5 Mistakes Every Project Manager Should Avoid项目经理应该避开的5个坑

100 2024-01-25

项目经理

Mistake #1: Failing to understand the purpose of the project

错误1:错误理解项目目的

In my first project，I had much learns learned，but one of it is really related to this failure.

At beginning of this project, we ignored the resource constraints, and try to reach all the targets from SteCo members with high passion-100% time to market, 100% reduce the product direct cost, 100% meet the quality at the same time. However, after the project run several months, we met a critical quality issues, which requested us must define the priority of above aspects, leading to lots of communication on this priority among the managers level .Finally we aligned but spent much time.

Advice:

Before the kickoff of a project, reach out to the sponsor and ask as many “why” questions as needed to understand the quintessence of the project. Is it for a regulatory purpose? Is it to improve the customer journey? Is it to make people happier? Conversations with the sponsor shouldn’t stop after project kickoff. During the project, plan regular touchpoints to confirm the project’s goals are aligned with the organization strategy.

What’s more，it’s better to rank the priorities at the beginning of project.

Which is the priority 1 among following items: Product quality, Product cost, Time to market and Project cost?

Mistake #2: Accepting unrealistic planning

错误2：接受不切实际的计划

Failure to properly plan a project carefully can lead to rework and delays. It is therefore crucial to determine what is in and out of the scope of the project, the type of project methodologies you’re going to use, and the expected deliverables.

For example, if you deploy a new platform, you’ll get a plan from the platform provider—but it’s important not to blindly trust this plan, as the platform provider might have underestimated the time needed to get network equipment or to get ahold of the necessary experts to carry out the implementation.

Advice:

Ask “what if…” questions to anticipate any risk or issues in given planning. Talk to experts to get their opinions. Check with the team to fast-forward any issues.

Mistake #3: Not truly connecting with the team

错误3：与团队脱节

With hybrid and remote teams, it is even more important to chat informally with team members to know them better. Harvard Business School Professor Tsedal Neeley says that it is important to structure unstructured time.

Advice:

Spend informal time with team members at work or online to learn more about them; this can help you understand their constraints and motivations in life.Regarding the virtual meeting, it's better to open the camera to see each other and can help to build the relationships.

Mistake #4: Equating constant check-ins with a lack of trust

错误4：把频繁的签到等同于不信任

With an increasing number of projects, a decreasing pool of human resources and ever-more business constraints, it’s likely that the stakeholders of your project may be remote, abroad or have other priorities that take precedence over your projects.

In my first software project, I had a collocated team in separated offices: the development team in two offices, the testing team in one office, and me in another one. I recall that I didn’t schedule a regular check-in meeting; it was more on-demand. I also tried not to go the team’s offices too often, thinking I would just let people work. One day, the sponsor asked me about the progress of the project and we discovered some issues: the marketing requirements weren’t clear, and the development team didn’t know how to move forward.

Advice:

Define when, how and how often you and your team will have team project status meetings. Identify the ground rules, especially when you have a distributed team. Some people may be too shy to speak up, so as a leader you need to develop a gut instinct.

Mistake #5: Neglecting your professional development

错误5：忽视你的职业发展

When I was appointed project manager, my line manager pushed me to have project management training. I told him I didn’t have time for two days of training. He insisted. So, I took it and didn’t regret it. I could interact with other project managers and see that the first steps were hard for everyone. It gave me more confidence. Now, I regularly take training. I also share those experiences in an effort to encourage other people to do so, and to send the signal that it’s normal to take time off to learn.

My previous behavior was driven by two misconceptions:

When you are 100% dedicated to your projects, you can perform better.

When you work well, you can naturally progress.

Professional development is not just about corporate training. It is about taking time to watch a webinar, or talk to a friend or a more seasoned colleague. Thanks to the pandemic, professional development can now take place in more ways than ever before: online, micro certifications, webinars, podcasts, etc.

Advice:

Enquire with your company about all potential opportunities for training. What about undertaking a project certification? Do you have an alumnus in your university network who has also just taken on a first-time project manager role that you can communicate with regularly?

Also, make an “appointment with yourself” in your calendar at least once a week (or once a day if you can) for one hour where you turn off your mobile, email and instant messaging notifications. This is scary in the beginning, but it is worth establishing this routine to set aside some time to think about what you have achieved so far—and what you need to improve in the future.

原文链接： http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=Mzg2NzcyOTQ3OQ==&mid=2247483961&idx=1&sn=3d1115f2da9055f739d442ef9fb4bca5&chksm=ceb66b11f9c1e20729f3605156dad445a62125e66782805e8f7f22e3411ac7b0a16429de8086#rd