As much as technology and digitalisation have improved and made the job of a project manager easier there are sometimes moments in which you wish everything could just work like the old times: papers. The less young of us project managers might remember the times in which we were writing project proposal using a text file and once done we were printing everything out the filed application form (3 copies the least for….. environmental sake!), we used to put everything in huge envelops and sent it to the executive agency in Brussels. The next step was that the form could be saved on a CD but still, a copy had to be sent, with the CDs via post.
The era of online application forms has incredibly shown progress in the process of submitting proposals, increasing the speed of submission, allowing double checks on documents to be attached and on fields to be fully completed. It definitely signed a step towards a more environmentally friendly approach on behalf of the different agencies since papers were almost completely banned. With digital progress and its ease, however, some knots might raise and transform a pleasurable project design experience into a hassle.
I guess many of you have struggled with describing your project within the rigid limits of characters numbers. Sometimes you are convinced that what you have written in a text file and then pasted in the application form is fitting, but you realise that the digital template has cut the last five words of your paragraph. Other times you are fully convinced having filled in all the boxes of specific items, but the system tells you that it is not the case. Red coloured x’s or not showing up green tags confirm that something is missing. And you do not know what and where. It might also be the case that forgetting a comma or cents in a budget file, is not giving you the expected totals. Or what about having to add lines or sections to your budget of form? Not always the system is tame or submissive to your will. And the contrary might even sound worse: have you ever tried to erase lines or cancel boxes of a form without losing entire sections of uploaded partners’ information to make the so much complicated budget a definite mess? I am sure you could personally add events or stories that made you go crazy while filing an online application form. Not to mention the time of submission: clicking on the button for submission always comes with some increased heartbeat and anxiety. Most of the time it is rewarded, but seldom you might have been re-bounced with digital messages telling you that something went wrong, that the server is not responding, that….. you put what happened to you! Not losing your temper is a sign of great internal balance and problem-solving skills are to be put into action.
How shall a wise project manager deal with technical/digital annoyances which an online platform might express at times? Here some hints:
- Usually, the application forms are supplied with a user’s manual where, step by step, the project manager is shown how to activate the form and how to fill it in. it might be the case to read it while activating the procedure of opening a form.
- It is wise to do the above much ahead of time so as to get acquainted with the tool and discover some secrets or trick which might make your life easier later on. Playing around with the form (recommended to open a “test” version/file for your use) helps as much as the tutorial you have read and perhaps gives you precious indications on how to fiddle around with the tool
- While filing the form, some like to work on a separated text file and paste, at the end of the editing, the final version of the narration. This way it is faster and easier to play with the text and edit it (than online), but make sure that the length of your wording is respected once you insert it in the digital application.
- Peer support (and review if necessary) is mandatory in this stage. Other project managers might have already solved an issue, found the solution to a silly but annoying bug, and can make us save a lot of time and anger inf guiding how to move on in a specific situation. You, just the same, can be the neighbour of your fellow project manager or friend.
- Another good practice is, after having a check with colleagues and no solution is found to your digital struggle, to write to the platform referent (either the technical department of the executive agency). The case might be that they are not aware of a problem which you are facing so your notice shall start the solution procedure. Or it could be the case that they have learned about the problem and have already found an answer by which you can overcome the issue.
- Many often give it a try by resetting the pc, cancelling all the cookies, changing the browser used to navigate in the platform, logging out and in again a couple of times after having closed the browser.
- If at the very end of the time left to the deadline, the dilemma you are facing with the digital platform is still there, you shall check how you can submit your proposal anyway. For this, your referent is the executive agency. A personal (possibly voice) contact should instruct you what to do in this emergency. The Agency can suggest the best way to assure you to submit the project included (what happened in recent years in E+) the postponement of the deadline for some hours or some days. If suggested, it might be of help to send them an e-mail with a screenshot so to show what you are facing and, if the worse comes to the worse, a mail with your printed pdf project which is not “leaving your pc for submission”.
I would be pleased to add any further hint to the above list in order to make sure your proposal reaches safely the place for undergoing evaluation scrutiny. Though given that writing a project is already a complex and challenging task, we all wish never to have to add the extra consuming and frustrating effort to submit the proposal against digital odds.