Project Management Tips For New Project Managers

Many individuals start out in their careers as a project manager however, in many cases, it takes time in order to earn the trust as well as responsibility which comes with the position. If you’ve been awarded the title of ‘Project Manager’ , congratulations! You’ve earned it. If you have not been given the responsibility yet, there’s a good chance that you will be at some point if you would like to advance in your career as a project manager.

Every project that you manage is unique. So you should manage it depends on where the project is when you take it over as well as what it most needs in order to move forward. So your primary job — other than to act in response to crises — before you take any decisions is to gauge the current state of the project. By the way, the skills you have already, or will soon learn in evaluating your project, are vital to your continued success. You will be applying them frequently as the project moves forward.

Know All Of The Project Details Up Front

Become clear on all the project details at the start of the project so that you are able to map out a plan without having surprises down the road. Make sure that you get the project’s priorities in line as this will help you with setting up clear as well as measurable goals, while also assist you with identifying what can be taken care of early on, as well as what you need to get a head start on so you don’t have a last-minute disaster. Set clear and measurable goals. After you’re clear on the project criteria, set goals and milestones that are reasonable, timely, and efficient.

Be A Problem-Solver

As a project manager, it is necessary for you to be a thorough problem solver. When planning and executing a project, scan the horizon every once in a while. Apply common sense to situations to ascertain whether something’s going to become a problem in the future. Meet with your team and offer your help. Discuss issues and progress honestly and openly. Consult them and your mentors for their opinion on problems and insist on thorough responses.

Manage Your Time Well

As a first-time project manager, you can make sure your schedule and resources work by:

• Preparing a work scope statement, and a work-breakdown structure
• Communicating with top management to make sure you get the resources you need
• Using a tool like Office 365 for project and task management.

When you’ve planned out everything, run the scenario by a mentor or your team to see if it’s viable.

Manage and Delegate Tasks

The first lesson of project management is: don’t micromanage. You’ll just wear yourself and your team out. They’re capable professionals who need guidance, not handholding.

You can guide them through task management, which is one of key project management skills.

Task management consists of:

• Breaking down the project into tasks
• Delegating and assigning tasks
• Setting deadlines and priorities
• Determining task dependencies
• Monitoring progress
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Make sure you’ve assigned responsibilities clearly and accurately

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