have a clear head when deciding. Make non-important decisions quickly, but take a little more time when making decisions which are critical to the success of the project

Implement the decision

Once you have thought it through and made your decision, you need to be fully committed to implementing it . Act on it immediately by telling your team about it and then scheduling the tasks needed to make it happen. Remember , every probelm affects your project in some way, so you need to act quickely once you have decided on what to do.

If you follow these steps for every decision you have to make, then you'll make better decisions, faster. And you'll feel good about it.