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7 things project managers should do every day

5/7/2013

21 Comments

 
As a project manager, you are the one others turn to for day-to-day
decision-making, direction and issue resolution. It is important that you set a good example and seek to be the best you can every single day. The 7 areas below will help you achieve that. 
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1. Focus on customer needs
The single biggest success factor for a project is whether it delivers what the customers really need. Not only will that create a happy customer, it will also dramatically increase your success as a project manager. The tricky part is that customer needs aren’t necessarily synonymous with what the customers say they want. Outstanding project managers focus on the customer’s real needs and seek to uncover the reasons behind the requirements. They do that through enquiry and by consistently learning about the client’s business.

2. Keep your promises
As a project manager is it absolutely essential that what you say and do is credible and that your clients and stakeholders trust you. When you take on an action or commit to a deadline – however big or small – always deliver it when you said you would. This is also true when it comes to chasing other people for the actions they take on. You will gain an enormous amount of respect for being effective, timely and reliable and it will be easier for you to plan and execute the project with minimal resistance. Set a good example in everything that you do. 
 
3. Be proactive
They key to success for any manager and leader is to be proactive and
consistently focus your efforts and attention on the long-term as opposed to being reactive in the present moment. Too often we get caught up in urgent or unimportant activities and we procrastinate on the big important things such as planning and initiating the project properly, writing the business case, learning about our client’s business or taking the time to build strong relationships with our customers and team members. Don’t sit back and wait for things to happen. Take the initiative as a matter of course.
 
4. Support your team
Your team is the project’s biggest asset so nurture it and enable each individual team member to thrive. Allow for people’s individuality, play to their strengths and give them the support they need to succeed. To build a great team, spend one-on-one time with people on a weekly basis. Ask them what you can do to help, what they worry about and how you can assist them in working more effectively. Never be afraid to ask questions and to lend a helping hand. One of your most important roles is to remove blockages so that your team can get on with its work. 
 
5. Delegate 
If you are to add maximum value, you must learn to delegate. This will help you create space to concentrate on the big picture and on the strategic aspects of the project. Tracking timesheets, taking minutes and planning detailed work-streams are important aspects of a project, but it’s not important that you do them. Get a project administrator on board or train your senior team leads to take on a more senior role. Not only do you develop their skill set, you also free yourself up to focus on customer relationships, communication, team building and setting the vision.
 
6. Challenge the status quo
It is no longer enough to turn up for work and deliver a project the way we used to. The global crisis has meant that everything is being scrutinised and that executives are constantly on the look-out for how we can deliver change in a better, cheaper and faster way. You need to challenge the status quo on a daily basis and help identify how the team can work smarter, what new technologies you can employ, which extra benefits you can deliver and how project processes can be improved.

7. Stay calm under pressure
As a project manager you are under daily pressure to deliver, make decisions and sort out issues. You need set a great example by managing your state of mind and remaining calm when the pressure is on. Maintain a balanced perspective and think of solutions rather than placing blame or making knee-jerk decisions. In situations of conflict, take on the role of a mediator and convey both sides of the argument. Whatever you do, do it well; as the way you conduct yourself is the most you can ever expect from your team. 


Questions: 
- How good are you at doing each of these activities on a daily basis?
- What is the biggest action you take away from this?


If you liked this post, you may also like
:
Initiating and Planning Your Project
10 guidelines for estimating project effort 
How to Become a Project Leader by Challenging the Status Quo
5 Pitfalls that Prevent us from Delivering what the Customer Really Needs

21 Comments
basskar verma
6/7/2013 13:30:07

Good article !!

This said , communication ( which PMI lays emphasis upon) is key really as compared to all points enlisted in your article which at most can cause minor / major damages which can be addressed & course correction possible.

Recently I had a first hand experience of this when one of my fellow colleagues jumped protocol ( innocent mistake) & the next day there was a call for de-mobilizing staff even ahead of what was planned , not even a counter check was carried out by the chain of command - imagine at the level of AVP !!

The communication ( attachment) mailed across itself was more than 2 months old which is another story for another day , more so not a single source in the chain of command bothered to check the authenticity of the communication based out of date, contents with the Leader itself.

I was a witness to low end resources ( house keeping , drivers, entry level resources) running helter - skelter next day , all this due to an innocent mistake by a fairly experienced resource who did not have a clue of his actions.

The power of e-mail and the resource action was akin to a terrorist spraying bullets all over randomly.

Regards
Basskar

Reply
Michelle Symonds link
15/7/2013 08:18:29

Thanks Susanne for these great reminders of how to be a perfect project manager. I'd like to think I could do these every day but I think the reality is that this is just a hope - in practise other priorities and the pressure of project work mean I am not always calm under pressure and have had to break promises. Fortunately it is easier to focus on customer needs and support the team so there is, at least, hope of perfection!

Reply
Michael Keck
13/9/2013 08:05:54

“Your team is the project’s biggest asset so nurture it and enable each individual team member to thrive. Allow for people’s individuality, play to their strengths and give them the support they need to succeed”. HAS to be #1 in any team’s success. If you don't have a team that trusts you the other 6 do not matter. Take interest and get to know your team. The return on that investment cannot be measured. People first !!!. I have led people for thirty years and if they know you care about them and trust them, they will go the ends of the earth to support you.

Reply
Susanne Madsen link
13/9/2013 08:45:19

Thank you for you comment Michael. I'm very interested in your views and experience. Please contact me separately if you are interested in contributing to my next book on Project Leadership.

Susanne

Naran McClung
15/7/2013 12:19:05

Agree with all except the practicalities around point #1. As a PM, you're more often than not at the delivery end of someone else's vision. Sure, there's a degree of subjectivity in how you deliver... perhaps that's enough to justify the point?

Reply
Susanne Madsen link
15/7/2013 14:51:34

Thank you for your comments Naran.

I feel very strongly about point #1. To my mind this is where PMs the most often go wrong. We rely on the requirements that are being given to us instead of challenging them and engaging directly with the customer to understand them.

Susanne

Reply
Naran McClung
16/7/2013 03:24:40

I hear you. If you can challenge and re-shape requirements; GREAT. I don't often work with PM's who understand their subject matter well enough, or have the power to challenge - just my experience if course, and there are exceptions where your point is valid

Rebecca Staton-Reinstein link
16/7/2013 07:33:42

My strong vote is with #1 with help from #3. Every study shows that projects that fail or produce poor results begin with poor requirements. The problem is compounded because truly understanding what the project is supposed to accomplish requires human communication - always a source of issues. So your suggestion of being proactive means it's important to keep talking with the customer (or their rep) to refine the true requirements as you go along. Yes, for harried PMs this is time away from other tasks. However, the old adage "pay me now or pay me later" applies. It's so much easier and less costly in time and money to adjust and modify things early on than at the end. As to perfection, I like to think in terms of following good practice to get a better result and constantly looking for ways to make the entire process or its components a little more effective and efficient.

Reply
Brent Bodiford
5/9/2013 13:51:09

I would concur on #1 and the earlier the better if vision is not aligned with goals and objectives of the project. It's so easy to ask stakeholders "How do you go your done?" and then ask the customer "How do you know your done?". And if you come up with different answers, BIG PROBLEM! Time out and re-align and work the problem. Communication is crucial and the earlier the better when this is realized. If you don't the ramifications only become exponential and you "will never be done" with the project. It will become the case study for once again, another "failed project", but it doesn't have to be that way.

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seo services jaipur link
20/7/2013 04:11:37

Fortunately it is easier to focus on customer needs and support the team so there is, at least, hope of perfection!

Reply
STRAIGHTENING MACHINE link
22/7/2013 06:23:53

As a PM, you're more often than not at the delivery end of someone else's vision. Sure, there's a degree of subjectivity in how you deliver... perhaps that's enough to justify the point?

Reply
Naran McClung
22/7/2013 07:01:35

Point #1 implies the PM is in control of the project's scope; if it doesn't meet the customers needs, you change it as it's the right thing to do..

What if you can't?

What if it's categorically out of your control?

Reply
Susanne Madsen link
6/9/2013 01:43:18

If the scope is outside of your control as a PM but you know it will not satisfy the customer's needs, then at least you have a responsibility to highlight it, and to try to influence those with authority to make a change.

Susanne

Naran McClung
6/9/2013 01:50:11

Spot on Susanne. All comments prior assume a PM is able to do this independently. On large projects / programmes, certainly in Financial Services, this is often not the case

Reply
Fashion Designing Institute in Jaipur link
7/9/2013 02:31:08

You share a very useful information that is very useful for a lot of people and it will also help for many people. Keep writing. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
cheikam sankon
9/9/2013 07:06:29

I always like your post. Very good article. Merci de continuer de nous alimenter de savoir! Thank for sharing your knowledge

Reply
Shirley
12/11/2013 19:57:30

Thanks for sharing Mike. Still working on 'staying calm under pressure' there certainly is still hope.

Reply
2015 ford bronco link
18/12/2013 17:56:18

this was a really great post. In theory I'd like to write like this also - taking time and real effort to make a good article

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Mystery man
29/7/2015 18:30:06

Great points everyone but the role of a PM varies not only by companies but industry as well. I agree with Naran, im a PM myself but usually we are not the "experts" on the subject matter and we are intended to facilitate the process. The requirements are to be solidfy by the BA through continuous engagement with the business. Once requirements are clearly defined we can solution and drive project to the finish line. Everyone on a project has a role to play and as a PM we are responsible for managing the key areas of schedule Budget resources scope. Challenging requirements provided by Business is not always a good idea in these situations described.

Reply
Bowman Olds
29/3/2016 13:52:15

Nice write-up. Straight and to the point.

Reply
Prasanna Koppa
5/6/2019 04:35:08

Agree with your points in the article. In addition to your points, the Project Manager need to have Skills to Facilitate when his Customer or Team see a dead-end!

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