Tips: How to become successful Project Manager ?

The skill of planning can’t be underestimated (and neither can estimating!).

There are known and logical steps in creating plans. As a project manager you will certainly own the Project Plan - but there may be others depending upon the project. Examples are, Stage Plans, Exception Plans, Team Plans, Hand-over Plans, Benefit Realisation Plans, etc.

Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of some of these as they may not be necessary - just be aware that planning should become second nature to you.

Two aspects need to be mentioned here:

1. Plans are ALWAYS documents - don’t fall into the trap of thinking that, for example, a Gantt Chart is a plan - its only a schedule diagram.
2. Successful projects are delivered by successful teams. ALWAYS use the team to help create the Plan (unless, rarely, there is a good reason why not, such as commercial confidentiality, or contractual conditions)

Project Management Skills are all about steering the Project Management TEAM towards achieveing the set Objectives and Success Criteria to get the Deliverables Acceptable by Client inorder to declare the Project as Succesfully Completed...

Each and every stage of the PROJECT involves TEAMWORK and is NEVER a ONE MAN SHOW!!!..

And whenever SUCCESS from TEAMWORK is required, it is HIGHLY MANDATORY for a Project Manager to have GOOD LEADERSHIP QUALITIES in him...!!!

Get a clear understanding of people involved with project, Processes (Project Management processes as well as business related) and the technologies that are in use and finally the organisational culture.

At the heart of this is the skill of estimating - particularly cost estimates. Nearly always the project manager will need certain knowledge of financial techniques and systems along with accounting principles.

Part of the Project Plan will be something called the Spend Plan. This will show the planned spend against a time-scale. The PM will want to get involved in purchasing, quoting, reconciling invoices, time sheets, labor costs, etc.

The project manager then needs to establish what has actually happened as opposed to what was planned and to forecast the expected final costs. Normally accounting and project management tools will help - but remember the garbage in = garbage out rule!

This is a skill that can be learned - it just needs a little ‘detective’ work up-front!

You will want to first identify the possible ’causes’ that lead to the problem ’symptom’. Now, causes can come from a variety of sources, some are:

• interpersonal problems
• internal sources
• external sources
• technical sources
• management sources
• communication
• opinions or perceptions

and so on. The next step having found the root causes is to analyze possible options and alternatives, and determine the best course of action to take. Take care to agree what ‘best’ really means here!

Let’s just think of the aspects you will need to organize; project filing including all documentation, contracts, e-mails, memo’s, reviews, meetings, specialist documents, requirements and specifications, reports, changes, issues, risks, etc.

It’s almost impossible to stay organized without having Time Management Skills - so add this to your list!

Whatever the specialist area of your organisation, it is important to understand the difference here:

1. Specialists use their skills and experience to create specialist Products (deliverables). These products can be anything from hardware, software, roads, documents, service delivery, aircraft, buildings, carpentry, and HR guidelines, - the list is endless.

2. Project managers on the other hand, need general management skills - (along with a knack for problem solving).

Project managers are there to plan and manage the work - NOT to do it!