Rose Training talks team leadership and Project Management. 

At Rose Training, we are committed to nurturing and developing great business leaders and team members throughout all our courses. We want our students to graduate with a sense of purpose and the tools needed to be credible leaders in the workplace; people who are respected, admired and appreciated for working hard and working well. One of the courses at Rose Training that will teach you exactly that is Project Management. Project Managers work with teams to reach a specific goal in a variety of industries, be it IT, construction, or health. One thing that makes Project Management is that it is temporary; the team only lasts until the goal is reached. As such, team members may have never worked together (or even met each other!) before, so it’s important that Project Managers are able to motivate their team, providing and encouraging unity, morale, and cohesion for as long as the project lasts. Of course, Project Managers must do more than that; they must control resources, plan ahead, make timelines, account for costs, and implement procedures and policies in case something unexpected happens.  In this blog, we are going to tell you how to establish credibility as a Project Manager in the workplace.

Project Management Tip #1,  Delegate:

No one expects you to do all the work yourself as a Project Manager. That is why delegation is paramount to a successful project team. Each person should be given a workload that best fits their role within the team, taking into account their strengths, weaknesses, and interests. There is no use in giving someone a marketing role when they have never used Photo Shop before in their life! Similarly, make sure that your team is constantly learning; perhaps giving someone a role that requires some use Photo Shop will be a good learning experience if they want to know more about technology and improve their editing skills. Project Management is a great way to ensure the expansion and improvement of skills and knowledge, so harness that and encourage questions to be asked, challenges to be taken on, and work to be shared.

Project Management Tip #2, Praise and give constructive feedback:

Earlier this week, we posted a message on Facebook saying how  passionate we are about the saying  “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected”.  Praise is a necessary and vital part of project teams; it isn’t just some fluffy, decorative accessory but a key component in ensuring the longevity and ongoing success of your team. A team that is praised throughout the project process for innovative ideas, putting in many hours of work, solving a problem with a unique solution or pre-emptively them warding off should be congratulated, appreciated, and respected. It is your duty as Project Manager to instigate that praise, and to make sure that every member of your team feels appreciated, valued, and useful. Praise can take place both publically and privately, whether it involves an e-mail, a Facebook post, a celebratory work breakfast ­– that is completely up to you, but make sure your employees feel comfortable and welcomed with this kind of praise.

Similarly, if you observe that your team isn’t working to the best of their potential, don’t be afraid to give them constructive feedback. Your team relies on you to be honest with them at all times, and constructive feedback allows for this honesty while also giving you an opportunity to provide possible solutions and suggestions to address the problems you are observing. Constructive feedback can take place via one-on-one meetings or team meetings, but make sure that your team members don’t feel threatened, bullied, ridiculed, targeted or that they are worthless. You should always aim to praise their involvement, but address areas where improvement can be shown.

Project Management Tip #3, Plan and schedule:

A Project Manager who does not have a calendar or timeline filled out with project goals and targets, is a manager who is taking a huge risk.  You must have in-depth knowledge of where you want your team to be at, at the start and end of every week. Saying that, be wary of micro-management. Hourly or daily goals may be taking it a bit too far, since everyone has their own work ethic and times of the day where they are most productive, but you should most definitely have a timeline of what you need your team to achieve at the end of every week, fortnight, and month.  A timeline or calendar will help you to sort out your costs and duties to stakeholders, and will provide a clear picture about where the project should be heading. However, we all know that unforeseen events can occur, which are out of the control of your team. When setbacks happen, be sure to pause, take a step back, reassess, assure your team of their worthiness, and have plans and resolutions to get you back on track. It’s important to accept these setbacks, mistakes, and failures in order to move on from them. Stubbornness is not a desired trait of any Project Manager; you should be flexible, adaptable and willing to make changes to ensure a positive, productive and successful team.

If you want to know more about Project Management, call us on 3038 3048 to discuss our Diploma of Project Management! Alternatively, talk to Jessica Rose on LiveChat.