Tell me about a time you have managed a risk & how you have approached this.
Tell me about your management style
Why do you want this role?
What is your perception of end to end project management?
Describe the key differences between a TPL and a PM
How would you deal with a reduction in timeline for 2 high priority tasks.
Tell me about a time you have failed/ done something wrong and what you have learnt form this experience
Tell me about a time you have dealt with difficult stakeholders
Tell me about a time you have resolved conflict within the workplace
What are your main development areas?
Tell me about yourself and your CV
Tell me how you would approach an unexpected timeline reduction
Tell me how you would work to maintain motivation within the team
Tell me about a time you have taken ownership within the workplace
Tell me about a time when you have shown CARE
Tell me about a time you have been creative within the work place
Tell me about a time you have faced a challenged, bounced back/ what have you learnt from this?
Tell me about a time you have worked with difficult stakeholders
- During my previous role as TPL for Dettol Triggers, I was managing implementation of project Cinderella (EXPLAIN). One of the key stakeholder groups, a representative of the legal team, was resistant to the implementation of new claims as they were unsure whether the claims will lead to unrealistic expectations within the consumer & therefore customer dissatisfaction.
- These claims were important to achieve as marketing believe they will increase purchasing power.
TASK: My responsibility was to manage their concerns by using the technical data to show the claims were feasible & realistic. That they will increase purchases but won’t lead to customer dissatisfaction. Ultimately influencing the legal team to move forward with the claims marketing have suggested and R&D have tested.
‘Superior cleaning, less effort’
‘Removes up to 100% of grease and soapscum’
ACTION: I scheduled meetings with the legal team to understand their pain points and demonstrate how the technical results address any concerns they have & prove that the targets can be met time & time again. I maintained transparent communication as further testing continued and shared progress updates.
RESULT:
By the time of finalising the PDC documentation, legal were aligned with the claims suggested by marketing & had become advocates for using the 100% claim.
We finalised the PDC documentation as per the project timeline & were then able to move on to final testing on time.
Tell me about a time when you have worked to main motivation within a team
- I think motivation is often linked to autonomy in the workplace. Although we are working towards a shared goal – that being successful project delivery – we need to ensure that each individual sees the benefit of their overall workload to the end result of the project. This will help them to push forward and progress with daily tasks.
- Previously we have regularly discussed ‘wins of the week’ with the group. This gives the chance for individuals to really recognise their weekly successes & also challenges they faced. Helps with teamwork as others can suggests ways to help with any challenges.
- I feel I played a key role in motivating my team during the restructure. Extremely challenging time & often difficult to focus on the workload. Morale was understandably low and productivity began to dip because people were uncertain about their future and the project’s value. Meanwhile they also didn’t necessarily feel individually valued by the company.
TASK: I needed to keep the team focused and so focused on key, short-term milestones that we could deliver & feel successful about despite the uncertainty.
ACTION: I tried to reconnect the team with the bigger picture. I acknowledged the situation honestly & could relate with how people felt. But I encouraged others by highlighting how our work directly contributes to the companys future direction. And how our individual experience and successes will help us strive in other areas of the business & in interviews for new roles.
By involving everyone in problem-solving & decision making, people began to feel a renewed sense of ownership & pride in their work.
RESULT: Despite difficult circumstances, the team stayed engaged and we delivered the project on schedule. Several team members later shared they felt valued and understood which helped them stay motivated during that period.
- How do you prioritise tasks or manage competing deadlines?
o When I have multiple tasks or deadlines competing for attention, I start by assessing the overall project priorities and scope. I think it is important to understand the wider deadlines in order to understand which tasks have the greatest impact on deliverables, meeting the success criteria or which have the greatest impact on key stakeholders.
o I usually begin writing a list or spreadsheet of all tasks and estimating the time/ resource required – I also include dependencies (e.g what needs to be done before other work can move forward or highlighting work that relies on input from others).
o I then create an urgency Vs importance matrix to decide where I should focus first. I think it is important to check in with a senior in my team & senior stakeholders if priorities aren’t clear – to be sure I am aligned with business goals.
o Once I have set priorities, I plan the work out via a timeline to visualise deadlines and monitor progress.
o I communicate regularly with the team to ensure everyone knows what’s most critical and so that any risks are identified early.
o If something unexpected comes up, I reassess priorities and update stakeholders so there are no surprises.
This approach helps me stay structured and transparent.
How do you communicate in times of conflict – in what arena
- Where possible I prefer to have these conversations face to face or over a video call because tone & body language can be easily misunderstood over email or teams chat. This helps build understanding and shows respect for the other person’ perspective.
- Appropriate time and private setting
- Come prepared with facts rather than assumptions
- Firstly listen to understand their concerns – then explain my perspective & look for a solution that supports the person’s objectives and also looks at the objectives of the overall project
- Follow up in writing to confirm what was agreed and keep everyone aligned
How do you define project success?
o I look at success in 3 main areas – delivery success, stakeholder satisfaction & long-term impact.
o Delivery success
Meeting key milestones, staying within budget & achieving quality standards
o Stakeholder satisfaction
Making sure the end users, stakeholders and team members feel the expectations were met, minimal conflict & key communication throughout. That the PM was reliable
o Long term impact
Project delivers real value to the business and is sustainable beyond the handover
o Team work
How the team worked together – did they maintain collaboration, manage risks effectively & take learnings from the project.
- Describe a time you have had to deal with a project that was off tack – what did you do?
o During my time in Dettol, I was supporting Project Cinderella which involved leading complex portfolio of 9 fragrance development workstreams alongside a multifaceted active reformulation in order to meet a launch date with specific BPR restratints.
o During a critical development stage, the microbiology results came back inconclusive due to an issue at the external testing house. This creates a risk of delay because those results were essential for moving forward in the project (having a technically successful project & determining the claims we were going to use).
- TASK: My task was to assess the impact of the issue & communicate to both the PM and key stakeholders. Help identify a way to keep the project going while the testing problem was being resolved.
- ACTION:
o Contacted the test house to understand the root cause and their expected timeline for re-testing.
o Worked with the technical R&D team to evaluate what work could continue in parallel so we didn’t lose time.
o I communicated the issue transparently to the PM and key stakeholder, outlining the problem and proposed mitigation.
Set up regular check-ins to the testing house to monitor progress.
- RESULT:
- - Positive approach and maintaining clear communication
- Re-test were received within 2 weeks and with a reduced cost
- Re-aligned the project schedule with minimal impact on final delivery date – we asked all functions to input into the PDC quickly to reduce time we had allowed for this.
- This experience reinforced the importance of early risk identification, structured communication and maintaining good relationships with external partners even during challenging times.
- How do you track progress and report to stakeholders?
I believe that tracking progress & reporting to stakeholders go hand in hand. Consistent monitoring allows or transparent, accurate communication.
o To track progress, I ensure the project scope is clearly defined with measurable milestones and clear owners/ responsibilities set.
o I regularly update progress
o Holding short, regular check ins to capture updates
Frequency of these can be altered – if a risk arises, more frequently to resolve. If everything is going to plan, less frequently. But still ongoing to ensure everyone is aligned.
o Consistently sharing reports
Encouraging 2-way communication so stakeholders can raise questions or concerns early.
This keeps everyone informed, builds trust and helps avoid surprises later in the project.
