Are You Project Managing Your Own Life?

Project manager by day…and night? As a professional project manager, do you find that you project manage your own personal life, even when you aren’t at work? Are you multitasking, creating schedules, spreadsheets, or even using a database or software to track and organize your own personal tasks? If you’ve said, “yes” to any of these, you could be project managing your own life.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Keeping detailed records, schedules, and spreadsheets to track budgets, finances, kids’ sports schedules and other activities, and other daily to-dos isn’t unheard of…especially in our busy lives where most of us balance work, school, families, etc. simultaneously. With our lives on the go all the time, it’s hard not to remain in the role as project manager when you leave the office and when you step in the door at home.

What can you do to become more organized?

The work – life balance is tough. No argument there. Being organized and detail-oriented can help you stay on top of finances, work out or diet goals, sports and activities schedules, and even managing grocery lists. You may have even perfected the art of multitasking by doing multiple household chores at one time, or exercising and doing work on your smartphone at the same time, or even scheduling weekend tasks by the day, or even by the hour! It’s all about coordination.

In addition to spending your time project managing your own life, you can also put that energy towards new ideas and even spark creativity. This doesn’t even have to do with your career as a project manager, but could also pertain to your own personal life. Maybe you need to think of a creative interior decorating idea, or help your child with his or her science project, or even plan your family’s next holiday or family reunion. We know what you’re thinking: spreadsheets, Powerpoints, and maybe even Pinterest…

Not all things in life can be project managed.

Project managers find the slightest inefficiencies and make them efficient. But remember, while life can be a project, it’s not as easily managed as some of the projects that may fall across your desk or appear in your inbox. There are challenges, hardships, and unforeseen events in life that just can’t be managed with a spreadsheet. This isn’t an attack on your efficiency, experience level, or performance as a project manager, it’s just a fact. Life is just messy and we all have to learn to roll with the punches. There come points in life when we have to stop being the job and be human beings.

How do you find a happy medium?

So now that we’ve talked about how project managing your own life is a good thing, and about where the line is between career and home, how does a project manager find a happy medium? There are simple ways that project managers function on a daily basis that aren’t over the top but can still make you a better person, personally.

1. Coordination. Coordination always takes effort, whether it be at home or work or even in your own business. However, if you learn to balance home and work and recognize where the line between the two is, when to cross it, and when not to cross it, this will help you in your coordination efforts. This will help you to remain organized and keep tasks, projects, and everything else in check and categorize them between work and play.
2. Communication. Project managers should know it’s all about communication. This item goes beyond the office, email, and the smartphone. This can be used in all relationships, whether personal or professional. Communication among spouses, friendships, and even families is huge in life. Practicing good, effective communication will make you a better person all around.

Finally, project managers can certainly benefit from implementing their own professional tactics into their personal lives. In fact, most professionals often do! However, it’s important as human beings to remember how vital it is not to let this cross over and take over your life negatively. Project management comes with excellent knowledge and skills to utilize in both your personal and professional life.

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Project Success Tip: Improve Time Management Skills and Discipline

Time is a priceless asset. There is no way that you can add some more hours in your day for completing your scheduled tasks. Hence, without managing time properly, it is quite impossible for a project manager to manage all the tasks successfully.

Time management is analogous to self-management. We need to manage ourselves and our daily activities in order to make the most of our time. Proper emphasis is always given on this matter, more specifically in project management.
Today, time management is considered as something which is absolutely crucial for planning effectively and ensuring that all the deadlines are met. As a project manager, practicing perfect time management will surely assist you in enhancing overall productivity.

The overall idea behind time management is that, you need to prioritize your scheduled tasks and give more emphasis and time on those tasks that are more important. Taking prompt decisions in these matters is absolutely vital. You have to analyse the pros and cons of all the matters and should try your level best to decide quickly and correctly. If you can do it successfully, you will surely be able to excel in the corporate world and be a happier person.

Efficiency and effectiveness are two matters that must be taken care of while managing time. In the former case, you need to ensure that you are planning and scheduling your activities in a logical, intelligent and efficient manner. In the latter case, you have to guarantee that the activities are done in accordance with the plan. When these two things are ensured, you will be able to manage time lot more easily and perfectly.

Recognizing the poor use of time is not a difficult task at all. Without managing time properly, you will have to rush, feel exhausted and definitely miss the deadlines. Inevitably, you will not be able to give sufficient time in rest and sleep. As a result, your overall health and well-being will get jeopardized. For reaching the goal of being truly productive, you have to learn the art of managing time in a proper manner.

Again, in the project management process, all sorts of activities related to the project are always associated with specific deadlines. That’s why, if the project manager do not give proper value on time management techniques, the project will inevitably fail in the long run.

For ensuring the proper utilization of time, you need to possess some special qualities. For example, you have to know how to become more organized, so that you get what you want within the shortest possible time. You also need to be more focused. Always make sure that you are not wasting your valuable time by simply loitering or gossiping with others. Being more hard-working and resilient is also necessary. You need to give the proper value of time so that this valuable asset is not wasted at all.

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Professional Development: Project Management Seminars

As professional project managers, have you ever considered furthering your professional development in project management? If not, all project managers, regardless of how much experience he or she has, should consider furthering their knowledge and expertise in project management (thereby decreasing costly project mistakes) by taking advantage of project management seminars.

The ease, convenience, and flexibility of technology and the Internet these days make taking online classes and webinars all that much easier. Many sites offer webinars on project management for free or for a small fee. The Project Management Institute (PMI) is one of them they offer a wide range of webinars based on interest, topic, and experience. Many of the webinars are even on-demand so you can sign on at a time that is most convenient to you rather than driving or traveling a significant distance to attend a live seminar.

Live seminars, however, are still an available option to those who prefer to attend them rather than sitting on a computer. In addition, many project managers utilize the time attending a live seminar to network and meet other people in various or similar industries. Others may be old-fashioned and just prefer attending the classroom or lecture style seminar where they can listen to a live person speak. This is also a great way to meet new people and learn some new insights that affect the project management role.

Choosing what kind of seminar style is best for you is really based on preference and your learning style. Many live seminars are also set up in face-to-face group settings where you can learn and interact with other live group members on certain topics. In addition, as mentioned above, there are many e-learning tools and on demand learning tools and seminars available today than ever before. Many project managers and professional choose these as they can participate in them and listen to them in the comfort of their own homes, on the go, and off site as needed.

Most organizations will pay for the courses or at least pay a portion. For those project managers who are sole proprietors or independent contractors, purchasing courses for professional development are considered business expenses and therefore are typically tax deductible. However, some seminars and webinars may even be free of cost. All in all, if you haven’t considered advancing your knowledge of project management, consider some courses or seminars/webinars as professional development.

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The Four Categories of Risk Management

As professional project managers, we all know that each project comes with its own set of risks. Those risks depend on the project specifications and scope, and no two projects are alike. Each project’s risks can be categorized into specific risk response categories in order for project managers to effectively address and respond to each of these risks and track their progress accordingly.

Avoidance – Avoidance doesn’t necessarily mean that project managers should avoid or ignore the risk, but that the risk itself should be avoided at all costs. Examples of such risks to a project that absolutely must be avoided clearly depends on the organization, but can include late product delivery to the customer, or the severe injury or even death of a customer.

Mitigation – This is one of the most popular risk response methods in project management. Although it can be an expensive measure, it is extremely effective and a popular approach. Mitigation is the category that risks fall into but aren’t extremely critical. All risks are critical and should be dealt with, but mitigation allows for project managers to address the risk and reduce the probability or impact of a risk actually occurring.

Transference – Transference is the method in which project manager can take a risk—or the consequences of a risk—in a project and transfer it to a third party or a party outside of the organization. A common example is when an organization works with insurers, such as warranties on particular products or machinery, subcontractors, or vendors. Transference is also known as “deflection” in project management.

Acceptance – Finally, acceptance is the risk response category in which project managers have addressed certain risks and have accepted the consequences of those risks. For example, if a project is submitted late and ultimately will incur late product delivery. Typically the customer is informed of this ahead of time and everyone accepts that the risk will most likely occur.

In addition, there are two types of acceptance: passive and active. Passive acceptance is when project managers don’t take any action in managing the particular risk. On the other hand, active is when project managers do in fact take action in preventing a risk for occurring or even developing fallback plans or contingency plans for if the risk occurs.

So what are some basic actions project managers can take when developing risk response plans? Communication is one of the biggest areas where project managers can identify each of the risks, develop risk response plans, and address each of the risks. Some communication methods can include holding planning or team meetings on a regular basis, or develop a project risk register to document each of the risks, the plans of attack, and address each of them with the team members.

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The Best Ways to Make Sure Projects Go Smoothly

As professional project managers we’ve worked on a number of different projects all with different specifications and unique cases. We’ve also seen our fair share of challenges, risks, and inadvertent schedule delays. As project managers, we’ve seen it all. Here are some of the best ways to make sure projects go smoothly.

• Know Your Clients and Customers. Knowing and establishing relationships with clients and customers is half the battle. This can help you immensely in determining schedules, budgets, and deliverables. This may be more difficult for less experienced project managers to grasp at first, but each detail-oriented project manager should be able to get to know the organization’s clients or customers after some time, or at least understand what their goals are. Knowing these goals can make all the difference in how effectively you project manage that particular client’s projects.

• Recruit a Great Team. The other key are in effective project management has to do with the team. Recruiting and managing a good team can make all the difference in how a project is managed and carried out. Team members should all be working to one common goal: serving the client. Remember that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. In addition, project managers should keep in mind that they aren’t “managers” but rather “leaders”. This is vital to remember when leading teams and projects. The difference between a manager and a leader lies with the project manager. He or she should encourage team member success rather than solely delegating tasks.

• Identify Risks and Establish Risk Response Plans. One of the most crucial points in project management is identifying project risks. Each project has its own set of challenges and risks that come along with it. A project manager should spend time at the beginning and identify any and all certain and uncertain risks and the probability and impact levels for each. Then, the project manager should design risk response plans for each of the risks. This way if and when each risk comes about the project manager and team can address them according to the plan that was put into place. Some of the best ways to address these as a group is hold planning meetings on a regular basis and keep all team members informed as to the project status and progress of each risk and how each is being addressed.

• Archiving and Documentation. Another key area of project management—before, during, and even after the project life cycle—is documenting each step and archiving the project properly so that other project managers or team members can resurrect the documentation or information on a particular project should it be needed for future projects. One of the great benefits to doing this is a lot of time and effort can be saved on the part of the project manager if he or she has another similar project to reference to, to see how the completed project was carried out.