Industries are constantly evolving and becoming more competitive, and this means project managers must always bring their A-game to the table to ensure project success and team productivity.
Here are some project management dos and don’ts that you should be focusing on in order to keep up.
DO: Keep Your Team in the Loop
Communication and collaboration are at the very core of successful project management. Teams are made up of people who have their own sets of strengths and limitations, and giving orders alone will not lead to better productivity and higher morale. In order to keep your team motivated, it’s important to keep them in the loop when it comes to important decisions.
Knowing the inner workings will also help them realize the importance of the work they do and eliminate any feelings of alienation. Also, make sure to always share small and big successes with your team. They’re the ones working behind the curtains and deserve to know the outcomes.
DON’T: Set Unrealistic Deadlines
With unrealistic deadlines, you’ll just be setting yourself up for failure and disappointments. As a project manager, you need to understand that all goals can be accomplished, but all good things take time. If you have adequate knowledge about your team, resources, processes, and individual tasks, you should be able to come up with realistic deadlines. Also, always make sure that the deadlines you’re setting for others are the same that you’d set for yourself too.
Set up your team for success; that’s what a great project manager does.
DO: Delegate Appropriately
Good project management has a great deal to do with delegation, but delegation has to be done right. A project manager should know their team inside out, including the strengths of each of their team members. When you know your team members well, you’ll be able to delegate their tasks based on their strengths. This will allow you to get the most out of your team and ensure that the project is geared toward maximum success with the greatest efficiency.
DON’T: Call Unnecessary Meetings
Some things can be said in emails and texts; don’t turn them into hour-long meetings. Time management matters a lot when you’re working on certain projects, and unnecessary meetings can waste time and diminish productivity.
That being said, when you do call a meeting, make sure it’s justified and have a clear agenda in front of you. This will help you keep on track, cover all necessary bases and find solutions without too much downtime.
DO: Be Open to Learning
Project management is a constantly evolving concept with new innovations, frameworks, and approaches. As a project manager, you should always be open to learning about new methodologies and tools that can make project management easier and more efficient for you and your organization.
With the latest techniques on lock, you’re bound to become better at project management. Wondering what that may mean for your project? Take project management online training courses and learn about the latest project charter templates, project risk management, and more.
