An Efficient Project Administrator

There are a lot of things that make a good project administrator. And the top three (3) for me are: 

1.           Attention to details. Don’t even try to lie about this skill during an interview, it will show up later. This specific role requires a PA that will not miss or leave anything to chance. You must have an ability to catch anything that might fall through the cracks. Taking control of project details will help you to take action or settle issues at an early stage.

2.           Being able to work autonomously. It’s unfair to have to micro-manage a project team member. Manage yourself well, manage your work and deliver on time. You must be able to coordinate, arrange and control the team project activities even when the project manager is not available. Some tasks may be repetitive in the project cycles, but be proactive and take initiative when an opportunity arises.

3.           Time Management (Punctuality). â€œPunctuality is not a courtesy, it is a must”, I don’t know who coined this beautiful phrase but I like it. Let me know if you know the author, please. If it’s your meeting, be the first one to arrive. You will also be required to follow up on outstanding project activities, and meeting actions. My former DCX program manager Mr. Mickey Moodley once said to me ‘’Mokete, I will know that you are nailing your role if all the other project team members want to run away when they see you, simply because you will be keeping them on their toes when it comes to their tasks and deliverables’’. The bigger picture is to ensure that the project is delivered on time and within the scope. If you can manage your time well, then project time management will not be a problem.