PPM 315: Conflict

Management in Projects

Lecture: Project Teams

and Project Conflict
Conflict and Project Management
 Conflict is inevitable; PM should expect conflict

 PM can anticipate and avoid some conflicts;

others must be managed and resolved

 PM can learn different approaches for managing

and resolving conflict; it’s a learned skill

 Fast conflict resolution is key to project success

2
 Effective Communication
 The PM controls the project communication
system
 All parties should be kept updated about their
areas of interest with the project
 Email, phone calls, faxes, meetings, letters, and
websites are all useful means of communication
 By facilitating effective communication with
stakeholders and participants, the PM can avoid
many conflicts

3
 Common Sources of Conflict
 Work scope
 Resource assignments
 Schedule
 Costs
 Technical opinions
 Priorities of resource time
 Administrative procedures
 Responsibilities
 Personality clashes

4
 Scope Creep
 Scope creep refers to the work scope being
enlarged as the project progresses

 Scope creep can cause conflicts due to

insufficient resources or time to do the additional
work

 PM should be cautious about scope creep

 A change control system can be helpful

5
 Reasons for Scope Creep
 Client wants a different feature or additional
functionality
 Project team comes up with a way to improve
the project outcomes
 Senior management wants the project to do
something extra
 Engineering enhances a design component
 A new technology becomes available
 A new government regulation is mandated

6
 Root Cause of Conflict
 The PM has final responsibility to resolve or
manage any conflict that affects project success.
 The PM should focus on identifying the root
cause of the conflict and not the symptoms, so
the conflict will not recur.
 For example, suppose two people are yelling at
each other during a meeting. Asking them to not
yell fixes the symptom, but not the root cause of
the conflict, which may be a difference of opinion
about an issue due to different assumptions
being made by each person.
7
 Some Root Causes of Conflict
 Facts: People see the same fact from distinctly
different viewpoints
 Methods: People disagree on how to do
something
 Goals: The goals toward which people work are
different
 Values: People differ in their basic values

8
Functional vs. Dysfunctional Conflict
 Encourage Functional Conflict
 sharing different opinions or points of view
 debating two sides of an issue
 playing the devil’s advocate
 all sides should show mutual respect
 Resolve Dysfunctional Conflict
 may create negative tension for all team members
 may lead to irrational personality clashes
 situation may get worse and result in project delay
 resolve as soon as possible
9
Managing Dysfunctional Conflict
 5 Alternative Approaches to Managing Conflict:
 Mediate the conflict – negotiate a solution
– emphasize urgency for the sake of project success
 Arbitrate the conflict – impose a solution
– do what is best for project success
– try to allow both sides to save face
 Control the conflict – reduce tensions; How?
 Accept it – sometimes, learn to work around it
 Eliminate the conflict – if no longer tolerable
– remove one or both members from team
10
 Personal Conflict Management
Styles
 Avoiding – not raising or addressing the conflict issue
 Accommodating – seeking to satisfy the other person’s
concerns at the expense of your own
 Competing – using whatever seems appropriate to win
your own position
 Collaborating – working with the other person to find a
solution that fully satisfies both your own concerns and
those of the other person
 Compromising – seeking a middle-ground position that
provides partial satisfaction for both parties

11