3 Key Tips For Project Managers

Lengthy or complex projects can sometimes be necessary to support growth initiatives in a company, and the skills and tools you use as a project manager will ensure that you successfully oversee your projects to completion.

The project management tips presented in this article will help you perfect your skills as a dynamic, efficient project manager and overcome the triple constraints of completing your projects on time, within budget and to the right quality.

1. Ensure your knowledge is up-to-date

Successful project managers typically seek out information on trending best practices related to the project management profession. While PMI-certified project managers are typically required to maintain their certifications by accumulating professional development hours, keeping abreast of PM practices and knowledge can help project managers increase the value they bring to software projects. Studying for a project management certificate online (See RMIT Offering - An example) also offers a convenient way to stay abreast of trends in the industry and apply the knowledge gained to the implementation of business projects. Aiming to possess the skills and traits of a great project manager will not only help you excel in your career path, but will also help in the growth of the business you are in. 

2. Maximize your productivity through effective time management

Some of the key traits of a successful project manager include working productively and efficiently.

To keep projects on track and ensure that your colleagues, leadership, and outside contractors are in sync, and know just what they should be working on at any given time, you have to organize yourself first. You should plan out your day by making a list of everything you need to accomplish and then prioritize according to importance or urgency.

While your personal organization style is going to be unique to you, it’s important to have a system in place that helps all those involved in the project stay connected and on task. Using a project management solution like Asana, can offer the tools to support tasks, projects, conversations and custom dashboards to help keep yourself and all the team members involved in your project organized.

3. Communicate & Collaborate

Communication is vital to successfully managing any important project till completion, and as the project manager, you’re in charge of communicating project details and updates and staying connected with all the people involved in the various moving parts of your project.

You need to be adaptive to different communication styles and learn about your team members’ strengths and weaknesses so you can understand how each person can best contribute to your project.

While you’ll use an array of communication modalities throughout the course of your project, including email, phone, chat and meetings, it can be very beneficial to implement a project management system like Workfront for collaboration while also tracking important communication tasks and milestones associated with your project. Workfront is structured similarly to social media platforms which increase collaboration opportunities and give all team members visibility into the project in a meaningful way.

Even if you’ve tried to account for project mishaps or delays, it’s inevitable that circumstances will change during the course of your project.

This is why it’s important that you are able to adapt to your situation and adjust your project goals and timelines accordingly as the steward of your company's project. However, this doesn’t mean you should act hastily when challenges occur. This can generate confusion and ultimately lead to more mistakes or delays. Instead, if and when things change, come back to the scope of your project to re-evaluate and make decisions on how to move things forward. Keeping your company’s overall goals in mind will ensure that you make sound decisions while staying collected and organized.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeni Rogers is a researcher and regular contributor to TrustRadius, where she shares her knowledge of the latest trends in B2B news and software.