What would you change if you could go back in time?
We've all made blunders on our projects over the years. But ideally we've grown as project managers as a result of our blunders, both big and minor. I groan when I recall mistakes I made at the beginning of my profession. Today, though, I impart my knowledge to our trainees in the hopes that they will cringe a little less than I do.
What would you tell your younger self to do differently, if you're like me and further along in your career?
If I had a time machine, I would tell my younger self the following.
Utilize active listening skills
To truly hear what is being said, active listening is essential. Active listening entails focusing entirely on the speaker and what they are saying. It's all too simple to listen passively without hearing or truly understanding what is being stated. Even now, I still catch myself occasionally doing this, but when it does, I quickly return to active listening.
Accept That You Don't Have All the Answers
Recognizing the speaker and letting them know you're paying attention is also beneficial. You can signal this by nodding, looking someone in the eye, or sitting up straight.
Did you actually hear what was mentioned at your most recent meeting?
Stop making assumptions about events. You, your team, and the project itself will all suffer if you don't take the time to speak with and listen to the subject matter experts on the project. You don't know every solution.
Spend some time with your staff, and utilize their expertise. To make wiser, more thoughtful decisions, pay attention to all points of view. Have you thought about every possibility, or are you leaning toward your preferred course of action without hearing what others have to say?
How well did your most recent key project decision fare when you disregarded the team's other specialists' advice?
Mitigate Risks, Always
Failure to mitigate risks is a significant failing. Risk is everywhere all the time. The ‘it won't happen to me' attitude is usually a mistake.
Make sure nobody can say they didn't know a particular risk was present. Ask the team to help you mitigate all risks and assign a single owner to each risk to ensure you're mitigating all risks all the time. Not bothering to identify risks in favour of getting on with the work could leave you exposed and in a potentially awkward situation.
These days, I review the risks and issues on my projects twice weekly. Once with the customer and once with the technical team.
When was your last risk review session?
Stop Trying to Please Everyone
Don't avoid conflict situations that need resolving, and don't try to please everyone. When you do, everything seems fine at first, until the cracks start to appear. There's a phrase that usually precedes those cracks: "I thought you said…"
A truly happy project requires being straightforward and upfront with your customer, your team and other stakeholders. Tell them exactly how it is, and then work together to improve any bad situation. It never pays to sugar-coat the truth. Try not to be too optimistic.
My team will tell you that, today, my first response to any estimate they give me is to ask whether it's realistic. By being realistic, we've built up a proud tradition of delivering on time and on budget over a long period.
When was the last time you sugar-coated the truth for a stakeholder?
Pick a Pitfall
I've encountered plenty of pitfalls through the years, some a bigger deal than others. But they had one thing in common: I would have avoided them if I could.
I could pick any one of the following pitfalls to warn my younger self about:
Not having a good project plan
Allowing scope creep or gold plating
Failing to manage expectations
Communicating poorly
Making false assumptions
Failing to manage risks and issues
Lacking a business case
Gathering requirements poorly
What's the one pitfall you would warn your younger self about?
A Final Thought
For you more experienced project managers, travel back in time – in your head – and see if what you would tell your younger self is based on something you do well today. What do you wish you'd known back then?
For the young and aspiring project managers tuning in, why not ask some experienced project managers what they wish they'd known at your age?
Ultimately, we never stop learning. And that's exactly why all businesses should employ a 'learn it all' culture rather than a 'know it all' one. No matter where you are in your career, keep learning and keep improving. You don't need a time machine to learn from the past.
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