What are the major pitfalls for beginning project managers?
Soon i will start to work as a project manager in a different company. As this is my first project management position i wonder what are the major pitfalls to avoid for beginning project managers? :)
Answers (29)
Wallace J
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Inexperience! Some pitfalls are inevitable until you really know the product or service inside and out. Pitfalls that you will not be able to prepare for involve politics (internal competition, cliques, personality conflicts, etc.) and the unforseen happenings that materialize in day-to-day management.
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I have worked as a project manager and the transition from being an engineer/individual contributor can be easy if you remember the following guidelines (dos/donts)
1. Delegation - Remember to delegate. You cannot do everything and that is not your job. Helping out is different than taking ownership of the tasks.
2. Rewarding - Reward your team, could be formal or informal depending on your company. Recognize the team's hardwork. Give credit where credit is due.
3. Planning & Milestones - Use softwares like MS project / Primevera Planner to establish and follow up on milestones, action items.
4. Presentation - Hone up your presentation skills. You will have to present to your team, senior management and other departments. Tailor each presentation to the specific audience.
5. Listen - You are responsible for the succesful execution of the project. Listen to your team, customer, vendors, etc. It is important that you understand the concerns.
6. Closure - Make sure you close on action items. Initiating is project is easy, but ensure timely and successful closure.
Robert S
Director, Strategy and Planning, Visual Computing Software Division at Intel Corporation
Congratulations on the new job. Project management skills are required across a broad range of occupations and positions. It is good that you have an opportunity that will focus on this part of your career development. Your question generated several thoughts.
There is a tendency to make project management itself an end goal instead of recognizing it as a means to an end. There are entire professions and professional organizations dedicated to best practices. I would encourage you to recognize that to be effective you may not need to use the most complex or impressive project management tool or technique. Apply the tool to meet the goal that you are trying to accomplish and focus on simplicity.
I have also observed program / project managers that while effective at their art do not tend to be strong content experts. They can manage resources, but do not understand the key knowledge base that drives the overall program. I would encourage you to at least develop a basic level competency in project you will be leading as this will enhance your effectiveness.
A final thought. Project management is an influence role. You will most likely be in a matrix function, though it might not feel like this from the start. The good thing about this is that it really empowers you to cut across functions to ask the questions needed to drive the program. The challenge is the opposite -- direct lines of authority and accountability are not always clear. Strike the right balance here and you will find yourself quickly relied upon by your peers for more than just the project management function. Good luck!
Robert
Hi Peter - I'd give two pieces of advice:
Strive for clarity - on the goals, on what people are committing to, on what you're going to do, on what's in scope and what's out of scope
Communicate - you're the one with the plan, work to keep everyone coordinated - use whatever tools seem appropriate to the task, don't assume that information naturally flows through your project or to your stakeholders.
Lastly, don't end up owning the world. You are responsible for delivering on a project commitment but things change and that'll sometimes knock you off plan - clarify the impact of the change and communicate it as appropriate.
Good Luck.
I find that most new PMs are really adept in the technical skills they need to do their jobs. However, the two areas in which newly crowned PMs seem to falter are in communication and in their reactions to major issues. Communication is the most critical skill for new PMs to master. Failure to practice good communication skills results in the failure of more projects than any single other item.
In the area of reacting to major problems, communication is key, but, also important, is the experience that comes from dealing with issues of similar magnitude in the past. One of the things I often see is PMs who get themselves into a corner and become afraid or unable to make the critical decisions that will get their projects back on track. The solution to this is two-fold. First, new PMs must admit that they do not have the toolkit of experience that many more salted PMs have and be willing to seek guidance and ask for help when uncertainty arises. Second, I think it is important for new PMs to “over-communicate” when they enter uncharted waters to compensate for their inexperience and allow new or different ideas about the situation to arise.
First of all ... congratulations on your new position.
When you first start working as a new project manager there is a lot to learn. Don't be too overwhelmed, but do make a plan of action to learn as much as you can. I recommend getting involved with Project Management Institute. They likely have a local chapter where you live. They also have lots of online special interest groups that you can check out. They have plenty of resources like books, meetings, seminars, etc. They are located at www.pmi.org. I've been a member for the last 3 years and it's a great learning and networking organization.
I'd also recommend you get organized early. Check out our product called episTree. Go to www.epistree.com for a free trial download. It helps get yourself and your team organized. My team and I use it to plan and manage the workload of each person on my projects on a weekly basis.
Peter,
Congratulations to you!!
There are some very good insight provided so far! To me, a PM must first and foremost be an excellent communicator. You must know your audiences (business people, technical people, etc.) and be able to tailor your communication to the audience at hand...i.e. avoid using technical jargon with business folks, keep the level of detail appropriate, etc.
The goal of the PM is to "plan the work and work the plan". Remember to collaborate with the team members assigned to your project...if these people are expected to do the work, let them estimate the work. Celebrate successes along the way to help inspire the team to achieve the end goal. And hold people accountable for their deliverables.
Finally, find a group of PM's to help support you along the way, whether it be an on-line group, people at your workplace or a group like PMI.
All the best!!
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Hi Peter,
Congratulations on your new role! I would say the things you need to track are:
Ensuring you understand the scope of the project-what are the critical/key deliverables
Putting in place the metrics to manage the big and small pictures-making sure you on on track to budget and time
Assessing (and planning against) the obvious or potential risks
Communications- internal and external, thereby meeting and often 'managing' expectations
Delegation/People Management- take the time to fully understand your people and utilise their collective skills/knowledge
Seek out a Mentor-someone you can go to when you need help
Good Luck!
James
Brad M
Business Development Professional
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http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Dummies-Stanley-Portny/dp/076455283X
It's a great start.
Not Managing "Scope Creep" from an outset of a project. In short, the ability to plan and be able to say no.
Just my two cents.
Shweta K
Enabling People Learn through Innovative Training Design and Creation
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Get to know your team... it would help you in recognizing their capabilities and in turn would help you leaverage them. Another one which I would like to specify as you will be not only new to Project management but also new to the company is talk to the PMs in the new company to see the trends "what has worked", "how things work". This would help you in knowing the way things are done.
and finally, I would say client interaction is also a major part so get to know your clients.
All the Best!
Vaishali N
MBA, PMP, Consulting, Information Technology,
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I would add a few things to the answers already provided.
- Have a sense of humor .(VERY IMPORTANT)
- Learn who is and who isn't on your side
- Always have a back up plan
- Recognize factors that are out of your control/influence
- Recognize when people begin to lose interest in the project
- Change tactics chairing meetings/calls to keep things interesting
- When you hear contradictory information, be patient
- Have good follow through. Don't be shy to pick up the phone
- Leverage offline meetings and hallway conversations to gain clarification or drive the project forward
- Vent (Only occasionally)
Chris G
Business Solutions Coordinator [Mobile Embrace]
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Just don't false start.
It can be likened to a race. Some project managers act like a bull at a gate and race ahead without properly looking at the specifications. They don't even set a proper goal or finish line, they just race ahead, seemingly without any idea of where they are going to end up.
They will waste time on tasks that may end up being completely irrelevant.
Then, finally, when the boss finally stops them and tells them to go back to the drawing board and start again, they are too tired from the running the first race, they do a mediocre job the second time around.
Even if it takes you longer, spend more time at the start of a project, preparing, planning and setting your team both achievable and realisitc goals. If your team believes they cannot run that far, they typically won't, unless you tell them they can!
Spend as much time listening as you can in the first few weeks (well, always, but especially at the beginning!) ... absorb as much as you can of the business needs before you try to find solutions.
Good luck!
Moritz F
Public Affairs Director at Citizens Commission on Human Rights of St. Louis
The major pitfalls for a beginning PM are the same pitfalls that all PM's experience, including the PMPs of the world.
Hi Peter,
Congrats on your new gig. The biggest mistake I've seen project managers make is thinking that the people on their teams work for them. In reality, you work for your team, doing whatever is necessary to give the people on your team the tools and support they need to get the job done. Since I have become a project manager, I keep chanting the mantra "No job is too small..." I do whatever I need to do from top-level planning to emptying the trash. Don't let your ego get in the way.
Ray R
Test Software Developer at Curtiss Wright Controls
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Honesty!
No matter what, maintain integrity and tell it like it is. Listen to your team. Whatever timeline you determine, that's what it is. You may be pressure to give answers others want to hear, but in the end, you can only deliver when it is ready. Furthermore, do not cut corners to deliver sooner.
Basically, keep asking yourself, "will (internal/external) customer's expectations be met for time, budget, and quality?"
Ady has also provided good guidelines to help you along..
You must respect your team. You are there for them... not the other way around. Your team will look at you for leadership (direction, problem solving).
Micromanaging. Let your people do their jobs. :)
Dan T
Project Manager at University of Florida
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1. Make sure you're projects have specific goals/deliverables/results.
2. Make sure everyone (stakeholders, project team) agree to and understand those goals/deliverables/results.
3. Make sure you have enough authority, or a process that enforces team member responsibility, otherwise you're not a PM you're a scapegoat.
Good luck,
dan
Make sure you are covering all of your basis and learn to account for mishaps as well as interruptions in the project.
Understand some of the basics of general project management beforehand. It's no good leaving it until you're in the thick of things.
Find a PM mentor - someone experienced and successful that you can learn from and bounce ideas and issues.
Be organised and disciplined. This is where a lot of PMs fall down.
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What great feedback! You have received a wealth of information thus far - I would highly encourage you to capture these suggestions and summarize. It is going to depend based on your specific situation. But the approach I would recommend for a new project manager:
* QUICKLY determine how your organization and management define "success" for your project and for you as a PM.
* Find out what processes and tools exist within your organization and follow/use them. This depends on an organizations PM maturity but a repeatable process is beneficial, so if no processes/templates exist, make sure you leverage what other PM's in your organization are using.
* Lay out a development plan for your PM skills. Undertake a mix of mentoring, self study and formal education.
- Mentoring: meet regularly with a more senior PM that you respect and one you can trust for confidentiality. Ask this person for feedback and coaching on your development plan. Look internally or externally if necessary.
- Self Study: there are a myriad of great books explaining PM basics. I like to start people with "Project Planning Scheduling and Control" by James P. Lewis. Good solid fundamentals. Web sites are great too - maybe two TOO obvious starting points are listed as links.
- Formal Study: how far do you want to go? Will you become professionally certified? Probably too soon to know. But one thing is certain, you should take advantage of any internal PM training first, then get a commitment to budget formal (external) training, preferably by a "REP" certified trainer. One day you may be interested in PMP certification through PMI.
* One piece of "sage advice." Remember that a PM is a balance of three areas - technical/domain expertise, leadership / human relations, and project management skills. Excelling at only one area will leave a gaping hole and impede your success.
These are the most obvious recommendations, again it really depends on where you are in your career and how mature your organizations PM processes and practices are. Good luck!
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I'd say that the major pitfall (for experienced or otherwise) is to find out as quickly as possible what it is you don't know, but need to, and get underneath that asap. For example, concurrent projects that will require your resources in the future when your assumption was that three was no constraint here. Or, the SME you need but can't find is actually still working at your client, but in another department, not related to the project. See if you can negotiate some time with that resource early on.
Another thing that has served me well - don't do what your clients just tell you to do. Get to know the people and assignment that you know exactly what they mean and confirm that.
Project Management is a wonderful discipline. Keep at it and you will find it rewarding. Finally, one old PM maxim: "If you don't like the project you're on, that will change. If you do like it, that will change, too".
Clarification added September 20, 2007:
Peter - one clarification on my answer in second paragraph: I once had a client tell me to produce a certain deliverable in a certain way, which I did. When I gave it to him for review he said it was not quite right. I replied that I had done just as he had told me and his answer was something I try never to forget. He said next time, do what I MEAN, not what I say.
Best wishes.
+ 1 on "Delegation" - It's very difficult to let your technical experience and do not try to do a few things. The problem here is that when you do these things you are not doing your job and it'll be there when you go back to your chair.
+1 on "Micromanaging. Let your people do their jobs. :)" - It's easy to get lost when you try to manage every bit of work.
+1 on "Communications" - It's easy to communicate when things are smooth, the problem is to learn how to communicate when the problems arrives. (budget reduction, costs rising, deadline coming, politics problems and so on)
Communications also gets difficult because you have to learn the right way and effective communication channel to each stakeholder of your projects and your company, they tend to be different - using just one approach and style can be very dangerous.
I, by myself, have done these 3 mistakes :)
It's important to remember that there is no dead end: Just avoid the mistakes that you can, learn with that ones that you make and you will be happy ;)
Congrats ...
Since there is likely a group of people who are responsible for getting your projects complete you must remember your primary role is people management. The focus of your task is to put those people in a position which gives them the best chance of success. The way you handle the people will be reflected in their work and the quality of the results. The first step is to establish that you are there to help the team succeed. This will likely include encouraging, correcting, training and pushing people in addition to a hundred other people related tasks. Continue to emphasize that by working together and sharing ideas, rewards and success will follow for everyone. Best wishes on your future endeavors.
Hi Peter,
Here goes my pitfall list:
-Understanding clearly your role in the project team (differenciate responsabilities with project leader, sponsor, owner, referents, key users, etc.).
-Planning vision (identify the need of detail in your gantt).
-Communicte your work (Everyone on the team must know every gantt, document, analysis, etc. that you elaborate. Don´t "hide" information).
-Short and efficient team meetings (meeting plan with bullets).
Good luck!
Varuyan A
Experienced IT and Business Consultant
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Peter - some of the pitfalls to avoid as a project manager are:
0-Must get your project in the BSG's (Business Steering Group) list. Make it visible.
1-Underestimate the importance of project modeling and prototyping. This activity should happen prior to kicking off the project.
2-Inability to "sell" the advantages of the project to be to core and extended team members.
3-Overlook the importance of examining and determining the project's critical paths.
4-Define clearly the scope of the project and all items which are out of scope. Consequently you will face scope creep and unmanageable scope changes.
5-Omit conducting sensitivity analysis in order to determine probability of timeline completing on time.
6-Own deliverable which are pushed back by core and extended team members. Most of the time a beginning project manager avoids confrontation by assuming ownership of deliverable because participants push back.
I hope this short and high level list helps you avoid a few abuses from project team members.
Best Wishes,
Ian
If I may submit a tiny bit to the great advise you already have:
Readily admit when you don't recognize jargon and ask for a clear explaination....and, admit when you misunderstood something or stated something incorrectly or gave bogus guidance.
Say "I'm sorry, I want to do better, will you help me understand where I made the mistake." ....This will endear you to the team and win lots of friends in the trenches. Later you will find yourself speaking from real authority and correcting bogus assumption of managers, chiefs and directors; because your team will have armed you with the truth. You will be seen as indespensable and a great team player.
Manuel S
Professional Change Manager in Financial Services & Media Entrepreneur
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The BIG one: do not take anything for granted. Specially what it is expected from you. Talk to your line manager and your sponsor and clarify your role, your responsibilities, what they expect from you. (If you read with detail all the very good answers provided there are many different and even contradictory meanings of PM).
After you are clear about that, reread all these answers, there is a lot of experience in them.
And then try to enjoy it. It is hard but, if you have what it takes, tremendously gratifying (when you succeed). And, when you are in the deep remember, we have all been there. Come back if you need more support.
