• Confirm with vendors the terms of any outstanding quotes or pricing they’ve provided to you. Most proposals include expiration dates, but if you have an idea when your project will be reactivated, you may be able to get them to agree to an extension. Remember, though, that market prices could shift in the interim, locking you into a deal that’s less attractive later.

• Determine your obligations and options under any contracts you’ve already signed. Follow the contract’s provisions if you need to terminate or change existing agreements, or contact the other party to discuss the possibility of extending the contract or otherwise modifying its terms.

• Be especially diligent when gathering and storing documentation. If it’s likely your project will sit for an extended period of time, you’ll have a harder time remembering details that aren’t documented. Make additional notes on discussions that hadn’t been concluded or negotiations that were still in progress if necessary, in order to minimize the time needed to restart your project.

• Work with your information retention team to ensure that project materials are covered under the correct review/destruction schedule. Depending on the nature of the project and how long it’s expected to be on hiatus, your organization may want to amend or suspend its retention timeframe.

• Notify stakeholders of the change in plans, and provide them with as much information as is appropriate. Remember to set reasonable expectations about when your project is likely to restart, and keep them informed as the date approaches.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.

Play up the strength of new hires. Any time you bring in new talent, it’s important to notify potential stakeholders of your group’s expanded capabilities. Filling a critical skill gap and introducing much-needed expertise in a particular niche are great excuses to tout the improved strength of your team. Include information about your new member’s acumen in reducing expenses and streamlining operations whenever possible.

Acknowledge new certifications or degrees. Achieving a certification, degree, or new professional designation is a significant milestone, and one you should be sharing with others in the company. Consider sending an e-mail to the senior staff announcing the news, and encourage your team members to update their e-mail signatures to include the new info.

Give training of your own. This may sound counterproductive, but by sharing some of your team’s expertise with others in your company, you’ll gain more respect for the breadth and depth of your abilities. Basic project management techniques can be helpful to others in daily task planning as well as in managing small projects that don’t merit the full support of your PMO.

Share your PMO’s pipeline. This may not be appropriate in all environments, but releasing an overview of projects that are pending approval gives the rest of the company a better idea of the efforts you’re putting in behind the scenes. Be careful not to divulge any sensitive data, and post the information in a place where only employees and/or select business partners will see it.

PMAlliance uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project office development services.