Project Hero Blog - Weekly Best Practices and Tips
Project Management for Aspiring, New, and Accidental PMs
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A project management fable: A payroll improvement project was presented to an organization as a fait accompli. Only senior management had input into the selection and decision making for the project. Rather than allow the project manager to focus on the project, the project sponsor assigned him to track software bugs.
When it came time to roll out training to the thousands affected by the...
Projects can be stressful for all concerned, especially around holidays. Here are 5 tips for project leaders to reduce stress for everyone involved:
- Clarity is the #1 stress reducer. Be sure everyone knows the vision for the outcomes, the plan, and their roles and responsibilities at all times.
- Have high expectations, but don't expect perfection. Acknowledge progress and accomplishment.
- ...
Does the team put together the perfect plan with your facilitation? Even so, project execution is more than just checking progress and writing status reports. Here is where your leadership is most needed. These are some items for a project execution checklist to ensure you are leading:
- Manage team conflict. Stop negative conflict quickly and encourage collaboration for positive conflict (i.e....
These six tips will help you achieve success with teams and begin to form high performing teams:
- Know the team. Check-in frequently with everyone and schedule time for 1:1 meetings to learn more about each team member.
- Provide clarity. Teams work best when there is clarity of purpose, plan, and responsibilities. Let them know how they will be measured.
- Give acknowledgment, recognition, and...
"To say 'I don't have time' is like saying 'I don't want to'" - Lau-Tzu
Set a good example for the team by effectively managing your own time with these five tips:
- Instead of a "to do" list, create a prioritized list of major goals and steps for the year and month. This means you will need a personal, strategic plan. Have a "value-added" list for tasks to be done with discretionary or waiting...
Feeling a larger team is needed may be a sign that you need to work on expanding the capacity of the team, not just grow the team in size. When a team member asks directly or indirectly about expanding their responsibilities, consider these four alternatives:
- If team member performance is a concern, discuss it with them. Individual improvements expand team capacity.
- If team member performance...
Improving your leadership skills will help you, as well as the team, grow and advance in your careers.
- Coach and mentor, rather than direct. Give trust to the team to get the job done, remove obstacles for them, and empower them to solve problems.
- Create a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Eliminate silos, share knowledge, and collaborate.
- Identify growth paths for all on your...
Improving your project management skills will help your professional and personal growth, and increase your value to your organization. Here are 5 tips for improving your project management skills:
- Adopt a mindset of continuous improvement. Learn from past successes and mistakes and make changes for the next project.
- Improve your communication skills. Communication, including effective...
Here are five common mistakes project managers make, and tips on how to avoid them:
- React to variance: One week of variation, unless huge, is not going to make or break a project. Better: Look for trends, and don't forget that being under budget and time has consequences as well.
- Insufficient planning: Top PMs spend more time planning than less effective PMs. Better: Allow some work to start...
Studies have shown that roughly 20% of projects fail due to poor communications. Whether you are discussing risk management or just having a meeting, having strong communication skills is critical for project managers. Here are 5 tips for improving those skills:
- Know your audience. Do a thorough stakeholder analysis to understand communications needs and preferences.
- Develop a formal...