1. There are no Technical projects, there are Business projects with Technical Components. Any initiative to develop new technical product is based on an external business need. As Project Managers we must understand the big picture. What is goal of business, and how can the technical expertise can add value to that goal.
2. Get involved early. Get involved early in the process of the project inception. Even if the question of needing resources hasn’t been decided I try to participate in the initial meetings in order to get a better perspective of the business need. Plus I can usually add value by pointing out ways certain tasks can be accomplished with greater efficiency or the resources we have on hand and the best way to utilize them
3. One hour of planning today will save you two hours of work tomorrow. While I agree that too much planning can be a negative aspect, too often I have seen the “Let’s just do it attitude”, this always leads to unclear goals and projects that run into problems in all key areas.
4. If it’s not written down it didn’t happen. While I encourage open communication amongst all the staff members, in the end anything that could have an impact on the project, any item that is considered a formal decision must be written down, and put in the appropriate place (project documentation, issue logs…).
5. Don’t kill the messenger. When people know that they can approach you, without reprisal, not only will that ensure that they will bring up any problems as soon as they are spotted, thus avoiding costly problems later on. But they will also feel free to come to you with new ideas that could lead to unexpected benefits to your project.
6. Address all issues, do it quickly and don’t stop until a resolution has been found. There are many issues and problems that will arise on a project. Budget, scope, time, quality, and especially human resources. I have seen too many people on a project (even PM’s) while acknowledging an issue, still ignored it because of it’s complexity or lack of time. Even if you cannot resolve the issue immediately it’s important to document it and discuss it with your team.
7. Don’t be afraid to replace bad people. I don’t say this lightly, but I have seen managers too often ignore problem employees due to fear of confrontation, or lack of understanding of the technical aspects of the employee’s job. I would always confront and hope to change the attitude of a problem employee, if there are problems at home perhaps they need more time to deal with their personal issues, or perhaps they have been asked to perform a task beyond their capabilities and need more training.
8. Lead by Example. Hard work and honesty cannot be faked, if you try to inspire others to achieve certain goals make sure that you willing to work with them and exhibit the same attitude. If you are not ready to do as such, the people around you will quickly loose respect for you, and managing them will become a much tougher job.
9. Don’t compartmentalize your staff. To many times I have come across where groups of different disciplines, Business Analysts, Developers and the QA / Test teams, are kept in silos with minimum cross communication. It’s far more beneficial if you get the entire team to participate in the full project life cycle.
10. Don’t lose your focus. Make sure the project sponsors think carefully about the products, or deliverables required, before the project begins. Make sure you can develop a clear vision that can be shared with the entire team. Your scope should be well defined any changes introduced during the project should be documented and evaluated. If a change is introduced the impact should be communicated to the entire team including the project sponsors.
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