3 MORE Traits of Project Managers that Stand Out From the Crowd
“Begin with the end in mind” and “It ain’t over until it’s over” are two expressions that highlight the importance of closing a project out and crossing the finish line. It’s your job as a project manager to make sure that deliverables, activities, and processes are in place to ensure a project’s graceful and successful end. But why is it so difficult to bring projects to closure? There are a number of reasons why this is the case:
The Pros and Cons of a Functional Project Manager Resume
The functional project manager resume focuses on skills and experiences and downplays the employment aspect of your career. This is good for project managers that may be new to the workforce, or have gaps in their employment history. Interestingly, gaps in employment are not nearly the black mark that they used to be when employment was high. Nearly everyone has been affected by recent downturns in the economy and understands that even good people are affected by companies going out of business or downsizing.
What are some of the pros and cons of a functional project manager resume?
A Different Thought on Who Should Have the Final Say in Software Deployment
Most development shops are set up in such a way that once QA has signed off, then everything should be just fine. QA is usually active of the last phases in the IT Project Plan, and has one of the toughest jobs. However, I’ve seen some development companies leave the final call (if not joint final call with QA) with the Support Center, the group that handles customer calls and issues. One person who runs a call center says, “Every call that comes in is an indictment against the software.” His goal is to mitigate and minimize as many of these calls as possible. This is the group that is on the front lines, hears the angry customers, and is responsible for helping them solve their problems. Unfortunately, the solutions many times take the form of “workarounds” that may or may not ever fix the problem the proper way.
3 Great Examples of Bad Project Management
The following stories are true; only the names have been changed to protect the (not so) innocent. There are a lot of good Project Managers out there, but there are also some not so good…no, there are some really bad Project Managers, who have, by hook and by crook, somehow ended up in a position of authority and reigned down their terror on those unfortunate enough to work under them.
Learn from the stories and stay away from any tendencies you may have to manage this way.
Managing Your Own Tasks as a Project Manager
Project Managers are great at managing tasks for others, but what about when it comes to keeping themselves organized? Below are a few suggestions that may help.
Start with Your E-Mail Application
A great place to start is with your own tasks. There are meetings to plan, flights to book, agendas to put together, and reports to complete. Demands come at us fast and furious, and other people depend upon us to arrange these things in order for them to move forward. The last thing you want to be on any project or in any organization is a bottleneck.
6 Ways to Help Your Team Get Their Jobs Done
Part of your job as a project manager is to keep others organized. Some project managers may reason “I did my part and put the project plan together. Can’t they just follow that and know what tasks they need to do next?” Newsflash: a lot of people don’t read, can’t read, or won’t read a project plan. Yes, it’s hard to believe that as a project manager with all the preparation you put into it, but many times project plans go unread and unused.
You have two choices at this point. You can either become incensed and furious that nobody respects your plan enough to read it…or, you can change your strategy and help people understand what tasks are next for them to accomplish.
What It Means to Push Back as a Program Manager
Part of your job as a project manager is to keep others organized. Some project managers may reason “I did my part and put the project plan together. Can’t they just follow that and know what tasks they need to do next?” Newsflash: a lot of people don’t read, can’t read, or won’t read a project plan. Yes, it’s hard to believe that as a project manager with all the preparation you put into it, but many times project plans go unread and unused.
You have two choices at this point. You can either become incensed and furious that nobody respects your plan enough to read it…or, you can change your strategy and help people understand what tasks are next for them to accomplish.
How to Plan a Project for Closure
recently discussed 4 Reasons Why the Last 2% of a Project Take Forever to Complete. If you are plagued with a similar problem, keep the suggestions below in mind to make sure your next project comes to a graceful end.
Begin with the End in Mind
There is definitely value in keeping the end in mind when it comes to closing out a project. Up front, establish and define your project objectives, objective measures and specifications—emphasis on objective.
3 Ways You Can Push Back as a Program Manager
Our last post, What it Means to Push Back as a Program Manager, discussed why it’s important to say NO at times. One area where this skill is very important is within your own organization. The following are some scenarios and possible remedies to these situations if you encounter them as a program manager:
3 Benefits of a Project Management Office (PMO)
A Project Management Office (PMO) is a department or group of people that defines and maintains standards related to project management within an organization. More importantly, as an extension of defining and maintaining these standards, a PMO is responsible for the successful execution and implementation of projects that fall under their jurisdiction.
An enterprise-wide project management office is beneficial for the following 3 reasons:
Even Trains that Have Left the Station Can Go In Reverse
I heard the expression that “the train has already left the station” as an indication that, despite certain things not being right, nothing more could be done to correct the project. This statement piqued my curiosity…can a train, with miles of cars attached, go in reverse? I have it on good authority (a train engineer) that a train can indeed go in reverse.
It’s a fact that everyone is extremely busy, probably too busy. Because of this, many have developed a checklist mentality. As soon as something is checked off their list, regardless of how Complete or Right it is, it becomes “the train that has already left the station”.
Below are three options for problematic trains that are headed your way.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I heard a seasoned sailor who had been around the world say this many years ago. One lesson he learned throughout his travels was that people often misunderstood or took advantage of acts of kindness. When it comes to delivering a project, the only of act of kindness should be to deliver on exactly what was agreed to.
Sometimes there’s a desire to go above and beyond when it comes to delivering on a project. Reasons may include that this is a good customer, throwing in a couple of additional deliverables won’t cost you that much, or we may just be feeling generous.
When Should You Start a Project Management Office (PMO)?
While the impact of a PMO is enormous, it is not something that companies typically start right out of the gate, especially smaller companies. There’s no particular size, revenue, or makeup of a company that would indicate it’s time to start a project management office. However, the following symptoms may be signs that you should start looking into implementing a PMO:
2 Ways Project Managers Can Remain Visible in the C-Suite
Project managers can get so involved in their day to day work they may lose sight of keeping in touch with company executives and decision makers. The following are couple of suggestions on how you can keep yourself and your team visible and viable in the C-Suite of your company.
Learn to Speak in the Language of an Executive
Executives are about return on investment and increasing value. They love innovation, uncharted territories, and business opportunities that will propel the organization forward. They like growth, efficiencies and process improvement. They don’t like excuses, complaining, stagnation, inactivity, or wasting time.
Are You Able to Sleep Through a Storm?
What qualities are necessary for a Project Manager to be successful? Leadership, organization, and being detail-oriented all come to mind. However, for a PM to be truly successful, they need to be able to sleep through a storm.
I heard a story a number of years ago about a Farmer who was looking to hire someone to assist on the farm. He went through interview after interview, but just wasn’t able to find the right person. Eventually he interviewed Pete. The only skill Pete listed on his resume’ was the ability to sleep through a storm.
We Don’t Allow Your Type Around Here
I am always amazed by the creative license people take when writing their E-Mails. Strong Opinions, Editorializing, and Emotion emanate from many keyboards. One thing I’ve learned over the years is to type every E-Mail as if it will be read in a court of law.
In those uncomfortable times when the bottom falls out of a business relationship and companies end up in court…the written word is typically given more credence than people’s memories. That is why it is critical (especially if you are Customer facing) to review, re-read, edit, and review again any correspondence that leaves your desktop.
4 Steps for a Smooth(er) Software Deployment
You only have to live through a bad software deployment once or twice to quickly learn that you want nothing to do with that ever again. You’ll start finding ways to prevent it from happening. If you have experienced the despair of a bad deployment, the following is a starting point for avoiding another one. There’s no guarantee that this will help things go 100% smoothly, but it will certainly make the process smoother and remove the finger-pointing at the end.
3 Traits of Project Managers that Stand Apart From the Crowd
Being an effective project manager is something we all strive for. It means we know what we’re doing, have a good track record of success, and get things done. There are a lot of those types of project managers around and it’s up to you to differentiate yourself from those around you. What are the talent, skills, and experience that can make you stand out in a crowd? The following are 3 for your consideration:
3 True Stories of Bad Project Managers
I’ve worked for and with a number of people in the technology space throughout my career. Most project managers have been great: open-minded, reasonable, flexible, and focused on the greater good. On the other hand, I have worked with some that have been profoundly and deeply dysfunctional, Jim and Suzanne being two that come to mind (not their real names). They are the embodiment of project managers that leave a lot to be desired. Hopefully, you don’t come close to having any of these traits yourself.