The Best of the Project Manager by Jason Wesltland

The Best of the Project Manager A selection of professional insights from the Blog archive

Since 2008 our project management professionals have been sharing knowledge, experience and learning with online readers via the Project Manager Blog. Their collective wisdom provides a wealth of how to, top tips and best practice advice, for project managers, teams and businesses. To make their writings more accessible we’ve created a series of “Best of” project management topics available free to download and share. Here is a collection of excerpts and insights from blog posts that discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Project Manager, and the many hats they wear. Enjoy

Jason Westland CEO ProjectManager.com What Does a Project Manager Do? ............................................................................................................. 3 6 Ways to Be a Project Manager When You Are Not a Project Manager ................................................... 6 3 Ways to Make Yourself Rare as a Project Manager ................................................................................. 9 How Do you Like Your Project Manager Job? ........................................................................................... 11 10 Things to Expect When You Transition from Project Manager to Program Manager ......................... 14 5 Ways to NOT Act Like a Project Manager .............................................................................................. 17 6 Attributes of a Rock Star Project Manager............................................................................................. 19 How to Be a Program Manager that Pushes Back Internally .................................................................... 22 How to Create a Project Manager Resume ............................................................................................... 24 Project Managers, Project Management and Volunteering ..................................................................... 27 5 Ways Project Managers Can Display Project Management Class .......................................................... 30 6 Facts about Project Planning Micro-Managers ...................................................................................... 33 Six Steps to Help you Improve as a Project Manager ............................................................................... 35 6 Ways to Stay Razor Sharp as a Project Manager.................................................................................... 38 Sometimes Project Managers Don’t Know All the Answers ..................................................................... 41 6 Ways to Stay Relevant as a Project Manager ......................................................................................... 43 Responsibility without Authority?............................................................................................................. 45 Management? Leadership? or both? ........................................................................................................ 48 30 Day Free Software Trial ........................................................................................................................ 51 ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

What Does a Project Manager Do? The following are 4 value-add services you can provide as a project manager and make a huge difference to your team:

1. Minimize Interruptions There is nothing more that team members on your project appreciate and value than the ability to do their work uninterrupted. Today’s technology-driven jobs require focus and deliberate attention. This flies in direct contrast to today’s interruption-driven work environment. People are stopping by their desk to ask questions, clarify their understanding about a particular topic or aspect of the project, or looking to brainstorm on upcoming work. It is often your best resources who are plagued with the most interruptions. This is because they are your best resources. They are professional, knowledgeable, and have answers to most questions. They are not afraid to think creatively and are good to bounce ideas off of. But, the fact that they are also your best resources means that they are most likely expensive and their expertise is needed on the project at hand. What can a project manager do to help such a person on their team? Minimize interruptions for them. You can do this by making sure they have blocks of uninterrupted time to get their jobs done. It is nothing less than amazing what a person that knows what they are doing can get done in remarkably short bursts of time. Serve as their gatekeeper. Have people filter questions and requests for information through you. They will understand the reason why and most likely work with this arrangement. Perhaps you set up a certain time each day that this resource is available. This technique is called the “office hours” approach. People knew that between 2:003:00 in the afternoon this person would be available for any and all questions and would stop by at that time. The reality is that most questions do not need to be answered ‘that second’ but rather it is more a matter of convenience than anything else. Minimizing interruptions also includes limiting the amount of unnecessary meetings that your team members are invited to attend. People will send out blanket meeting invites ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

that include everyone in the company. The unfortunate reality is that only a small percentage of those in attendance actually need to be there and provide input. It’s no problem for team members to attend meetings, just make sure they are relevant and necessary.

2. Clear the Way It’s hard to make any measurable progress if you have to walk on the path and clear the path at the same time. It’s even more frustrating for the people on your project team if they have to figure out what needs to be done, work through project politics, or make sure they have the necessary resources available to them to do their job. Morale will quickly wane and productivity diminishes. Another answer to the question about what does a project manager do is that they clear the way for those on their team to follow. A good project manager will make sure there is a clear path to follow, that there are very few open issues or risks that will slow things down. They will make sure there are no politics or indecision seeping through to the project team that could introduce confusion or hesitancy to team members.

3. Organize Take a look at people’s desks and you’ll see why this is such an important and critical answer to the question about what does a project manager do. There are books and papers stacked everywhere. Post-it notes are plastered around them like wallpaper and there are carcasses of old equipment that is either broken or no longer used sprawled on their bookshelves. While they may not admit it, they do like it when you come in with your neatly organized binder of project documentation. Sure, they may scoff a little bit, but deep inside they wish they had your skills of organization. As long as you are the project manager they can benefit by extension of this quality that you bring to the table.

4. Prioritize This is another important aspect about project manager’s roles. People receive direction from so many people on their job today. They will receive it from their boss, someone from another department, their bosses’ boss, a customer request, or a favor that a peer ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

or colleague asked them to do. The next thing you know this person is overwhelmed with too much to do and not enough time to get it done. So they just stop and nothing gets done! This is another area where you can provide much value as a project manager. Help them to prioritize what needs to be done first. But where do you start? Below is a line of questioning you can use that can help prioritize what is on their plate: Will it bring in revenue? This is the first question you need to ask in a business environment. If they have projects that are backed up that upon completion the company will get paid for…work on those activities first. Will it quiet noise? There may not necessarily be revenue attached to a particular activity but rather a lot of noise. There could be complaints from a customer, or somebody in another department is waiting on something to be finished. This noise comes up every time at the status meetings and is painful to listen to week after week. If finishing this activity will make that noise go away…then do that next. What’s left? This is the rest of the list. If it won’t bring in money or quiet noise, then put it at the bottom of the list. Once you’ve been paid and it is quiet you can now work on anything else that may still be considered important. That’s a key point too. There are many things in this category that the passage of time will no longer render important. What does a project manager duties include? Plenty. But, if you keep the four value-add activities as part of everything you do as a project manager you will find that others will have the answer to what YOU do as a project manager.

6 Ways to Be a Project Manager When You Are Not a Project Manager The following 6 tips will help you fulfill the project manager duties even when you are not a project manager.

1. Get Input from Everyone A lesson project managers learn early on is that if they have not included the thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes from all stakeholders then their project will fall on hard times. The first time a project veers off track and inconveniences one group or another you will hear phrases like “they never asked me”, “I knew that was a problem but never got the opportunity to tell them”, or “that’s the first time I heard about this.” This is typically followed by a commensurate level of not wanting to help fix the problem. Make sure to ask everybody if they have any thoughts about the endeavor that is about to get underway. Even if their answer is “No”, then they have had the ability to provide their input.

2. Start Tracking with a Spreadsheet If you are not a Microsoft Project manager aficionado or an expert on another piece of project reporting software, then playing the part of a project manager can start out as simply as tracking the agreed upon tasks (from step 1 above) in a spreadsheet. This may be sacrilege to some project managers. We are not talking about using a spreadsheet in perpetuity. However, a spreadsheet is a great place to start to quickly compile and update a list of tasks, owners, due dates, status, and associated risks. This can then be used as the foundation for a basic project report as well as serve as the source of activity that can feed into a full-blown project management system.

3. Compile and Work from your Daily to-do List Now that you have received input from everyone, have the big picture captured on a spreadsheet (or similar) program, you can now start putting your daily to-do list to work from. You know you need to follow up on a particular part of the project that is due ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

today, have a project report to compile for the owner’s of the company, and a meeting scheduled to get approval on a new technology that is being implemented. Not all of these will be spelled out on the basic spreadsheet tracking plan from step #2, but this plan is what feeds into your daily to-do list. This will help keep you and your team on track.

4. Use the Classic 4-blocker as a Simple Project Report While PowerPoint may have its negatives (way too many presentations with bullet points that are read word for word), it also has some positives as well. The Classic 4Blocker is one of those positives. This is when you take a PowerPoint slide and divide it up into four sections. You will end up with two blocks on top and two blocks on bottom. This is a great format to use for your project report. The top left block is called Week’s Accomplishments and speaks to those items that have been completed over the past week. The top right block is called Next Steps and is a chronological, high level plan of the immediate next steps (approximately 4 weeks ahead) along with a brief description. This can be pulled directly from the project tracking spreadsheet in step 2 above. The bottom left block is called Risks and highlights any problems that have the potential of preventing the project moving forward and associated mitigation in case the event occurs. The bottom right block is called For Discussion / Issues and provides opportunity for any topics that need to be discussed or issues that have surfaced that are problematic for the project. That’s it. This basic report provides a glimpse into the recent past, shows what’s next, answer the question of what could possibly go wrong (and what to do when it does) and allows for general discussion. A great and simple tool to be used as the basis for a weekly project report.

5. Document Changes This is one of the project management skills that new project managers don’t realize is critical until they have been burned once or twice. Document changes! It doesn’t matter if they are big or small, just keep a log of who, what, why, where, and when as it relates to the change.

Who requested the change? What is the change? Why is there a reason for the change? Where will the change be made (what part of the project), and when or how long will this change take? This powerful “memory jogger” will save many an argument and eliminate misunderstandings that could arise from one team member not knowing what another team member (or even they themselves) changed on the project.

6. Acknowledge and Celebrate Success Even though you may not have a project manager job description, or project manager salary you don’t want to take it for granted that the team really pushed the envelope to make things happen. Give credit where credit is due. Let everyone know that someone went above and beyond. Make a big deal out of the team reaching a goal to your manager and acknowledge that commitments were met. Acknowledgement could range from an email to everyone with specifics about the success of the project, to a nice dinner, gift cards, or even something as fun as taking the whole team bowling after work. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it really falls squarely into the category of “it’s the thought that counts.” Your team will appreciate you are thinking about them. If you have been thrust into a situation where you are playing the part of an ad hoc project manager, then make the most of it. Your workmates recognize the fact that you are organized, detail-oriented and can keep everyone on track. Follow the 6 principles above and you will soon find your way towards making an even more positive difference to your team and company.

3 Ways to Make Yourself Rare as a Project Manager The following suggestions can help you differentiate yourself from others who are doing a similar job within your company (this is good for promotions) to those who are outside of the company (this is good for getting hired into a new company).

1. Be an Active Networker Once you have been in your role as a project manager with a company for some time, it is easy to get into a comfort zone. Your days become predictable, your peers become static, and your skill set may atrophy. It happens to all of us. Whether you are in construction project management to online project management, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use it you can lose it. Want to become rare as a project manager? Keep your network alive and get out of your comfort zone. Force yourself to learn new project management skills, meet new people and master different technologies. Find out what project manager software they use or other tips and tricks that have made their job easier. You will find that the momentary discomfort you feel from plunging into new situations will quickly be overshadowed by the benefits you gain. By now, everyone has an account on LinkedIn or has at least heard of this powerful professional networking tool. Are you utilizing it to its full potential? Update your profile, join a handful of project manager groups or call a number of people on your contact list in LinkedIn and invite them to lunch. Talk about the challenges you are facing, some of the solutions you have tried and ask for their advice and input. You will be thrilled with the results. These networked conversations are invaluable when it comes to helping you think in new ways, looking at problems from a different perspective, and bringing back energy and excitement to your project teams at the office.

2. Maintain a Relationship with the Sales Team It is no surprise that sales people and project manager types may not always see eye-toeye. The function of the sales team is to get business in the door. The function of the project manager team is to get business out the door. This sometimes can cause contention due to delivery schedules that may be overly optimistic by the sales team, or ProjectManager.com ÂŠ 2013 All Rights Reserved

dates that may be missed by the project teams. This results in project managers and sales people sitting on different sides of the table. Want to be unique as a project manager? Embrace the sales team. Go to lunch with them from time to time and sit on the same side of the table. Listen and understand the challenges they face. Expand your process, procedure, and deliverable based thinking to include the ambiguity and uncertainty that sales people deal with on a daily basis. Incorporate contingency plans and slack for unforeseen occurrences into your project management software. This will enhance your perspective on the importance of maintaining the relationship with the client and any projects that have been sold. You will soon find that by making small adjustments to your plan or making modifications to how you communicate with the sales team, you will have created allies. These allies can work with you and the client during those times that misunderstandings arise or the project gets into rough waters. Another benefit of maintaining this relationship is that the sales team is typically an early economic indicator of how the company is doing. You will have a sense if you need to shore up with additional resources to handle the load, or, perhaps find another home if business starts drying up.

3. Maintain your Project Management Certifications It is true that there are a good number of project managers that have some type of professional certification. However, there is also a fair amount of project managers that do not have any type of certification. This is another area that you can make yourself rare as a project manager. Keeping some type of credentialed initials after your name many times allows you to make it through the first filter that hiring managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use when scanning through piles of paper for the right project manager resume. It is important to not let your certification lapse feeling that you have been a project manager for so many years that it is no longer necessary. The economy, while improving, still has some bumps ahead. Your certification may be just what is needed to set you apart from the rest and have the hiring manager make the right hiring decision for their project manager jobâ&#x20AC;ŚYOU. ProjectManager.com ÂŠ 2013 All Rights Reserved

It is good to be scarce, rare, unique and one-of-a-kind when it comes to your project manager skills and abilities. By becoming a powerful networker, looking outside of the discipline of project management and embracing the sales team, and keeping up your project management certifications, you can be in a league all of your own.

How Do you Like Your Project Manager Job? There are a number of differentiating factors between a job and a career. A job is something you do to simply earn money. It’s not something you necessarily love or are passionate about, but is certainly a means to an end. A job is something that may or may not have an impact on your future work life. A job may not have a great deal of networking opportunities. And finally, when you work at a job you may find yourself doing just the minimal amount necessary so as to not annoy the boss or get on someone’s radar. A career is different. A career is a series of interconnected employment opportunities where one position propels you forward to your next position. A career allows you to build upon every experience and learning opportunity to fuel your future growth. Networking opportunities abound when you have a career. Plus, don’t even think about doing just enough to get by in a career. It’s in your best interest to go the extra mile, spend the extra time, and exemplify initiative in your position. This is how you move forward in a career. There are a number of reasons why Project Management can be considered a career and not just a job. The following are a few:

A Clear Path to Follow You can start off as a Project Coordinator and assist a Project Manager in coordinating activities, resources, equipment, and information. Then, you could move into other project manager’s roles such as a Project Management Specialist focused on specific project manager duties like scheduling, cost, or risk management.

The next step is to become a Project Manager of which there are entry level positions up to senior roles. Program Manager is the next stop in the career path which could lead to Portfolio Manager. The further along the career path you go, you focus less and less on execution and implementation and more and more on strategy and organizational alignment. Not interested in the path laid out above? Take a different road, then. You could find yourself taking a left or a right turn along the way and becoming a Project Management Educator or trainer. Or, maybe you go down the path of becoming a Functional Manager in a specific department within your company and avail yourself to the different doors and opportunity that this would open up. There are Executive options as well if you choose to go down the path of setting up a Project or Program Management Office. Director or VP Level positions in this capacity are good stepping stones toward CIO or even CEO responsibilities. Throughout your career you’ll find many places and projects to apply your project management skills.

An Abundance of Certifications Another aspect of having a professional career is that there are certifications that can be earned along the way. This certainly holds true when it comes to project management training. There’s the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), the Project Management Professional (PMP), the Program Management Professional (PgMP), the Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), the Risk Management Professional (RMP), and the PMI Scheduling Professional (SP). And that’s just what the Project Management Institute (PMI) has to offer. Then there is Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt certification, ITIL v3 certification, Lean Enterprise certification, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and a host of other certifications and credentials that would result in your name taking up to two lines if you listed all of them!

Each Experience Builds Upon Itself One aspect of a career is that each opportunity you experience builds upon itself and helps you with the next experience. This certainly holds true for project management. In fact, one of the closing activities in project management is to compile a document called “Lessons Learned”.

The purpose of this document is to elicit from stakeholders on the project team what went right, what went wrong, what worked well and what could have been done better. These invaluable lessons are then internalized, implemented, and applied to the next project. Think about how much experience you gain after ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, or any countless number of projects over your career as a project manager!

Maximizing Your Project Manager Career Once you view your project manager job for what it really is (a career) then there are certain things you can do to maximize earning potential. For example, at a minimum make sure to earn at least one certification related to where you are on the project manager career path. Then, make sure you not only maintain this certification but also obtain other certifications as your career changes over the years. Another thing you can do to maximize your earning potential and project manager salary along the way is to become a very serious networker. It’s been said time and again “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” This same principle holds true for project managers as well. Certainly, we all need to know what we are doing, but, in order to apply what we know we need to know people who can help us use this knowledge and experience. Use networking opportunities as a way to look for how you can help others out first. Maybe they need help in a job search, or putting a resume together, or advice on how to complete a particularly painful project. If you approach networking from the angle of how can you help someone, rather than what can they do for you, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised that the favor will be returned down the road. Something else to keep in mind as you build your career as a project manager is not to necessarily get pigeon-holed into doing just one kind of project. For example, you may become great at managing IT projects, but that’s all anyone thinks you may be able to do. Stretch your project manager muscles and work on different types of projects. Do a project for Marketing, or Finance, or a project that a Client is paying to get done. This will allow you to diversify your portfolio of experience and glean even more lessons learned that can be applied across future projects.

The next time someone asks you how you like your Project Manager Job; you should be able to recall some of the points above to let them know you LOVE your project manager CAREER. Keeping this perspective will differentiate you from other project manager who do view their position as a job and ultimately increase your earning potential.

10 Things to Expect When You Transition from Project Manager to Program Manager The following list is a working guide as to what you can expect as you transition into this new role:

1. More Responsibility Instead of managing a handful of projects and focusing on their execution and implementation, you will be managing project managers that are managing those projects. In addition, you will also be responsible for more of the day-today operations of the program. This could range from delivery of services, to billing, to all points in between.

2. More Visibility The Program Manager takes a more visible role within either their own company and/or the company where these programs are being managed. They will spend more time with the Director and VP level rather than then technical and implementation teams.

3. More Client Facing Time You will have plenty of face-time with clients if you are managing a program on their behalf. This time will range from weekly program reviews, to strategy sessions, to stakeholder and executive program reviews.

4. More Influence There is no doubt that Project Management is a leadership position within a company. One definition of leadership is “the ability to influence and inspire others to accomplish objectives by providing purpose, guidance, and direction”. Effective Project Managers ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

are masters at being influential to get things done. Program Managers need to take that to a new level. Not only will they find that they need to have more influence, but that they will wield that much more influence because of their new position.

5. More Strategic Thinking You will find yourself thinking more about the big picture and less about the details, this is where program management software will support your program manager skills. You will be less consumed by “how will we get it done” and more focused on “what needs to get done”. You will then leave the “how” up to the experts.

6. More Escalations While you may be out of the weeds when it comes to the day-to-day project related activities, you will be called upon more for when things are going off track. These escalations could range from a project manager not having the resources they need to complete the project to a breakdown in an ongoing process that needs to be fixed. It becomes your responsibility to make sure the program is running smooth on all levels.

7. More Money That’s the plan, anyway. Make sure you have this on your radar as part of your negotiations as you move into this new position. A rough estimate on the salary difference between a Senior Level Project Manager and a Program Manager salary is in the range of $13,000 – $15,000 more for a Program Manager position as defined in the job description above.

8. More Moving Pieces You are now responsible for not only the projects that are attached to a program, but all aspects of the relationship where this program is being implemented. You may have viewed yourself as an orchestra conductor as a Project Manager. You can still view yourself as a conductor; just realize that your orchestra became much larger with more people and more instruments.

9. More Financial Responsibility Program Managers are typically involved in more of the financial forecasting and budgeting responsibilities than a project manager who is responsible for monitoring and tracking budgets related directly to their projects.

10. More Satisfaction OK, the jury may be out on this one. It’s very subjective as to how satisfied one person is with their job compared to someone else. However, if you feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a project on time and within budget, then there is even a greater level of satisfaction knowing that you have the entire machine (aka the Program) running smoothly.

What NOT to Expect as you Transition from Project Manager to Program Manager The above list is a starting point for what you can expect as you transition from project manager to program manager. However, there are a couple of things you should not expect as well. First, if you were used to getting a “job well done” every now and then as a project manager, you will find these become less frequent. You are moving into a senior role within your company. The stakes are higher and you are expected to perform at an optimal level. Also, you will most likely find yourself receiving less guidance and direction. Again, as you move up the corporate ladder you are expected to develop more of your own direction and motivation. The transition from project manager to program manager is a gratifying one. You will find yourself in higher level conversations within not only your company but your client’s as well. This opens the door to seeing how different executives operate, which leadership styles work and which don’t. Exposing yourself to these various personalities will certainly augment how you operate as an effective Program Manager and make the transition from project manager to program manager a breeze.

5 Ways to NOT Act Like a Project Manager What are some of the ways a Project Manager should NOT act? This is a shorter and more obvious list. We tender the following 5 ways for your consideration:

Be Hesitant Who wants to follow a project manager that is unsure of themself and doesn’t have a clear direction of where they are going? Nobody. Project Management is a leadership position and people, not surprisingly, look to them for leadership. Nowhere is the quality of hesitancy more loathe than during crisis situations on a project. These are the times on the project when something has gone wrong and decisions need to be made. Direction needs to be given in real time. This is when a project manager digs into their past experience with similar situations and gets things under control quickly.

Be Apologetic We’re not talking about being rude. If you accidentally bump into someone in the hallway you should apologize. What we are talking about is apologizing for every little thing that doesn’t go just according to plan. A project manager is responsible for managing any number of resources that do not directly report to him. Most of the time they will do things perfectly. Other times, what they deliver may be close. Less frequently, their output may be a total miss. If you have to apologize for each and every one of these situations, you will find yourself apologizing all day long. You will quickly begin to lose your effectiveness and credibility. Rather, if it’s a small enough issue that doesn’t negatively impact anything…let it go. If it’s a bigger deal, rather than come in with an apology…come in with the facts and a solution. But, if it’s the type of miss that occurs every now and then in the normal course of business, just fix it and move on.

Too Thoughtful Project Managers are faced with having to make decisions all day long. There are always multiple paths to take, different resources that could be used, and various ways to get something done. They all require thought and thought requires time. But, don’t get stuck in paralysis by analysis. Project Management is an action-oriented discipline. You need to keep things moving forward. You are not tasked with having to make “the best” decision every time, but rather a “good decision” every time. Take the time necessary to make lots of “good” fast decisions and you will do just fine in your career.

Surprised You will see many unbelievable things as you move along in your career as project manager. In your early years as a project manager it may have surprised you if somebody committed to doing something, did not deliver on time. Or, that a client asked for something just the way you delivered it and then said they never said to do it that way. Or, that timelines or budgets were slashed in half while the scope of the project was not. People don’t want to follow a project manager that is surprised by these types of events all the time. Rather, they are looking for someone that has “been there, done that”, knows how to deal with the situation at hand, and expeditiously puts the issue to rest. There’s another facet to being surprised. This is when everything falls in line; the project is delivered on time. This is what good and effective project managers do and this should not come as a surprise to anyone.

By the Book, Exclusively The Book provides some great guidelines but isn’t intended to be followed exclusively in all situations. The “Book” is any project management methodology, development methodology or other system that has been put in place for you and your team to follow. Some project managers adulate the Book so much that it begins to take the place of common sense. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

There are as many perceptions of what qualities a good project manager should possess as there are ways to complete a project. However, there are some universal truths when it comes to how a project manager should NOT act. Always remember that a project manager is in a leadership role within the company and their actions should be commensurate with that visible position.

6 Attributes of a Rock Star Project Manager …What then, are some of the attributes you should possess that can put you in this category of the project manager who achieves rock star status? That is, the project manager who stands out from everyone else around them based upon their skills, abilities, talent and experience. The following six attributes may put you in this category. Just be sure to crank them WAY UP!

1. Confidence Builder The project manager that is a rock star instills confidence in other people. You can tell by the project manager’s swagger. They have a certain way they walk. They lower their voice a notch or two when they talk business. They exude “been there, done that” and people feel comfortable with them being in the lead. Confidence is not to be confused with arrogance, but rather an attitude that everything is going to be alright. Seriously, would you want to follow someone who was anything less than confident? This is not to say that the project manager who is a rock star has the answer to everything or their projects don’t get into trouble. However, they don’t overreact to such situations and methodically figure out a way to get to the best solution and decision.

2. Change Manager A fact about every project is that there’s going to be change. It is next to impossible for a project to make it to completion without change entering the picture. These changes may range from something minor (a matter of personal preference) to something major (a key requirement may have been missed). The project manager that can adeptly manage change is one that will rise to the top in no time. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

It’s up to you to expect change. Have processes and procedures in place when change occurs. Realize that it’s part of your job to roll with the changes that come your way. Do you have a change request form ready? Does the client understand that they can change things at any time; however it will cost additional money? Do internal stakeholders at your company understand that change typically extends timelines? Make sure you have all of this groundwork covered before changes occur and it will make managing the change process that much easier.

3. Exceptional Planner The project manager that is a rock star is known for their stellar planning capabilities. Sure, we all know how to put a project plan together. That’s the cost of entry to the party. It is the exceptional project manager that has a plan for everything else as well. This person can see both the forest for the trees and the trees for the forest, and this allows them to put the plan together at both a tactical and strategic level.

4. Outstanding Communicator There are two extremes of project communicators. There are project managers that sit at their desks and unleash a cavalcade of emails with subject lines such as “Need Status”, “FYI”, or “Is this done yet?” They rarely see their team face-to-face and feel that their job is simply to serve as a conduit for forwarding emails from one person to the next. Plus, they like the perceived security that having an audit trail affords them. This allows them to pull up a piece of paper and say “See…I told you about that”. The second type is the project manager that rarely writes anything or sends any email, but knows the ins and outs of what is going on with the project because they are side by side with their project team. They know the issues, challenges, risks, and status as good as anyone on the team and exactly what needs to be done next. Their team knows they are in this together and have an increased level of trust due to the incessant communication that this project manager exercises. The project manager that is a rock star leans more toward the second type…with just enough email and paper trail to keep things on track. They communicate up, down, and sideways within the organization. They listen WAY more than they talk. They ask ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

questions for the sake of understanding deeply. They collaborate on solutions and get buy-in from (most) of the team prior to proceeding. Even if there are some on the team that do not agree with the project manager’s decision, they respect the fact that they listened and clearly communicated the reason why the decision was made.

5. Risk Mitigator Arguably, one of the most important functions that a project manager serves is that of a risk mitigator. A risk is anything that might occur to a project that would prevent it from being completed on time and within budget. Isn’t it the project manager’s job to complete projects on time and within budget? That’s why I would consider it one of the most important functions they serve. It is the exceptional project manager that looks under every rock for problems that could arise that would get their project off course. Are there enough resources? Have all the requirements been captured? Is there the possibility for another big project to come in and delay this project? What’s more, they put a contingency plan in place to deal with these risks in the event that they occur and become issues.

6. Problem Solver What would a project be without problems? By definition, a project is a one-time endeavor with a clear beginning and end date. This means that it’s one of a kind, unique and this particular flavor of project hasn’t been done before. And there’s the problem. You don’t know what you don’t know and with each project there will be a fresh set of problems to deal with. The project manager that is a rock star navigates these problems with ease. They don’t get stressed and overexcited when problems occur. Neither do they get depressed and downtrodden when something goes wrong. Rather, they methodically work through the problem, find a good solution (doesn’t always need to be ‘the best’, many times good will suffice if it can be done quickly) and move on with getting things fixed. While staying up late, sleeping all morning and going to party after party may not help your project management career, you can be a project manager rock star by displaying the above 6 attributes. If you are a confidence building, change managing, stellar ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

planner who lets others know what is going on while avoiding risk and solving problems, then you are well on your way to a successful career.

How to Be a Program Manager that Pushes Back Internally One area where you need to learn to be a program manager that pushes back is within your own organization. The following are some scenarios and possible remedies to these situations if you encounter them.

1. Someone Hijacks Your Resource Let’s say you work in a very specialized field and there are only so many skilled resources on your team to go around. You’ve been given one of these resources to finish a project that needs to be in place in order for your program to run smoothly. Someone pulls rank on you without telling you and checks in on your resource to see how things are progressing. “sorry,’ she says. “I haven’t been working on your project for two days now. The VP of Sales needed this other project complete.” What?? You heard her right. The VP of Sales came and took her away from your project without even asking you or telling you. She probably should have told you too, but that’s a different issue. What are you going to do? The program manager that pushes back will have a conversation with the VP of Sales. You need to articulately state your position and the fact that you are responsible for getting this particular deliverable complete. This guy is smart. He understands your job. He understands your position and hopefully he will graciously give your resource back. If not, then escalate. Because at the end of the day the question will come back to you from your boss about if you knew about this, why did you allow it to happen.

2. Someone Tells You Something Will Take Longer Than It Should I’ve worked with resources in the past that had a standard answer for every request that was made of them. When asked how long something would take to complete, their standard answer was “40 hours”. Everything was 40 hours. I knew good and well that it would only take a fraction of that time once they put their mind to it, but they wanted you to believe otherwise. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

What can you do to be a program manager that pushes back in this situation? Call their bluff. “C’mon…both you and I know that it only takes 8 hours to get this done. I’ll tell you what, let’s tack on another 8 hours just to be sure and let’s go ahead and knock this out”. Don’t settle for the first answer you get…especially if you don’t like it or it doesn’t suit your needs.

3. Someone Tries to Get You to Commit To Something You Can’t Deliver Here’s one of my favorites. Someone comes to you and says “You own this, right?” What does that even mean? It means that they want to hand off their problem to you and not have to worry about it anymore. It means that silence is consent. It means “you’re it.” It means that if you don’t say something then their problem has instantly turned into your problem. There’s nothing wrong with saying that you need to get a better understanding of exactly what is it that you are signing up to “own”. You need to get more information about what the problem is, who is involved, the current state, how close to completion, etc. There are professional delegators within any organization whose sole purpose in life is to deflect anything and everything that comes their way that even remotely looks like work. Don’t get hit by any of their shrapnel. If you do decide that you can help out and “own this”, then make sure it is on your terms. It may be that you need additional resources to assist or the date may need to be extended longer than what was originally planned. There’s a lot of give and take that occurs within business relationships. You don’t mind helping out and giving as a program manager, but at the same time you can’t let others take advantage of you. You’re not accountable to them. You are accountable to your boss and up the corporate ladder from there. Fortunately, the days of pushing people to the ground are way behind us. Everyone’s an adult now but we still need to know how to play nice together. Part of playing nice is to understand there are rules to follow and boundaries to work within. Understanding these dynamics will help you learn how to be a program manager that pushes back…nicely, of course.

How to Create a Project Manager Resume There are two (really 2 ½) main formats of how your project manager resume can be assembled. One is functional, the second is chronological, and the ½ is a combination of the two.

Functional Project Manager Resume The functional project manager resume focuses on skills and experiences and downplays the employment aspect of your career. This is good for project managers that may be new to the workforce, or may have had some gaps in their employment history. Interestingly, gaps in employment are not nearly the black mark that they used to be when employment was high. Nearly everyone has been affected by recent downturns in the economy and understands that even good people were affected by companies going out of business or downsizing. What are some of the pros and cons of a functional project manager resume? PROS It focuses on what you know Rather than being tied to what you did at a certain place over a certain period of time, a functional resume allows you to combine your experience into one package. For example, you may have written use cases in one company, technical manuals in another company, and functional specifications in another company. You can pull all of these activities together under the umbrella of Documentation Specialist and show the breadth and depth of what you have done. 

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You tell the reader what you want them to know – A functional project manager resume gives you the ability to not have the reader “read between the lines”. For example, they may have their own view of what a Sr. Project Manager does, however, in your particular role you went WAY beyond that job title. Rather than get pigeon-holed by someone else’s interpretation of what they think your job entailed, you can explicitly include what you did in a functional project manager resume. Use unpaid or non-work experience to your advantage – Many people do a lot of volunteer work with various charities or their church. The reality is that many times this work is harder than a real job! You’ll sometimes hear people say “you couldn’t ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

pay me to do this”, yet, they will volunteer in order to help out. A functional project manager resume will let you incorporate that type of experience into your resume. For example, you may have organized teams of people to complete a particular charity project that spanned over a couple of months. Should the experience you gained from that charity activity be included? Absolutely. CONS 

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It’s not the norm – Most employers are familiar with a chronological resume that outlines a person’s work history in a neat and tidy way. They may not be as familiar with a project manager resume format that focuses on skills and abilities rather than work history. A clear career path may not be obvious – Another drawback to a functional resume is that your career path may not be visible to the reader. It may not be readily apparent that you started as a project coordinator, and then moved into a Jr. Project Manager role, then Project Manager, then received your PMP Certification, then Sr. Project Manager role, etc. Be mindful that if you decide on this type of format that you indicate somewhere that you have a certain path you are following.

Chronological Project Manager Resume The chronological resume provides a job-by-job description of what you did, when you did it, and where. This also has some pros and cons. PROS 

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Employers are most familiar with this format – As previously mentioned, employers and recruiters are used to seeing this type of format. It includes your objective, your work history, educational profile and other associations and accomplishments at the end. It’s easy for them to get out of this resume what they are looking for. Shows your employability and career path - If there are not gaps between jobs, this is also a useful tool for showing your employability as a project manager. You can show a steady succession of positions and employers. It also will also give some indication of the career path you are on as a project manager and what your future aspirations may be.

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Highlights career gaps and plateaus – The chronological resume will quickly highlight if you have reached a plateau in your career. Maybe you made it as far as Program Manager but then stopped there for 6 – 8 years. This is not necessarily a bad thing, you may enjoy that position and it meets your needs, but it may also raise questions as to your drive and ambition. Something else that is easily figured out from a chronological resume is your age. Sure, employers aren’t supposed to take that into consideration but we know reality is very different. If your first job on your project manager resume is in 1972 they may quickly dismiss you as a candidate and put you in the category of “overqualified”. Your age can be figured out on a functional resume as well, however, it won’t be quite as apparent. May not call out all that you can do – This type of resume also leaves it to the reader’s imagination as to what you can accomplish. This focuses more on what you HAVE done, not necessarily what you CAN do.

The Hybrid Resume This one is my favorite as it allows you to maximize on the strengths of both types of project manager resumes and minimize the weaknesses: You start with the functional side of what you can do as a Project Manager. Next, you break it down into your areas of expertise that you have acquired over the years. Perhaps you are excellent at Communication, Planning, Risk Management, and Client Management. Include a header for each one of these areas and include a few bullet points from your years of experience. Then, include a brief chronological section to show how employable you are, your career path, and the types of companies you have worked for in the past. Finally, wrap it up with your education and any outside volunteer activities and you’ve got yourself a great start in putting together your project resume. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

How Long Should it Be? Years ago it was important to have your resume no more than 2 pages long and cram as much as you possibly could without that small space. I don’t see any problem with project manager resumes being 3-4 pages long. I know when I look to hire project managers and I come across a resume I like, I really want to dig into the details and understand what that person is about. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you take the time to put your best foot forward. Carefully think through what you put on your resume, have others review it and provide feedback, and most of all, enjoy the search.

Project Managers, Project Management and Volunteering This life outside of our work environment offers many opportunities to employ our project management skills, yet one needs to be careful when applying project management methods within a volunteer environment. Why? Because some people may not appreciate the efficiency and “take charge” mentality we bring to the volunteer table.

Tread Softly There’s a lot of dynamics in play when it comes to volunteering and sometimes project management and project managers are not welcomed in this environment. You need to gradually and subtly introduce the concept of project management to such a group. This is frustrating for many project managers that are used to getting things done. Project managers like to gather input, make decisions, assign tasks and then go, go, go! Volunteer environments work differently. There may need to be some ideas that are run through a committee. This of course takes time. More information may be needed in order to satisfy a committee member’s questions. This of course takes time. Now, a decision is made and it’s time to round up the people that are going to implement the decision.

This of course takes time! All the while you are sitting there biting your tongue knowing that with a little project management method applied this ‘project’ could be done in a fraction of time that it’s going to take everyone. What can you do? You can manage the project!

Just Don’t Call it Project Management. Why? Because…a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Project management by any other name would still get a whole lot of stuff done in a very short period of time. Here are some things you could do to help move volunteer or non-profit projects forward: 

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Coordinate – There are people from all different types of backgrounds that work on volunteer projects. These range from people that may have had decades of experience in a corporate environment, retirees, stay at home parents, people that own their own businesses, people that are sole proprietors and all points in between. Some people love just diving into the work and getting it done. Others may wait around until they are instructed what to do. The application of project management principles comes into play here. You could speak up and say… “There’s a lot of moving parts here, I’ll be glad to coordinate what everyone has going on so we don’t trip over each other or miss an important activity.” Who could say no to that? Then, you go home and pull up a spreadsheet or project plan and start planning out the project. You won’t need a fancy project management application for most volunteer projects. You just need the ability to capture a task, date due, who is responsible, and the current status. This will give you enough information to come to subsequent meetings with the information needed to keep everyone on the same page. The trick is that you don’t want to overwhelm those who have never put the two words “project” and “management” together before. Communicate – This is for a number of reasons. Typically, volunteer activity is something that is squeezed in between a whole bunch of other responsibilities. People have long days at work, family responsibilities and other obligations they need to meet. People will get to their volunteer activities when they can and this means certain ‘nice-to-haves’ suffer. Unfortunately, one of these nice-to-haves is communication. Another reason communication is challenging is that most people are not used to communicating with larger groups of people. They may feel as if a meeting every now and then is all that is needed to keep everyone up to speed. The ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

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assumption is that everyone is 100% tuned in to what is going on and is able to understand the details. Report: – Another application of project management in a volunteer environment is that of a reporter, the person that takes notes at each meeting, documents the decisions that were made, records next steps, dates due and people that are responsible. You know how important this is in a work setting when it comes to preventing misunderstandings and recalling decisions back to people’s minds. It’s just as important in a volunteer setting. Again, volunteers may not be tuned in 100% when it comes to what is going on with the project and this is a good reminder. Come up with an easy-to-use form to make this job as easy as possible. This shouldn’t take up more than one page to zero in on what needs to be done. This can then be distributed to the team and keep everyone up-to-speed with what is happening on the project. Illuminate: – Here’s a project management application that will occur by default if you do the things outlined above. You will become the shining light and torch-bearer for the project. In other words, you will become the project manager! That’s right, without ever uttering the words “project manager” you will have slipped into this role. You are filling the vital need of coordinating activity, communicating what is going on, and capturing what has occurred. Your nonthreatening way of moving into this position will only result in people saying “thank you, we appreciate what you are doing for the project.”Your application of project management principles across an entirely new group of people in a very unique environment will pay big dividends at the end…and prevent you from pulling your hair out!

Remember that “Life” thing we talked about at the beginning of this article? You’ll find that you have even just a little more time to spend on “Life” than you used to if you follow the steps above.

5 Ways Project Managers Can Display Project Management Class Project Managers, do you have “project management class” or are you on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to navigating through your projects? Project management class describes a set of leadership qualities. Take a moment and review these five traits common to project managers that possess project management class. Can your project team apply these traits to you?

1. Project Managers that Say “Thank You” It’s an understatement to say there are different types of project managers. There are project managers that walk around with a perpetual scowl on their face. There are those who rush up and down the hall as if everything is a crisis. There are those who are unflappable, regardless of how bad things are falling apart around them. Then, there are those project managers that never say “Thank You.” You know the type. They walk around as if everyone’s purpose is to do their bidding. They barely know the names of their project team, yet they expect everyone to jump through hoops to get their portion of the project done. This person does jump through these hoops. They come in on weekends. They miss their kid’s baseball practice. They log in during the wee hours of the morning to troubleshoot an emergency issue that came up during testing. Does the project manager even remotely acknowledge this person’s contributions? No. This is not project management class. Project management class is when you take the time to acknowledge what others have done for your project. They are doing what you can’t do. You rely upon them to get the job done. Don’t treat them like disposable commodities that you are entitled to exploit to your advantage. It doesn’t work (long-term) that way. Take a moment and sincerely and specifically thank people for the work they contribute. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

2. Project Managers that Brag About Their People Project management class is embodied in those who brag about the people that are on their project team. Let’s say one of the above-mentioned ‘resources’ went above and beyond. They may have visited a client’s site with you and delivered an exceptional presentation. They fielded questions that you weren’t even sure of the answers to, and they delivered the presentation eloquently. The first thing project management class would dictate, would be to tell them “thank you”. The next thing you do is brag about them to their supervisor, manager, or whoever is above them in the corporate food chain. A simple email will suffice. Just a few lines about how much you appreciated the role they played in making the meeting a success. Offer a specific example of where they went above and beyond. That’s all there is to it! This is effective for a number of reasons: 

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First, you know the person that gave the great presentation will hear about your feedback and be more prone to go above and beyond in the future. Second, their manager appreciates the fact that you appreciate someone on their team and will be more likely to work closer with you in the future. Third, it’s just good project management class to tell others when someone does a good job.

3. Project Managers that Keep Their Cool A 3rd way to display project management class is to keep your cool when the going gets tough. We know things have a tendency to get a bit turbulent on projects. Technical issues may have surfaced or an aggressive delivery date that was committed to by the company is quickly looming and the project is not running according to schedule. There are two choices to make: 1) Run around like a crazy person with your head on fire and ignite the rest of the team, or… 2) Gain control of yourself and calm the rest of the team. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

I’ve seen it too many times when the person at the top overreacts about a situation and everyone on their team follows suit. What ensues is a lot of unnecessary chaos and drama that could have easily been avoided. Choose #2. Gain control of yourself and calm the rest of the team. Take a moment and back away from the crisis when something goes wrong. Having project management class will allow you to assess the situation, formulate a plan, communicate it to the team and begin working through the issue. Yes, it’s harder than it sounds. But, I’ve also seen it accomplished effectively, innumerable times. I’ve also seen the train wreck that occurs when #1 is chosen above. Choose wisely.

4. Project Managers that Take the Blame Part of having project management class during a crisis situation is to take the blame. Now, we’re not talking about taking the blame for somebody else’s mistakes. For example, it may have been that the functional manager of the testing team was not properly staffed to get the job done and things have fallen behind. But, we are talking about taking the blame for those who are directly on your project team and have been following your direction. There will never be any class in throwing a teammate under the bus. A better response would be…”Yes that was a miss on our part. We’ll go back and see what can be done to get things back on track immediately”. Follow up with a face-toface conversation about what could have been done differently. But at no time should the finger be pointed at those under your direct project management authority.

5. Project Managers that Share the Credit “Great job!” the executives proclaim to you as you are wrapping up your post project review. “Thanks, I worked really hard to make this project a success”. Really? Did you just say that? You know that you are just part of the equation that got the job done. Even if you are a big part of the equation of making the project a success, ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

you are going to share that credit with the rest of the team. It’s the opposite of taking the blame. Despite the fact that you may have been the linchpin that kept the whole project together, projects are a team effort and you need to share the credit. Allow your teammates to bask in the warm glow of a job well done and feel good about what they have accomplished. I’m sure you can think of many more ways to display project management class. Start with the 5 suggestions above and you’ll start seeing a difference in the way peers, executives and clients view your project management skills.

6 Facts about Project Planning Micro-Managers Even veterans who know better can fall into the trap of micro managing talented people. Below are reasons why this type of behavior emerges and things you can do to rehabilitate the micro-manager: 1. It Could Be They Enjoy What They Do: Let’s start by giving micro-managers the benefit of the doubt. It could be that they just really, really like what they do. They may have come up through the technical ranks of an organization and liked or grew accustomed to a hands-on approach to work. They dig into the details (aka micromanage) to ensure they don’t miss out on anything new or exciting. They spend more time on the technical aspects of a project rather than finessing their project planning skills. What can you do to help someone like this if you work for them? Schedule regular blocks of time with them or lunch together every now and then to review what’s new and exciting. That way, you keep them up to speed with what’s going on with the team. That should give them enough of a fix to get back to concentrating on project planning. 2. They Need to Have an Answer for Every Question: Another reason managers get caught in the micro-management trap is that they don’t like saying “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” That’s understandable. Nobody likes that feeling, even though it does happen from time to time. Their way of ensuring they have an answer for everything is to get into an extreme amount of detail on your projects. This lends itself to micromanagement. This is easily combated with frequent and relevant status or progress reports. One thing about project planning is that there is no shortage of status and progress reports available, so provide this type of manager with regular and ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

consistent reports to give them the level of comfort they need. Assure them that if they don’t know they answer, they can give you a call and within minutes will know what is going on with the project. They Need Camaraderie: There’s nothing like rolling up your sleeves and working on a technical team. The feeling of accomplishment that occurs as a team breaks through technical issue after technical issue is exhilarating. You don’t quite get that same feeling when your day is all about project planning. Sure, you get a feeling of accomplishment when the plan comes together, but it’s not quite like the old days when you would hang out with the team. Help the micro-manager relive those feeling again by making sure they are included in your breakthroughs. Keep them up to speed with both the darkness created by an incessant technical problem and when the light appears at the end of the tunnel. They Feel They Can Do a Better Job: Some micro-managers believe they can do the job better than anyone else. They may have been extremely proficient at the task being accomplished in a prior position, perhaps as they came up through the technical ranks. They may even be considered an expert in a particular area. It’s hard to let someone else do a job they were previously proficient at. You may get the job done with absolutely acceptable quality; it just may take longer or not be at the level of perfection the micro-manager would like it to be. What can you do? Ask for their expert advice, insight or direction. They may know a lot about project planning, but what you are working on is really their specialty. Lean on them for their expertise and you will undoubtedly learn something while getting them to take a step or two back. They are Unsure about the Direction They Gave: Another reason people micromanage is that they are not 100% sure about the direction they provide to you. They may come across as confident, but until they see progress being made, are unsure of what the outcome of their direction will be. The result is that they may frequently check in with you to provide necessary adjustments to your course. The best thing you can do in this scenario is provide them with frequent updates to your progress. Preempt them having to come and ask you for information. Go to them on your time to minimize their interruptions throughout the day. They May Not Understand their Job: Someone newly promoted to a position of management or authority may not quite understand what that means. It takes time to learn about project planning and make the transition from ‘doing’ to ‘managing. ’ Their comfort zone may still be in the ‘doing’ side of projects, or managing people ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

may not be a natural talent for them. This results in them working VERY closely with you to do your job. You can do someone like this a huge favor by letting them know how they can support you. Their value is not to help you do YOUR work, but rather to clear obstacles or ambiguities, plan next steps and deal with the politics of the project. This will allow you to keep your head down and get your work done.

Six Steps to Help you Improve as a Project Manager 1. First Comes Commitment The first step in improving yourself as a project manager is to first make the commitment. This means taking the required steps rather than just talking about doing them. All the good intentions in the world won’t help you improve if you don’t actually go ahead and do something tangible. This is what separates those who actually DO improve as project managers and those who SAY they are going to improve as project managers. A great way to commit, and to make sure you are accountable, is to keep a journal of your intentions, plans and goals as it relates to your own professional development. Another way to commit is to let your project team members, sponsor and clients know that you value and seek opportunities for your own improvement. They will all appreciate your openness and drive for improvement.

2. Define Improvement As a great project manager you know that you need to have a defined scope of work for the project so you know exactly what you are doing. It’s the same for any plan to improve yourself as a project manager.

Start by taking the time to define the specific areas you are seeking to improve. Take the time to define exactly which areas you are seeking to improve in. Do you need more technical skills, people management or greater leadership ability? Be as specific as possible as this will allow you to better plan how you will achieve your professional development. Once you have defined exactly what improvement means to you, you can document them and be able to develop a clear plan that includes goals, time-frames and metrics to know whether or not your improvement plan is working. Don’t fall for the trap that there is an end point for improvement. Once you have achieved one set of goals, you can define and set your next set of goals. Improvement is a continuous experience so don’t rush to file that plan away so quickly.

3. Make Mistakes (and Learn From Them) It may seem like a strange thing to say but let’s be honest, everyone makes mistakes… so try and make a positive out of a negative situation and use these mistakes as opportunities to grow and improve. The smart people make mistakes and learn from them. The not-so-smart people make the same mistakes over and over again. Often the best way to learn something and improve is to make a mistake and learn from it by asking yourself why, how, what, and when about the mistake. Try to use the 20:20 vision of hindsight to learn and improve yourself.

4. Seek Feedback Be brave enough to ask those people around you for feedback. Ask your team members, your boss and your customers about what they see as your strengths and weaknesses. You can do this formally and informally. You can schedule a formal 360 degree review during your annual performance appraisal and career development planning session. Alternatively, you can seek regular informal feedback from those who answer to you and those who you answer to. Learn to listen carefully to all the feedback both positive and negative. You can improve by both addressing the negative but also by doing more of the positive things you do.

One of the easiest ways to improve as a project manager is simply to watch and observe those project managers with skills and experience that you admire and copy them. You can meet these great people face to face in your daily life, and you may also see them speak at meetings, workshops or conferences. It may be that you never get to meet them in real life, but instead read about them in books, journals or articles. However you interact with them, take careful note of what it is about them that impresses you. One of the best ways to use others in your search for improvement is to formalize this by asking someone to be your mentor. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to ask that senior project manager that you admire, to be your mentor; most people are flattered to be asked. Take the opportunity to meet regularly with your mentor and seek guidance on issues that you are having. I have found the mentors that I have had, really helped me improve as a project manager. Another thing to keep in mind is that by agreeing to become a mentor to someone less experienced than yourself, will also help you to improve goals, as it forces you to think about what you can offer them.

6. Continuing Education There are many education pathways you can follow to assist you to become a better project manager. There are many educational courses, from project management training providers up to world-renowned tertiary institutes, offering a full range of courses in every topic relevant to the profession of project management. You can seek to get a certificate of attendance, a diploma or degree, or an international credential as part of your commitment to continuing education. As part of your own improvement plan youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably identified those specific and general areas that you want to focus on. Look out for local face-to-face and online courses that will help you get this education. Choose the method that best suits your learning style, work commitments and financial resources. ProjectManager.com ÂŠ 2013 All Rights Reserved

6 Ways to Stay Razor Sharp as a Project Manager You may find yourself so busy that you become a bit dull. We’re not talking about your personality, as we’re sure that remains witty and engaging at all times. Rather, your razor-sharp effectiveness as a project manager is what diminishes. Project after project, issue after issue, escalation after escalation, and many times disappointment after disappointment can all begin to take their toll on a project manager. You may be going through the motions or phoning in what you should be as a project manager, but the fire in your eyes and enthusiasm to make a change may has waned. If you recognize this in yourself, others around you are sure to have noticed it as well. You’re getting worn down. The good news is that you can regain your effectiveness as a project manager with a few simple steps. The even better news is that if you catch your impending dullness soon enough, no one will even notice that you began to lose your edge. Try one or all of the following…

1. Find a Mentor A mentor is a great place to start to get you sharpened up as a project manager. Many organizations offer mentoring services free of charge. You can start with your local chapter of PMI to find a mentor that may be able to work with you. There may be wizened resources within your own company, but that’s really not the best course to take. You want to be able to speak candidly and openly about the problems and experiences that are causing your project management skills to dull. These concerns often include your boss, your peers, or your own negative attitude. You need to be able to implicitly trust a mentor and open up without being concerned with downstream repercussions. An external mentor is also able to offer new solutions to old problems.

2. Join a Professional Association Membership in a professional association is designed to reinvigorate the project manager by providing peer and expert-level support. I’ll mention PMI since they are the most well known, but there are many associations to choose from.

3. Attend Courses and Workshops A third way to stay engaged and sharp as a project manager is to attend courses and workshops that you find of interest. Topics could range from a troublesome issue you just experienced on your last project to something that you are merely curious about. The beauty of courses and workshops is that they come in all different shapes and sizes. They can cost nothing, or up to thousands of dollars. They can be taken during lunch hours, work hours, after hours, and even on the weekends. They can be online, realtime, or offline. Immerse yourself in what interests you and you’ll notice a sharper edge in no time at all.

4. Take Your Projects off Auto-Pilot If you’ve been doing the same types of projects for years, you may have become such an expert at executing project plans that it may be routine for you. You’ve achieved such a level of project management expertise that you can put it on auto-pilot and the project almost completes itself. While this is a great place to be, it can also hide opportunities of improvement that could make things a bit more exciting. Every now and then, take your projects off of auto-pilot by getting very engaged in the project details. Ask yourself if there are better or different ways something could be done. Analyze what you are learning from this experience and how could this be applied across other projects you manage. Looking at projects in an entirely new light or taking them down a different path is sure to bring back some excitement to your position ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

5. Ask People for Feedback An especially effective way of staying sharp is to ask people for feedback on your performance. Start with a few select, trusted people. Let them know that, in the spirit of professional development, you would like to set up a reciprocal feedback loop. You want to know if they see something they believe you could improve upon, and you can do the same favor for them. This opens the door for conversations in a trusted and safe environment that can only serve you well in the future. What if you receive criticism or negative feedback from unsolicited parties? Our first inclination is to take offense when someone lets us know we could have done something different or better. Resist that urge. Rather, thank them for bringing it to your attention. Don’t get defensive and justify the reasons why you did or not do something. Reflect on what they had to say and then apply their feedback where appropriate. You can always learn from what others say, even if the only thing you learned is how NOT to give feedback to someone else.

6. Read Constantly Always have one to three books about project management going on at the same time. You may have one going on at home, one stashed away at the office, and maybe even one in your car. This constant onslaught of new ideas, opinions, processes, procedures, and other relevant information about project management will always keep your creative juices flowing. Find a handful of blogs you really like and keep up with them, but do your research before you sign up. Keeping up with blogs takes time and you want to make sure you are receiving the full value from investing your time. It’s best when you take it to the next level and comment on posts, ask the author questions, and engage with others who have left comments.

Applying these six best practices will quickly turn you into a razor-sharp and ready project manager. Your project team will notice the difference and provide you with the level of results commensurate with your level of sharpness

Sometimes Project Managers Don’t Know All the Answers Project managers are expected to know a lot about their projects. Some take it to a whole new level and expect project managers to have the answer to everything about their projects. Not only is this impossible, it’s impractical. If you are a project manager that feels you can never ask someone else a question, then this article is for you. Read on to understand why people may be hesitant to ask questions and to learn some of the benefits of admitting you don’t know it all. Yes, it’s true. Project managers don’t have all the answers. Some may find that hard to believe. After all, isn’t it a project manager’s job to know all the details about their projects? It may be true to a certain extent, but the following story shows how project managers must lead through uncharted territory at times. The larger point that I don’t want you to miss is that we should all feel comfortable enough to stop and ask questions when we don’t understand. You may wonder why people are reluctant to ask questions when the ease of mind an answer can provide is so obvious. The following are a number of reasons why this may be the case: 

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They Don’t Want to Look Ignorant – The assumption is that someone in a professional position (such as a project manager) has answers for everything; some even presume managers to be experts in their domain. Therefore, to ask questions is to admit that you don’t have complete understanding. Vanity causes people to be concerned about how they will look to others around them. This is especially apparent during meetings, when someone explains something new and asks if there are any questions. Everyone sits in silence rather than risk posing a question that may sound dumb. They Don’t Know It’s OK to Ask a Question – Some feel it’s not acceptable to question the direction that comes down from above. Company culture may discourage it or perhaps even view it as disrespectful. If that’s the case, the company has bigger issues than questions going unspoken. They Don’t Know They SHOULD Ask Questions – There’s a lot of truth in the expression, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Sometimes people are not ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

aware they should ask questions in a certain situation, such as the one my colleagues found themselves in with Steve. Maybe a person is so new to the organization it does not occur to them that the directions they are being given could be wrong. We often forget that managers make mistakes too. When project managers are stifled from speaking up because of vanity, ignorance or culture, they may not be performing at their optimal level.

Why Asking Questions is Beneficial If you feel your team is succumbing to silence for the wrong reasons, help them appreciate and understand the associated benefits of asking for direction: It Makes You Smarter – Asking question after question and getting answer after answer can’t help but make you smarter. You acquire greater intelligence about your projects, related processes, people, organizational politics, and the company in general. Your skill at putting the pieces of the puzzle together and seeing how things relate to each other is sharpened. You establish a rock solid foundation of knowledge to build upon for subsequent projects, not to mention increase your capacity as a professional.  It’s a HUGE Timesaver – Think about how much time is wasted when a lost driver refuses to pull off the road at a gas station and ask for directions. They will drive for LONG distances before admitting that they are actually clueless, even though they and everyone in the car knew they were lost about ten exits back! Don’t drive your team blindly down the road. Save everyone time and aggravation by pulling off at the first exit to ask your project sponsor or manager for directions. They’ll be glad to help you out. It May Uncover Flaws – Another benefit of questioning something you don’t understand is that it may uncover flawed thinking. Nobody is perfect in any company, and bad direction may be provided by someone. If that direction just doesn’t make sense to you, your questions may uncover some of those discrepancies and help everyone reconnect the dots. 

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It Shows Initiative and Concern On Your Part – Asking questions means that you don’t take things at face value. Steve, the new PMO Director I referred to earlier, realized that about me and expressed his appreciation for the fact that I stopped to ask him to clarify. It shows that you want what’s best for your team and the company and won’t hesitate to ask appropriate questions if something is unclear.

Help your team understand that the worst type of question is the one that is never asked. Encourage an inquisitive spirit and reciprocate by providing thoughtful and nonrushed answers. Doing so will help everyone realize that you put your money where your mouth is and that you’re serious about what you say. Steve and I went on to work together for many years after our initial conversation. We grew to be close friends, and enjoyed working on some pretty exciting projects. Who knows what the outcome of our relationship would have been had I not asked him one simple question about the meaning of his email. It very well could have taken a different turn

6 Ways to Stay Relevant as a Project Manager The following are some things you can do to stay relevant as a project manager:

1. Choose the Right Projects The biggest favor you can do for yourself is to choose the right projects. The more ingrained you become in a company, the greater your ability to pick and choose what you want to work on. Look for projects that meet one or all of the following criteria: Visible: Look for projects that are sponsored by someone high up in the corporate food chain. For example, is the project being sanctioned by an SVP or even the COO or President? The higher the positional authority, the greater visibility and exposure you will have via meetings, calls, events, and other opportunities you normally would not have. Viable: Try and stay away from the dogs as much as possible. You want to have a pretty good feeling that the project will not be a total bust. If you’ve been with a company for any length of time, you will develop an intuitive sense for what will or won’t work. Strategic: Projects that are tied to a company’s shifting strategy are great to work on. You’ll be privy to a lot of information about where the company is going. Plus, by being ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

involved in new strategic projects from the beginning you’ll become an expert in the company’s new direction. This opens more doors for you later with other strategic projects.

2. Revenue Generating You can never, ever go wrong by attaching yourself to revenue. Find those projects that upon completion demonstrate they generate substantial revenue for the company, and you can almost be guaranteed to not become irrelevant.

3. Make Things Better A second approach to staying relevant is to constantly look for areas that could use improvement…and then improve them. This could be a system that is broken, an application that could be optimized, or a process that needs to be more efficient. While managing your projects, you should always look for opportunities to make things run more smoothly. And then, if your company conducts a monthly executive review, ask to be invited. Take ten minutes to discuss a process that was slowing things down, what steps you took to correct the issue, the benefits to the company, and ask if there are any questions. Your goal is to educate the executive team, but the additional benefit will be that it establishes your relevancy.

4. Keep Things Quiet What do people think of when one of your projects is mentioned? Do they imagine fire and brimstone coming down from the sky and people running in terror to save their lives? Or, do they picture a calm, serene lake with all of its associated peace and tranquility? Obviously, the latter is what you want to be at the top of people’s minds. But, you may wonder, doesn’t this start taking you down the slippery slope of project management as mentioned above?

It could. That’s why you need to follow the other steps to remain relevant as project manager. Let’s face it; you won’t be relevant for very long if people are pulling their hair out when they work on your projects.

5. Spread Your Good Attitude Attitude is everything. It’s always surprising how many people will sit back and play the part of the victim in a company. They’ll talk about all the things that have gone wrong, were taken away, or didn’t work out the way they expected. They’ll focus on broken promises and commitments. This thinking will drag anyone down into the depths of negativity and irrelevancy. You should focus on what has gone right, things you still have (like a job), and the fact that something worked out 90% as planned and that’s pretty darn good. Focus on what your company has provided for you and been able to follow through on. Push back on those who love to complain how terrible things are. You’ll be surprised what type of positive impact this can have on people without you even knowing what you’ve done. You’ll set yourself apart as being different within the company.

6. Do What You Say You’re Going to Do Action that follows words is a huge part of staying relevant regardless of how simple it sounds. Honor your commitments. If you say you’re going to do something then simply do it. It’s important to follow through on whatever you committed yourself to, not matter how big or small. This is important for your team, your clients, company management, and most importantly yourself.

Responsibility without Authority? What makes responsibility-free project management even more challenging is that most project managers do not have direct authority over their resources. Project managers are provided with a team that does not report to them directly; rather, they report to a functional manager responsible for compensation, rewards, direction, and even admonishment and negative feedback as necessary.

This puts the project manager in the position of having a ton of responsibility with no authority. Can this work? Yes, but before we discuss how it can be done, we need to understand the different types of authority that exist in a work environment: 

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Positional Authority: This is the type of authority that is based upon someone’s job description. For example, the title of Vice President gives someone authority over others in his or her department. Expert Authority: This type of authority is based upon the level of expertise and knowledge that a person has in comparison to others. People will defer decisions to the expert. Penalty Authority: This is the darker side of authority focused on punishing people or taking things away if they don’t follow directions. This type of authority is less than ideal for most situations, but does have its place in certain environments. Referent Authority: This is the ability to influence others through power or authority transferred from someone else. Most project management authority begins with referent authority and morphs into other types based on the individual project manager. Reward Authority: This final type of authority is based upon the ability to provide people with rewards to keep them motivated. This may include the ability to give raises, time-off, favorable employee reviews, and similar positive experiences.

The project manager that understands responsibility-free project management is not possible will implement the type of authority appropriate for the circumstance.

What Makes Authority-Free Project Management Challenging? There may not be responsibility-free project management, but there is unfortunately authority-free project management. A project manager may be put in a position where they have all the responsibility and very little, if any, authority to get things done with a team. Newer project managers find it especially challenging to get things moving with no authority. They find that they need to beg, cajole, persuade, and remind their resources that they need to get work done in order to finish the project. Seasoned resources may disregard or discount a newer project manager who has little or no ability to reward, punish, or dictate what needs to be done. Plus, the fact that they haven’t been around

for very long usually disqualifies them from being considered an expert that everyone can put their faith in. These facts can put a newer project manager in a tough spot.

How Can You Get the Most out of Your Resources without Direct Authority? What are some things you can do as a newer project manager that will allow you to get the most out of your resources? The following are some suggestions: 

Establish Your Formal Authority through the Project Charter: The project management position is around for a reason: work wasn’t getting done, and someone needed to be in the middle of things to keep everything moving. The project charter formalizes the role of the project manager and provides them with the authority to get things done. As a PM who doesn’t believe in responsibility-free project management, you are not going to wave the project charter back and forth and say, “See, this piece of paper says you have to do what I say!” That would be career suicide, or at least put you in line for performing free project management somewhere else while you look for a new position.

Rather, the project charter should give you the confidence you need to step into the shoes of a project manager and be responsible for the success of a project. 

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Explain the Big Picture: Start out each project with a team meeting to outline the big picture. Make sure everyone knows that they are not doing this for you as the project manager, but rather for the sake of everyone on the team and company as a whole. They will be more apt to buy into the importance of the project and follow your lead (aka authority) to move the project forward. Make Work Easy to Track: Another recommendation when you have responsibility over people without authority is to make the work that needs to be done almost selfevident. Break activities into small enough chunks so that it makes sense to everyone why they need to be done. This avoids you being in the position of checking up on everyone at all times to make sure they understand what they are doing and when they think it will be done. Review the Open Task List Frequently: Part of each status meeting should be to openly review immediate next steps and who is responsible. This instills a sense of accountability in team members when everyone realizes that others are dependent ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

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on the work they turn out. Doing a good job during the time allotted shows respect for others and the project as a whole. This allows the project to move forward, and you don’t have to harp on people to get certain things done. Maintain a Strong Relationship with the Project Sponsor: It’s important to maintain a strong relationship with the project sponsor, so that if all else fails and a resource cannot be convinced to do something by someone without direct authority over them, you have options. This is a relationship to keep in your back pocket and pull out in only the direst of circumstances.

It is true that responsibility-free project management is impossible. You’ll never have the carefree days of your first job again, but that hopefully goes for the pay as well. However, you can still wield an incredible amount of influence over people that are on your team for the sake of closing each project out!

Management, Leadership or both? Are you a project manager, project leader or both? We often hear about people being leaders at work but what does that actually mean and can you be a leader while managing a project? OK, before you answer those questions, maybe we should first think about what the differences are between managing and leading. Let’s take a look at the differences between managing a project and leading a project.

What is Management? Management, as the saying goes, is about doing things right. Project management therefore is mainly concerned with organizing, planning and scheduling work and resources. Project managers need to know all about the tools and techniques for managing work including any professional guidelines or frameworks in use in the organization. There are policies to adhere to, templates to populate and other structures, all of which make it easy to track project performance and compare progress across projects. Much of this can be done with online project management software, so that is yet another skill that a project manager has to have – that of being able to use online tools to help get things done. Managing a team is applying the same techniques to people. Project managers ensure that people in the project team know what is expected of them, what standards they ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

need to work to for quality purposes and the progress against the tasks that have been assigned to each individual. Without the ability to manage, communication on the project becomes practically impossible and no one will know what anyone else is supposed to be doing, let alone what they have actually achieved as a group. This makes it really difficult to report to a project sponsor (or anyone else) and it quickly becomes clear that the project manager doesn’t have a grip on the reality of the work in hand.

What is Leadership? If management is doing things right, leadership is doing the right things. Project managers who display good leadership skills will find it easier to work with others. Leadership is difficult to define, but I think we can agree that it includes the ability to create an environment that encourages collaboration within the team and inspires people to be creative. Essentially, leaders foster the conditions that allow each member of the project team to do their best. This really comes from making sure that everyone understands and buys into the project’s goal. When a team has shared goals it is easier to make sure that work is aligned, and people on the team know exactly why they are working on the project. They know that their contribution matters and what counts. Knowing the goals, objectives and the project’s vision also provides a solid framework for making decisions. Does this help us achieve our goal? If the answer is no, then you probably shouldn’t go ahead with that course of action. Project leaders also encourage their team members to be confident in their action. This can manifest itself in a number of ways, such as a ‘no blame’ culture or one that celebrates mistakes. Leadership also relies heavily on trusting individuals to manage their own workload and to do the right thing. If team members feel like their leader trusts them they will have more confidence in his or her decisions, especially if the leader takes the time to consult with them before making a decision. Even if the ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

decision doesn’t go their way, the team member will feel appreciated and appreciative of the opportunity to make a contribution.

Which One Should You Use? This is a trick question – in order to be really effective at work you need to use both. Leadership and management techniques are often used by the same person in any given role, and you probably switch between the two without even realizing it now. Project leadership is not just the domain of your project sponsor, and while you may have a sponsor who is great at leading, you also need to do your share of leading the project team as well. Project managers need to use both managing and leading techniques to get a project completed most effectively. For example, your role includes delegating tasks to people on the team. This is a management activity, but in order for the individual concerned to take up the task and complete the work successfully, they should understand why they are doing it and how it contributes to the project’s goals. This is a leadership activity. Communication is another activity that falls into the management and leadership categories. A manager can communicate a particular message according to the published communication plan. This can involve assessing the message, confirming the audience, drafting the communication, distributing the communication and dealing with any feedback by passing it on to the right person and ensuring that they follow through with an answer. But being able to express your message clearly and effectively, tailoring it to the right audience and defending your decisions when challenged are all activities more associated with leadership. Leadership and management go hand in hand. To be a great project manager you also need to be a project leader, and vice versa. Leadership is really about supporting and encouraging your team. So keep your eyes open and learn from other people and you’ll soon find that blending management and leadership comes naturally and you can switch between one and the other as required to get the best results on your project. ProjectManager.com © 2013 All Rights Reserved

30 Day Free Software Trial There are two key differences between ProjectManager.com and its competitors. The first is that we give you all of the features you need to plan, track and report on projects efficiently. The second key difference is that our competitors charge a high upfront price as well as annual maintenance fees for new releases. Here at ProjectManager.com we offer you all of the features you need to manage projects, at a small monthly price of just $25 per user. That simple! When you sign up to ProjectManager.com, you also get for free: Unlimited Projects 3 Gigs of Document Storage Client Login Free Upgrade to New Releases

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Take a Free Trial Create your own Projects Sign up to boost your project success Any questions? Email support@ProjectManager.com and one of our friendly support staff will be happy to help. We also recommend a visit our resource library if you would like access to further: project management tips  video tutorials  project management templates