Everyone wants to be better at what they do, and if you’re a project manager, boosting your skills is one of the best ways to make sure you stay sharp and consistently guarantee project success. Here are three pointers to boosting your personal project management skills.
Step 1: Learn from your mistakes
One of the best ways to learn is to look at your previous successes and failures and evaluate what went well and what could have gone better. Reflecting on past projects is a great way to determine your strengths and weaknesses and build towards success in the future. When going over a project that you have previously completed, three questions to ask yourself are:
- Did you communicate well with all members of your team?
Think back to your communications with your team members. Were they productive, or problematic? Were valid points raised and worked towards, or did the meetings degenerate into dysfunction? What was effective about your communication? Communication is extremely important; get that right, and the rest just flows and you can guarantee project success.
- How were conflicts handled?
Conflict is a common problem in the workplace and is largely inescapable; at some point, we are going to bump heads with someone we work with. Engaging in conflicts with project team members is a waste of time, resource, and energy, and can sour a project team. Looking at how past conflicts were handled and identifying issues that were a result of conflicts – either directly or indirectly – can help pave the way for better future conflict management.
- Did your project deliver?
This question examines the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your project. It needs to be considered in terms of your project scope, expenditure, and client satisfaction. Was your client consistently happy with your project’s efforts? If not, what stressed your client the most? What pitfalls did you notice during your project’s run that could be avoided in the future?
Step 2: Engage in a learning course
An obvious way to boost your project management skills is to take part in a learning course, such as Prince2 training, or PMP (Project Management Professional) training.
PRINCE2 training
Prince2 is one of the most well-known project management courses available. The course covers every aspect of project from management, from initiating a project and managing project delivery, to closing a project. The methodology focusses on seven key principles, seven themes, and seven key processes, all of which are guaranteed to be relevant to any project you undertake.
PMP training
The PMP training courses focussed on five project management Process Groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing), and ten Knowledge Areas, covering aspects such as project scope, time, cost, quality, communication, and even human resources.
Step 3: Communication is key
The importance of communication cannot be understated. Sadly, an inability to communicate well with other team members often spells the end for many projects. Good, clear communication breeds good working relationships; good working relationships mean good results. One of the major causes of conflicts in a project is a crossed-wires between staff; clear, concise and easily understandable communication can help avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict. In today’s world, email is the major form of communication. Sadly, the tone of an email and the way it is written can be dramatically misunderstood, resulting in disaster. Before emailing a colleague, speak to them directly.
