A Project Manager's Mindset
Beyond project charters, work breakdown structures, and timelines, a Project Manager must have another tool in place - a fierce mindset. Here are the elements of such a mindset...
Hunt - Accuracy and clarity, these are your pursuit. Your next step, that is your prey. Always come hungry.
Gather - It's not enough just to hunt down information. You must gather it. Consider every piece of information - every email, every document, every discussion - as precious. Collect it, Distill it. Then, share the bounty with others who will be nourished by it.
Memorize Your Timelines - Review your timelines daily. Get to know your due dates like the lyrics of your favorite song. Each phase, a verse. Each milestone, a chorus.
Fight for Clarity - Insist on it. Don't let anything be fuzzy or unclear for too long. Things deferred or swept under the rug will eventually come back to visit you. Promise.
Follow up. Follow up. Follow up - Do it nicely and do it often. It's your job to keep the ball rolling.
The Ball is Always in your Court - No matter how many things you delegate, the responsibility for moving a project forward is always on you. Relish in your responsibility and never give yourself over to blame or excuses. Take your responsibility and run with it!
Project & Program Management | Project Delivery | CRM Projects | Web & Mobile Apps | Digital Projects
5 年Super Awsome.
Accelerating Product Development by up to 20% by Raising the Performance Level of High-Tech Project Managers and Companies, who are Faced with Intense Deadline Pressure.
5 年I would pretty much agree with all of that Heather. On information gathering I ask the project team to write a succinct weekly report taking 10-20 mins on a Friday afternoon. The structure is pre-defined. By doing this you get succint info coming to you systematically. You can build on that with feedback and questions. Its a neat system which I have used for 20 years. Your point on clarity is spot on.