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OUDTSHOORN BUSINESS NEWS - Although every day can look different to any project manager, a routine and structure tend to form and the daily runnings become what any proficient project manager can expect to mould. Make sure, at all times, that you are able to keep learning while on the job.
The average workday of a project manager
Wake up. Rub sleep from eyes. Make coffee. Drink coffee. Out of bed, out of the home, out of the car.
Into the office. Another cup of coffee.
Maybe a spot of morning moodiness. Don't worry, it’s early.
Once the grumbles are out of the way, tend to the stumbles; the obstacles which might get in the way of a productive day for both you and your team. If you can get to the office before your staff, focus on the tasks which require your prime mental energy. Take advantage of your time without any distractions.
When the staff arrive, make time for the office mumbles:
Have conversations and make sure everyone knows what they need to do and that they are on track with their responsibilities. If anyone has pressing feedback, pay attention to it. Validate it where necessary and make changes.
Depending on your industry, deal with minor issues. This could be budgeting or resource-related issues. Put out any little fires before they become destructive to the project. It’s a little work now which will save you a LOT of work later.
Once you’ve fought the fires, focus on the daily tasks. While in the office, attend any meetings, give encouragement, give criticisms, work on upskilling yourself.
You can forget to have a cup of tea but do not ever forget to eat.
Go home.
Go for a run. Or a cycle. Or a gym sesh. Do something which engages your body and disengages your mind from work. Exercise boosts your mood, your energy and your mental strength. It’s not only good for you, but it’s also good for your work.
Finally, check your emails and update your to-do list for tomorrow. Now, don’t do your to-do list. Just update it so you know what to expect tomorrow.
Work on upskilling. The beauty of doing any online courses is in its flexibility. You are not tied to lectures or a university schedule. Do the course in your own time; you can learn and lead at the same time. Working on courses while maintaining a work schedule has the added advantage of testing and building the project manager’s time management skills.
Sleep. Well. You deserve it.
Project Management Tips
Prioritise what you set out to do first
One of the most efficient ways to manage a project with the focus of a locust is to prioritise the tasks wearing an important badge over the ones boasting an urgent badge. If a task comes up which needs to be dealt with, it holds both. If something threatens urgency but can wait, then a rule of thumb is to continue with the important tasks on your plate first. If urgency always takes over, very little focused work ultimately gets completed.
Use tools to help you do your work
Software developed to help project managers is your friend; take advantage of it. There are many apps and programs built to help you and make your job easier so you can put your best attention to the important things.
Plan to plan
Plan for success, because “failing to plan is planning to fail”. While you might not be able to put everything on a schedule, you can put things in place to make things easier for you and your team in the long-term. If necessary, put at least as much time and energy into planning as you go into executing a project. Imagine you’re an architect; finished blueprints are critical before any building can take place.
Look out for advice from those further ahead in their career
One of the project managers who took a MasterStart Project Management: Principles and Practices short course encourages all aspiring project managers to take the course in order to gain a good understanding of what is required. He also offered advice on how to complete the course in a creative and exciting way:
It is a very useful course for people that have daily or regular exposure to project management, but have not been formally trained or educated, this is a really useful stepping stone to get a solid understanding of the subject matter and its basics.
The best advice I can give is as part of your weekly assignment submissions you should create a project from scratch. I did it about a hypothetical water tank of 25,000L I was going to build at my house during the drought. The whole process was quite creative and as I had no existing project data to fall back on, I felt it was the most rewarding and allowed me to learn the most.
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