If you are new to project management, it is easy to say "yes" to every prospect which comes your way. But learning to spot those deals which should be closed and those which should be avoided is where the psychological aspect of project management steps in. The concept behind deciding if a project is worth pursuing is found within the behaviour of prospective clients. Therefore, monitoring those early tell-tale signs could prevent you from taking on a project which spells 'disaster' from the outset.

People always call it 'luck' when you act more wisely than them: The best project managers are those who appear to sail through projects and have more work that they can cope with. These are the ones who have learned the art of being analytical of the jobs they accept. When you take on a project, you commit yourself to a team who will become a part of your working week for the foreseeable future. Therefore, it is important that they will not become a living nightmare.

The winds and the waves will always be on the side of the best navigators: Deciding which projects to accept or decline is something which should not be taken lightly. Even if your bank balance could really do with the extra cash, taking on a prospect without thoroughly looking into demands and expectations expected of you could make that extra cash seem less important when you weigh up the stress involved.

The best project managers (PM) find that negotiating a contract should be a straightforward process. If the prospect continually asks for sections to be re-negotiated or indicates that they would like project plans updated even before work has begun, red flags should be flying. If prospectors seem nit-picky and have a tendency to scrutinize every paragraph, it is likely that they will carry these traits into the project, especially if these are the people with whom you will be working with.

Watch out for prospects that are likely to analyse every step with a fine-tooth comb, looking for flaws. Some of their decisions may even need the approval of stake holders which can eat into time. Although, there is nothing wrong with paying meticulous attention to detail, in many cases a company that prefers to 'design by committee" may be playing too safe for comfort and hence water down plans which were once solid and structured.

If you suspect that you may be dealing with a contract scrutinizer, you need to evaluate the following points:

Ensure that the contract is bulletproof. This means working alongside a lawyer to check that every clause and condition has been addressed. Do not leave room for a prospector to question or raise points as this will only slow things down.

Ensure that the contract has plenty of leeway so as you can integrate any revisionary work/iteration along the way. This can save you valuable time during the negotiation stage. If the prospect appears to be consistently hesitant and is obsessed with revising the contract, make it a point to discover why he is acting in such a way. Maybe he had a bad experience with a former vendor and is taking preliminary precautions to ensure that the same thing does not happen again. By asking questions, you can get to the root of their indecisiveness and move things along.

The A Team: It is important to know how many people will be working with you on major aspects of the project. If the numbers rise above three, heed caution. A large project team, especially one where everyone has been allowed to provide input, will lead to confusion, disagreement and diluted results. Time lines will extend as different points of view will have to be evaluated and followed up with feedback. In some instances, this can cause progression to grind to a halt.

If your time is too big for their boots, there are two ways that this problem can be approached: Explain to the client that you prefer to work with no more than three major decision makers and that you are happy to invite all stakeholders to your first presentation which will cover all of the major milestones. This way you can avoid having to go into the finer details of your work. There is nothing worse than high-flying stakeholders spotting something they are not happy with when you are halfway through a project, especially if time is not on your side.

Explain that having a lot of people with direct input equates to higher project cost as more people have to be paid. It also means that PM's will spend more time having to sift through feedback and organize large groups.

A project is a cup to be filled not drained: One way to get a handle on your prospect's vision and expectations is to create a questionnaire. Some may grimace at the thought of having to wade through blocks of questions but a questionnaire is a valuable way to gain insight into the psyche of your prospect.

By analysing the information received, you can identify signs which could set alarm bells ringing. For example, questions which have been left unanswered or have only been elaborated with one or two word responses show that the prospect is either too busy or otherwise occupied. It could even suggest that he does not understand the question. In contrast, questions which have been answered with thought, constructed verbosely and go into great detail indicate a complete understanding and dedication to the project as a whole.

If you sense a lot of head scratching from the prospect, try the following:

Explain that it is customary for you to present a questionnaire. If the client does not seem too keen on the idea, ask him as many questions as you can either face to face, or on the phone. People are more likely to be open and honest in a one to one conversation and it is easier to judge the tone and attitude of someone who is talking to you directly. This will help in deciding if this is the type of person you would like to deal with. For example, someone who is serious and rigid may not gel with a person that is light-hearted and humorous.

Make sure that you both understand the requirements of the project. It is useless to state that you need to design a form for say, donations. If you need to design such a document you need to know why and what purpose it will have. Where will donations come from? What form of payment will be accepted? Will you need to set up payment processing? Will the form need to be validated? All of these points have to be addressed when evaluating time and costs.

A sum of all your choices: Be particularly wary of clients who want everything to be up and running yesterday. If the prospect is pressing you for a completion date which will cut your time line in half, he could be trying to pip a competitor to the post or may be under pressure from someone higher up the corporate ladder that is pushing for an unrealistic date. This is usually someone who has very little knowledge of the work involved. If the time line is too tight and you have other projects to contend with, think seriously before agreeing to anything.

Another pressure cooker to look out for is clients demanding a return call to discuss a prospective opportunity. The sense of urgency could spill into a project and you may see unrealistic deadlines popping up along the way. If you sense a prospector with the jitters you could try the following:

Make him a strong cup of camomile tea and explain that rushed decisions can lead to poor results and often lengthen a project due to the fact that there is room for error which could prove costly. You might also want to conjure up a vision of burning the midnight oil as you spend the foreseeable future working till 4am seven days a week!
If the work seems easy enough to complete and you don't mind missing out on the kids growing up for a month or two, ensure that you 'up your rates'. This is your time which will be sacrificed so make sure that it is duly compensated for.

THE DISAPPEARING ACT: Some small companies have a manager who may appear to be peripherally engaged. As a result, the boss' team may be responsible for the day to day management and approval of a project. Don't believe all you hear and insist on speaking to the manager. The last thing you want is to find out that he disagrees with a decision when you are happily ploughing through the second stage of design comps. If the boss only makes a brief appearance or has handed over all responsibility to his team, try the following:
Insist on meeting him straight away so as you can be assured that all milestones have been approved. Find out which methods of communication he prefers and keep in constant touch every step of the way.

Try to paint a picture of how the design will look so as the manager is under no doubt as to what can be expected. Some rough design work, examples and explanations can do wonders for spicing up an idea and bringing it into fruition.

Keep these ideas in mind when evaluating a new project and you can avoid those engagements which leave you pulling your hair out. Make project management enjoyable and reap the rewards instead of the heartache. You could even add to this list by recording some of the warning signs you have discovered by trial and error. Follow them up with strategies to remedy the situation.