Moving into a project manager position can be an exciting step forward, with new opportunities to show your superiors your talent and worth. However, being a project manager comes with a lot of responsibilities, and it’s important to keep a clear head and address issues and problems as efficiently and effectively as possible. Read on to find out some tips and skills that will keep your head above water.
Be Proactive
Before embarking on a new project, examine it from all angles, making sure to note any potential difficulties that may come up. Start developing a game plan for dealing with those possible issues, so that if any of them do happen, you’re already prepared. Overcoming adversity is easier when you’ve already planned ahead for pitfalls.
Get a Mentor
Having a mentor is especially important for first-time project managers who have all the enthusiasm, but maybe lack some experience. If at all possible, seek out someone either from your own company or from your business acquaintances, who won’t mind giving you some pointers and troubleshooting with you. This interaction will not only help make the project stronger, but will help you improve as a project manager. It can also help to get professional execution management assistance from a company like Ruota Consulting.
Encourage Collaboration
As a project manager, you’re engaging not only with your team, but with stakeholders and your superiors as well. Start out on the right foot by asking for their input, and make sure to consider every idea, whether or not it immediately seems like a good one. You may be surprised at how much all these people appreciate being taken seriously, and at all the ideas you’ll be able to get once you start asking, some of which may lead to the project being even better.
Hoard Experience
Experience can make or break a project, and as the manager, you’re supposed to have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. That knowledge comes with time in the role as a PM, and since you’re just starting out, you must learn from everything. The more you pay attention to the process and glean helpful information now, the more it’ll help you down the road. You never know when things you learn in your current project could help you later.
Ask Questions
Chances are, your superiors and other project managers know it’s your first time managing a project. It’s in your best interest, and ultimately that of your bosses and the stakeholders, that you know everything you can in advance, so there’s less chance of mix-ups or mistakes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you aren’t sure about something, or want to make sure you’re on the right path. It looks worse to never ask any questions and mismanage something than to ask a lot of questions and execute the project professionally.
Your first project as a new PM is an exciting opportunity to expand your horizons. Using the above tips and skills, you’ll be off to a great start that will lead to many more opportunities.
