How To Succeed as a New Project Manager

How To Succeed as a New Project Manager How To Succeed as a New Project Manager How To Succeed as a New Project Managerby Carol MilanoThe most important thing for a new project manager to keep in mind is to understand your employers expectations, and to make them visible, advises Professor Linda Nozick, Director of Cornell Universitys program in Systems Engineering. Start out by thinking about what youre getting into. Whats the condition of the project? Can you get what you need to do a great job? Make your own assessment to be sure this project is doable, Nozick explains. Do your homework Find out the existing company knowledge about this project, all the background information, any relevant documents, and the current thinking.Some key questionsExactly what does your employer expect?When is the date they want it?Will you have access to all the needed resources and staff members?What is being promised to the client or co-workers?Usually, projects are part of a larger program. For exa mple, if your assignment is to design a car part, someone is overseeing the entire car, or a bigger component. Identify the subject matter experts on your gruppe, so that all of you can sit down with the program manager and discuss the project. If this isnt a brand-new team, ask whats happened so far, and where stumbling blocks might be, Nozick suggests. If a previous project manager has been promoted, go talk to them.If this project had not succeeded, was the original commitment unrealistic, the funding insufficient, or were the resources too limited? Depending on the projects history, you may need to make adjustments or reassignments. With team members who are older than you, remember that age is just one dimension, Nozick emphasizes, If youre assigned to an ongoing project, ask to be involved in renegotiating the deliverables. Always share all the goals with all your team members. Make sure that no one working for you (or for your customer) is surprised.Nozick stresses knowing yo ur role in the organization. If the project manager has direct customer contact, simply introduce yourself, very courteously. You could say, Ill be taking over the project and I look forward to working with you. Please feel free to contact me.How can you tell if youre succeeding? Are you making your milestones and deliverables? Are your team members generally happy? If theyre learning, expanding their own skills, and gaining confidence, then the project is likely to be moving along well, also, says Nozick.A new project manager may be nervous, having never been in this role before. You may not yet know the politics or behavioral issues of dealing with team members ( even if youve been one) and the people you report to, Nozick observes. Project managers have to work with everyone on their team. Keep the right perspective its irrelevant whether you have the same interests or lifestyle outside of work. Having team members outside the U.S. presents multi-cultural dimensions. People may have different ideas of how to interact and communicate. Always respect those differences.Nozicks observations reflect a trend. Im receiving an increasing number of requests to help teams understand differences in work styles among team members, reports Lenny Borer, a communications trainer in Portland, Oregon. Hes developing new exercises to improve interactions among staff members working on projects together. For many people, its eye-opening to realize that the personality clashes they have with other team members are really based on classic, predictable style differences, Borer finds. Theyre glad to learn specific ways of flexing their own style to work with someone who seems different. One approach is trying to modify the golden rule think about treating others the way they want to be treated. That isnt necessarily the same as the way youd want to be treated.