1. You don’t need to know everything – that’s why you have a project team. So don’t be afraid to ask your project team members for their ideas if problems arise.
2. Not everyone has to do things exactly the way you do it. So, give your team members some latitude in how they complete their allocated tasks. Yes, there are procedures and protocols that must be followed, but there is often also some discretion in the approach that different people may take to completing their work
3. Ensure your project team meetings are run efficiently. Meetings can be a huge time-waster and source of frustration unless they are well structured, so make sure that the members of your team have an agenda to follow and understand when a meeting is just for status reporting as opposed to some planning or problem solving for example
4. People like to get feedback. So remember to give credit to your project team members when they are doing good work – never take it for granted. And raise any concerns with people at an early stage – otherwise issues can accumulate and become a source of disruption to the project. Nip performance issues in-the-bud.
5. Learn as much as you can as quickly as you can about the skills, strengths and limitations of each of your project team members. You may have two staff with similar technical skills – but one of them is more innovative and ideas oriented, whilst the other is careful and precise, with great attention to detail. Learn to harness their different strengths to the benefit of the project.
6. As a new project manager, chances are at some point you’ll make a few mistakes – don’t be too tough on yourself when you do. Even experienced project managers still make mistakes – just don’t make the same mistake twice. Respect and patience with both yourself and others is essential if you are to succeed in project management. Achieving good quality outcomes is a by-product of building good positive relationships with the people in your team.
For many more great tips on people management, have a look at Management Skills Development Another great article that clearly explains your your role as a project manager with some useful tips on managing the different stages of the project is New Project Manager Tips
And finally, consider if your organisation might benefit from some in house MS Project Training
And finally, consider if your organisation might benefit from some in house MS Project Training
