5 Tips for Project Managers to Maximize Success
As a project manager, you’re expected to handle a wide range of situations and environments on a daily basis. You have to be as at home speaking with a team member while out for coffee as addressing stakeholders in a boardroom. You have to be comfortable with technology, with “tried and true” tools like templates and email, and you have to be hands on with your project so that no element can get away from you. It’s a tall order, but the following five tips will help ensure that you see the utmost success.
- Know How to Negotiate
Being a project manager is not just about saying yes or no. Often, you will need to find a way to bring stakeholders onboard with new revisions to the original plan. This might require additional resources, an amended budget, new testing procedures, new software or anything else that helps your project succeed. You can expect to meet resistance here – negotiation skills can help you overcome objections from stakeholders and ensure that your project stays moving forward. - Have a Reliable Assistant
Whether it comes in the form of an actual assistant or a software replacement, having help is vital. There’s no way that you can expect to hold all the details of your project in your head and actually be successful. You need help. Make sure you have it. A real assistant is the preferable route here, as you get the benefit of two heads instead of one, but there are some remarkable software solutions on the market today that can help as well. - Keep a Broad View
While you’ll certainly have to get down into the nitty-gritty of daily operations regularly, it’s vital that you also keep a broad view of the project as a whole. You need to be able to see the beginning, the end and all the steps in the middle. Not only that, but you need to know exactly where your project is on its path at any given moment. Software can help, but it takes dedication, understanding and solid communication with your team members and stakeholders to maintain this view.
4.Understand Various Lifecycles
You will have a variety of lifecycles to deal with in addition to the project’s own cycle. Make sure you understand what they are and how they work, and whether or not repeated tasks are necessary. Different tasks will have different lifecycles, and some will need to be repeated throughout the project.
- Be Proactive In Risk Forecasting and Management
Risk forecasting should take place at the beginning of the project, but it must also occur throughout the project’s lifecycle. Ensure that you know exactly what risks you’re up against and how to manage them. There should be no unknown or unpredicted risks involved.
By implementing these five tips, you not only help ensure the success of your project, but you can become a better project manager, as well. Be proactive, and use these to your advantage.
source:internet