If you’ve always dreamed of being the next Jobs, or perhaps if you just want to try your hand at project management, you need to work on yourself and hone those leadership skills.
Getting started as a project manager or scrum master isn’t easy, I won’t lie to you.
It takes tons of hard work and personal drive. If you don’t know where to start, do not fear — there are clear guidelines that can put you on the right track.
No matter where you are on your journey — going through job ads, preparing for the CAPM® exam, or taking the first steps as a professional project manager — these 8 practical tips will help you advance your career.
1. Use Fewer Words
A big fat piece of your success as a first-time project manager comes from communication and people skills.
According to the PMI (Project Management Institute), project managers spend 90% of their time communicating what is going to be done. Whether it’s a project plan or motivational speech, you need to get your point across.
How to do it effectively? Use fewer words!
My namesake, Thomas Jefferson, said, “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” As a first-time project manager or scrum master, you should treat it as your mantra.
Quit prattling and beating around the bush — it confuses your listeners and makes your job harder. Make your message short and to the point. Don’t wing it! Identify your priorities and plan what you want to say before you start talking. You can even write some points down upfront to give your speech a structure.
2. Listen Attentively
Becoming a strong communicator requires more than being brief — it’s equally important to be an attentive and active listener.
Don’t dominate the conversation — enable your team to hold the floor. Listen carefully to what they have to say and look for non-verbal cues.
Sometimes keeping silent can be a key to your success. Why? It creates space for other people in the discussion to share their opinions and raise questions. And, in your case, their insight is truly valuable.
3. Increase Transparency
Think about your last working week — who did you communicate with? If your list comes down to your team and key stakeholders, you might be failing to be transparent.
The people you work closely with are not the only coworkers you should keep in the loop, your actions have an impact on the whole organization.
I work for a software development company, so I cooperate mostly with engineers. Their tasks are pretty straightforward — build a product, implement a new component, debug an issue… My responsibilities might seem pretty vague in comparison and so I used to get a lot of questions as to what exactly my role is. It made me realize that I need to share information upward, downward, and laterally — be more transparent.
Be proactive in disclosing where you and your team members are heading to all the people involved or interested in your projects. Transparency in the workplace matters, it can build or break trust.
It’s equally important for your relationship with the team.
Introduce regular one-on-one meetings with your team members and collect their feedback. Create a safe environment and make sure everybody understands that your conversations are private. Do you think it’s obvious? Point it out anyway, it’s all the encouragement some people need.
4. Be Honest
Let me tell you one thing — as a first-time project manager or scrum master, it’s more than likely that you screw up once in a while.
After all, you are constantly juggling a hundred balls in the air at the same time — dealing with deadlines, client satisfaction, and team satisfaction. Being inexperienced, you might drop several more balls than an average project manager.
Don’t panic when it happens, stay honest. Don’t sweep problems or risks under the rug — they will come back to bite you at some point. And they might come back twice as hard.
Discuss the ongoing issues and come up with a plan to solve them. You can’t turn back time, but you can face the problem and nip it in the bud.
Remember to present the facts without hurting anybody’s feelings or causing panic.
When you write a difficult email, start with a draft. Show your text to a third party to confirm that your message is clear and doesn’t stir up negative emotions. Always strive to be tactful and truthful at the same time.
5. Get to Know the Business Context
Do you believe you or your company have all the right answers? If so, it’s a risky and faulty approach. Let’s take a look at the software development company I work for — Evojam.
For our staff, it’s crucial to deliver quality and scalable apps. It’s the ultimate goal of our engineers and the foundation of our organization. Yet, if a client needs an MVP fast and dirty, our approach will not work.
Our clients often don’t grasp technology. They make various assumptions based on their business context. To make necessary adjustments and meet requirements, we have to be on the same page.
As a project manager, you’re the link between the client and your team. It’s your task to see both sides. You can’t only look through a keyhole, so open the door and get a clear view!
6. Build Background Knowledge
There’s so much to learn, right? Whether you’ve already secured your first job as a project manager or just enrolled in a PM course, there’s just so much to learn.
There are various tech stacks, methodologies, and frameworks. There are people from a variety of backgrounds that you need to liaise with. It can make anyone dizzy.
Take time to understand what each project is about on both business and technology level. Put yourself in another person’s shoes to understand the whats, hows, and whys. It might be challenging at first, but it’s worth the effort. Ask questions, send surveys, read, and experiment. Become a semi-expert in all sorts of fields that are related to your projects.
7. Focus on Risk Assessment
As a project manager or scrum master, you should be conducting risk assessments. Why? To put it simply, “You're not at your best when you're stressed” (see a TED talk on how our organisms react to stressful situations).
It’s hard to think straight when the walls are closing in on you. Prepare for potential crises, and you’ll avoid making critical mistakes when they arise.
How to do it accurately? In a nutshell:
Use your own metrics as a reference and discuss all the possible scenarios with software engineers and your clients.
Remember to take into consideration even minor issues — every fire begins with a little spark!
8. Have a Proactive Attitude
It goes without saying that, as a project manager or scrum master, you should take ownership of most issues. You can’t expect your team members to solve all the problems for you!
Try to come up with several problem-solving scenarios yourself before you ask your coworkers for their input. Build scenario thinking into your decision-making process — it’s a great tool for strategic planning.
Take the initiative, and you’ll help others give more relevant and valuable feedback.
There you go! This list may look like a tip of the iceberg, but it’ll surely help you navigate the uncharted waters of project management. Follow these best practices and challenge yourself every day — and slowly but surely you’ll become an effective and inspiring leader.
