{"id":17783,"date":"2019-10-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/4-ways-to-open-bottlenecks-and-get-the-most-out-of-your-portfolio\/"},"modified":"2022-04-12T13:26:35","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T18:26:35","slug":"4-ways-to-open-bottlenecks-and-get-the-most-out-of-your-portfolio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/4-ways-to-open-bottlenecks-and-get-the-most-out-of-your-portfolio\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Anyone Have A Bottle Opener? 4 Ways to Open Bottlenecks and Get the Most out of Your Portfolio"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Sometimes reality bites, like really.<\/p>\n

Unwritten reports, endless budget requests, unanswered emails, inboxes overflowing with unanswered emails \u2014 and that\u2019s before you\u2019ve even started your REAL work. If this sounds familiar to you it means that you know what a bottleneck is, because you\u2019ve been one.<\/p>\n

A bottleneck<\/a> occurs when a critical person or stage in the development process receives more requests than it can handle at maximum capacity. This will happen to you when a delivery is dependent on approval from a single point before it can be released.<\/p>\n

You might have seen bottlenecks caused by a scarcity in QA or an overloaded CMO who simply has too much on her plate. Whatever the reason, bottlenecks can be a major headache and are a big reason that PMs aren\u2019t getting the most out of their portfolios.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

At Planview AdaptiveWork, we make it our business to make sure that we\u2019re always in tune with the beating pulse of the market. We\u2019re in constant contact with our clients and prospects so that we can feel their pain and find innovative ways to solve them. Our market feedback has given us insights into why bottlenecks are caused, and what can be done to mitigate their impact.\u00a0 Here are 4 key takeaways:<\/p>\n

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  1. Create a Culture of Teamwork and Collaboration
    \n<\/strong>Building a motivated team is no easy task, but it\u2019s certainly a way to significantly reduce bottlenecks. Oftentimes, bottlenecks happen because of issues that would have been avoided in a more teamwork-oriented culture.For example, when the pressure builds up there is a tendency to overload the \u201cgo to gal\u201d, even when there are newbies on board eager to shine. When the pressure\u2019s on, you want your MVP on the frontline. But this creates bottlenecks because of the overload on that one individual. She simply cannot take care of everything on time, even if she\u2019s in the office at the crack of dawn and eating lunch (and breakfast) at her desk.Behind the scene challenges like internal politics and interpersonal issues also cause bottlenecks. When personal problems between two coworkers get to the point that they trump the best interest of the organization, processes can be delayed simply out of spite and maliciousness.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. Remove Barriers to Communication
      \n<\/strong>There is nothing more frustrating than completing your work only to discover that what you thought was the latest version is no longer relevant. Processes get delayed while the correct version is located and the work updated, creating bottlenecks and even delaying delivery.Misplaced assets and miscommunication between different teams and department \u2014 and the bottlenecks they create \u2014 can be avoided by reducing inter-departmental silos and building better lines of communication.In some cases, these silos are created because of communication issues between the more experienced team members and those with less experience. Experienced staff naturally gravitate towards likeminded team members who can keep up with them and understand their lingo.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. Reduce Formal Hierarchy
        \n<\/strong>People just don\u2019t know how to say no to requests from authority. Even the most harried member of your team would find it difficult to say no to a direct request from a bigwig above her pay scale. In the best of cases, this makes for a frustrated, burnt-out employee, but in other cases this overwhelms a critical process, building up bottlenecks that negatively impact your portfolio.Cohesive and productive teams can find themselves overwhelmed if formal lines of hierarchy aren\u2019t reduced, or even stamped out completely. Encouraging a         bottom-up approach<\/a> to management and planning doesn\u2019t just build morale and improve productivity<\/a>, it also stops bottlenecks before they can even form.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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        1. Automate Workflows with Project Management Software
          \n<\/strong>There are plenty of software solutions out there that can help teams reduce bottlenecks by giving them the tools to manage processes better. But sometimes even when you have a solution in place bottlenecks can still be formed, usually because of employee resistance to change. Here are a couple of examples from the Roundtable:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n