Senior Project Manager Mock Interview
Master 77 Senior Project Manager interview questions covering stakeholder management, risk mitigation, and delivery strategy.
Question 11 of 77
What steps do you take when it becomes clear your team is behind on a project?
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Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
At-risk projects are a common assignment for senior project managers. Interviewers ask this question to learn more about how a candidate plans to handle this common project risk scenario.
Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
Remember to include a process of identifying the root cause of the delay. It is important to develop an adjustment strategy that matches the unique variables involved.
Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
"I would first deploy a method to get to the bottom of why we were behind as a team. I have used various root cause analysis methods and frequently lean on the 5 Whys method.
Once I identified the cause of the delay, I would work with my team to develop a strategy to address it. If there were performance issues, I would assign mentors and ask that they spend extra time leading those who need help. If a stakeholder or client was behind on their responsibilities, I would talk with them about the impact of their actions and develop a way forward. These actions usually correct the issue, and my teams get back on track quickly.
If the delay was outside my control, I would be transparent with my client or stakeholder. I would ensure them that the team would work to complete the most valuable pieces of the project on time and determine if there was an opportunity to remove anything unnecessary from the scope. I would also offer relevant updates to the delivery date as needed."
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