2 Years As A Project Manager. What have I learned?

Let me pre-face this blog before the veteran’s get to me…

I don’t expect to be an expert in Project Management in anyway shape of form.

In fact, I’d say I probably feel like I know about 20% of what I could actually know; which is both terrifying and exciting for the years to come.

Much like a sprint retrospective, I like to spend some time every now and then to reflect on the past and understand what I’ve done well, where I’ve screwed up and make priorities for the future.

Upon such reflection, I pulled out a few lessons that I thought I’d share in the hopes of helping other young PM’s out there and perhaps even encourage you to think about what you’ve learned over the years.

OK, let’s get started.

Lesson #1: Don’t be afraid of asking stupid questions

I had to learn this very quickly. My first piece of work as a PM included a SAAS integration project. As someone coming in with zero technical knowledge, I sure as hell had to ask some pretty stupid questions.

“What do you mean by integration?”

“What is an API?”

“What does an Architect do?”

These are all actual questions I asked in the first 2 weeks in my new role.

I found it hard to ask these questions.

I felt like I should know this stuff straight away. Not to mention the fact I thought I was wasting people’s time.

But when you work amongst some great people, you find they’re happy to answer any questions you have.

Almost everyone is a good person (This is another sub-lesson for you cynical folks).

Lesson #2: Check your damn facts

Honestly, this is just a personal pet peeve that I need to remind myself of constantly.

When in the thick of day to day Project Management it’s very easy to just send emails without double checking details.

And guess what, there is nothing worse than realising that someone had to take the time to correct you.

Whether that be dates, finances or agreements, just make sure you’re 100% sure and confident in what you’re sharing; if not, double check before sending.

No one has ever been mad or disappointed with these mistakes, but equally it’s not a good reputation to build if you repeat it.

Plus it’s a pain in the ass and a waste of time having to apologise and re-send details.

Lesson #3: You’re a servant

Being a project manager puts you responsible for ensuring that the project is delivered on time, within budget and to an agreed scope.

There are a lot of stakeholders counting on you and your team to achieve this.

With this in mind, it’s easy to get caught up in becoming a dictator of your project team by demanding things be done by a certain date.

Although there’s a time and place for this, I’ve found that the a more optimal way is through serving your team.

More than likely (and definitely in my case), you’re working with people who are smarter than you; they know what they’re doing.

So when they work on the project, it tends to be less about telling them what to do and more of getting the hell out of their way.

It’s your job to clear the path for them to do their job in the best way; whether that’s removing blockers or helping them work more efficiently.

The same applies to your stakeholders.

It’s the project manager’s job to serve them by keeping them up to date, answering questions and making sure they’re ready for whatever solution is coming their way.

You’re a Project Manager, but a people servant.

Lesson #4: Your output is more important than the hours you put in

If you asked 100 Project Manager’s to describe their job and a common word that would crop up would be ‘busy’.

There is always something to do; Emails that need sending or People that need chasing.

It’s actually quite easy to start ranking up 50–60 hours a week.

But here’s the thing…

No one cares how hard you’re working.

They only care about whether the project succeeded or not.

If you worked twice as long as your colleagues but your project failed, it’s all in vain.

Something I’ve tried to focus on recently is making the most of the workday where possible; Attending the right meetings, Managing my emails appropriately, Time-boxing specific tasks.

Combining these and other tactics can help save hours during the week and help keep me focused on the activities that are crucial for project.

It’s better to put in 30 hours of high quality and focused work than 50 hours where 50% of your time is spent on non-value tasks.

Many experienced folk out there may have read these lessons and thought “Duh! Every PM needs to know these”.

Unfortunately, the road to Project Management is usually a bunch of theory following by a certification exam.

It’s only until you go into the trenches that these lessons start to become apparent; which is why I enjoy the role.

There’s always something new to learn and someone to learn from.

I like to think I’m a much better PM today than I was 2 years and even 6 months ago.

However, I’m fully aware that I’ve got a lot more to learn over the next decade or so.

Thanks for reading!