Expert Tips for New Project Managers
When I first started out in project management, I was pretty green. Looking back now, I can see that if I’d known a few key things it would have made my path a lot smoother.
For those of you thinking about becoming a project manager, I thought I’d share some tips I wish I’d had in front of me when I was brand new to managing projects.
Tip one: Don’t say yes to everything
When you’re new, it’s natural to want to impress everyone by being super agreeable. I know I did, but trust me – don’t do this! People will always show up with urgent and important tasks, but it’s up to you to resist that urge to agree right away.
Instead, make sure you spend your time on tasks that support the goals and priorities of your project. Rather than giving a kneejerk yes, be proactive, and have them use a change control form, so you can take the request to senior management for approval. That will show you have a strategic mindset, and it’ll demonstrate your value to the company.
Tip two: Project documents are a secret weapon
Documents aren’t just paperwork – they’re a framework to build project success on. When you stay on top of your documentation, not only are you organized, but you also know what’s going with everything in your project at all times.
Good project documentation allows you to:
- plan effectively
- communicate well with your team and stakeholders
- get written agreement on project decisions
- track the status of all your tasks and deliverables
Rather than seeing documentation as a chore like I did when I was starting out, look at project documents as your secret weapon!
3 more tips for new PMs
I have more to share about what I wish I’d known when I first started out in project management, so check out this video I put together that covers:
- Why being overly reliant on email puts new PMs at a disadvantage
- The ‘right’ way to look at the mistakes you make along the way
- How your soft skills matter just as much as technical project knowledge
Let’s keep the conversation going – follow me over to YouTube!
Adriana Girdler, PMP | Creator of Slay Project Management™
