Good managers are both task-orientated and relationship-orientated. How does Lisa exemplify a 'good manager'?

Lisa is an experienced project manager who works at a software development company called InnoTech. Lisa has just finished work on successfully managing the development of a new mobile app the company has called "ConnectUs." The app's purpose is to streamline communication and collaboration among a client organisation's teams who work remotely.

Lisa started by developing a detailed project plan. The plan involved defining the app's desired features, setting milestones for design and development, and allocating resources like programmers, designers, and testers. Lisa also identified potential bottlenecks and established strategies to mitigate them. Lisa next assembled three teams comprised of software engineers, UX ('user experience') and UI ('user interface') designers, and quality assurance testers. Lisa allocated budget, time, and personnel to each team and the overall project. Lisa also established a project coordinator position which reported directly to her. Each team member's role was carefully tailored to their strengths, and Lisa instructed the project coordinator to schedule regular meetings to ensure everyone understood their tasks and responsibilities. The team members were impressed by Lisa's command of the technical detail and her commitment to the project.

Lisa encouraged performance by inspiring the team with a project vision and her expectations for the product. Lisa also made it clear that she wanted and expected open dialogue between the teams and all their members. For her part, Lisa worked hard to foster an environment where team members felt comfortable sharing ideas and seeking guidance, and she offered regular feedback to keep motivation high. Lisa was very conscious about making herself approachable and accessible to all the teams by being present around the office and workspaces, keeping her office door open and being available to answer questions or concerns. As a result, Lisa quickly gained a reputation amongst her teams for being trustworthy and professional.

One of Lisa's main concerns was to make sure that the teams didn't operate in silos, and she orchestrated collaboration between the various teams and its members. She organised weekly cross-functional meetings to ensure that the design aligned with the software development; that the testing aligned with the design changes; and that the project remained on track and within budget. In this way, Lisa acted as a bridge between the different teams to ensure that the designers' creative concepts were understood and effectively implemented by the developers which was then subjected to rigorous testing for quality.

Through the project coordinator, Lisa monitored the project's progress using key performance indicators (KPIs) like code development speed, bug discovery rate, and user feedback. If a KPI veered off course, she quickly intervened by reallocating resources or adjusting the project timeline before things got out of control. Lisa was also conscious of keeping the teams aware of their progress, so she fed back the progress through email updates and face-to-face presentations. These reports were also disseminated to key stakeholders within the organisation to keep them informed and give them confidence in the success of the project.

Challenges were inevitable, but Lisa's ability to analyse problems from different angles and find innovative solutions kept the project on track. For example, when the testing phase revealed unexpected glitches in the user interface, Lisa led the team in brainstorming solutions and prioritising fixes to keep the project moving forward. Lisa was also prepared to be flexible, adaptable, and compassionate. When the design phase required additional resources, Lisa quickly made the necessary adjustments while keeping the project's overall objectives in mind. When one of the team suffered a family emergency, she gave them additional time off and picked up the person's work herself.

Throughout these difficult times, Lisa constantly reminded the teams about the great product they were working on and how much progress they had made. She emphasised the project vision and how all the team members were doing important work that was going to make a positive difference to their clients' business. Lisa's enthusiasm for the project and the work was infectious. Despite the challenges and the long hours required to find solutions, the morale and motivation of the teams remained high.

Lisa's adept application of the various management functions, roles, and characteristics ensured the smooth development of the "ConnectUs" app. Lisa's management style directly contributed to the successful completion of the project, enhancing InnoTech's reputation and strengthening its position as a market leader.