Mar 5 2020

Herding Cats: Some Timeless Advice for Project Management

The way to success is… First, have a definite, clear, practical idea – a goal, and objective Second, have the necessary mens to achieve your ends – wisdom, material, and methods Third, adjust your means to that end – Aristotle…
— Read on herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2020/03/some-timeless-advice.html

Mar 4 2020

Project Management Skills for the modern economy

Skills we need to work on
In the new world of project management, the below skills are becoming ever more important—and we really need to hone them:

  • Chairing virtual meetings – It will become the norm that one or more team members are remote and participate in the project virtually. This requires special team skills.
  • Communication – Communication in virtual meetings and multicultural environments takes a whole different level of skill. You need to communicate without seeing the participants or without really knowing the different cultures. And you need to be able to pick up cues without having the advantage of seeing body language. Language barriers may become real, and if you have several people participating in a language not in their mother tongue, they may have problems understanding difficult concepts.
  • People skills – With the new developments, we will need to be ever more sensitive to how we treat people, how we keep them motivated and how we defuse critical situations. Emotional intelligence will gain ever more importance
  • Conflict resolution – The more different cultures involved and the more complex projects become, the more likely conflicts can arise. Leadership skills in this area will help prevent and defuse conflicts.
  • Working in multicultural environments – You need to be extra considerate with how you talk. You need to try and understand what is acceptable in different cultures even in terms of dress code, work arrangements, resource pairing, etc. Different cultures keep different holidays and eat different food. (Yes, these things are important in your team management.) Read my article Finding success in multicultural teams for more.
  • Emotional intelligence – This has two parts:
    • understanding yourself, and how you react in good times and in conflict
    • understanding others in the same way
  • Team-building skills – Project teams will be ever more complex—and therefore have ever more subject matter experts from all different industries involved. It will be up to the project manager to pull these diverse individuals together to form a cohesive team that can perform at its best.
  • True leadership – Bringing out the best in each team member. As projects become more complex, it will be more and more important to bring out the best in your team. As project manager, you need to spend ample time with each team member to nurture them to their best performance.
  • Adapting processes to the project need – As we move away from fixed project processes, project managers will need to learn how to adapt processes to each project’s needs while remaining in the framework of the company.
  • Digital skills – Don’t wait for anyone to teach you. Embrace the digital tools you are given; learn as much about them as possible, and learn to use them to your advantage. Most software has learning videos, and you find a host of videos on YouTube. Teach yourself. You will be the champion of these tools for your team. Show it how it can use the tool to its advantage.
  • Agile methodologies – These will become part of your life. In the project economy, you will find more and more hybrid project in which parts are done/have to be done with an agile approach. You need to prepare yourself and be ready for it.
  • Be a role model. Show team members what you expect from them in terms of commitment and time keeping, etc.
  • Encourage a shared vision for the project to get complete buy-in and commitment from all.
  • Challenge the process and find the most effective process for the project (PMI calls it “from frameworks to whatever works”)
  • Enable your team; ensure that all the resources and machinery they need is there in the required quality.
  • Encourage the heart. Be sure your team members know that you appreciate them. Let your superiors know who excelled and take responsibility for any failure. Look for a budget to celebrate small victories. It does not need to be expensive; even a cup of tea and a bag of potato chips together can do the trick if shared together with the right spirit.

Every project manager will need to be a very flexible “people’s person” who can think on their feet—and be willing to really get involved with their team by shaping, encouraging and motivating them.

Content taken from a projectmanagement.com article.

Feb 15 2016

Benefits of contracting through a Ltd. company

According to  Companies House, limited companies are the most popular type of incorporated structure in the UK and the preferred option for many contractors, as opposed to an umbrella alternative. In the UK, a significant percentage of contractors work via their own limited company as it offers many benefits that are both financially and emotionally rewarding.

If you are a UK contractor, here are just 6 reasons why you should consider setting up a limited company today and, if you are not using one, why you should contact us here at Associate Services:

1. Simple to set up
Setting up a limited company is quick and easy to do. You can apply directly via Companies House, or through an intermediary like Associate Services, where set up is free of charge and can be completed on the same day. If you are new to contracting, or you would prefer professional help with the incorporation process, we can do all the leg work whilst you concentrate on your contractor workload.

2. Higher take home pay
One of the main advantages to contracting through a limited company is that you can take home a higher percentage of your income or turnover, typically around 70 – 80 % and some cases more like 83%. When you work so hard, it’s nice to know there are ways you can maximise the rewards. Operating under a limited company gives you the opportunity to keep that extra monthly income without being aggressive in your planning.

3. Claim on a wider range of expenses
Another benefit of setting up a limited company is that you can claim on a wider range of expenses. Again, this helps you to retain more of your income which you can use to treat yourself to a well-earned break. We can help you to determine the business expenses you’re allowed to claim so that you’re not paying more tax than necessary.

4. Control of your Business
Setting up a limited company means that you retain control over your financial affairs and also the day-to-day running of your business, which appeals to many contractors or self-employed individuals. As the Director, you will have responsibility for running the company and this allows you to have complete oversight on your income and expenditure whilst considering all tax planning opportunities that are based on expanding on standard accounting principles.

5. Gives you more credibility
Some companies prefer not to deal with non-limited business and so they avoid sole-traders or umbrella company formations. Often operating as a limited company will give suppliers and customer more confidence in your personal and professional ability to carry out the work efficiently and with the likes of engaging with various recruitment agencies means you don’t have to be concerned over ‘Preferred Suppliers Lists’

6. Opportunity for tax planning
Setting up a limited company provides many more opportunities for tax planning, allowing you to be proactive when it comes to how much tax to pay. We all want to reduce the amount of tax we pay on our hard-earned cash and the ability to manage our tax affairs remains a key reason for contracting through a limited company.

Setting up a limited company is much more financially rewarding compared with working through an umbrella company. However, it requires a great deal of administration to meet regulatory requirements and a thorough understanding of how to attain all the financial advantages available.