To me a new project means finding out new things, rising to new challenges and reacting to new situations. I have always enjoyed all of these things so sticking to the same type of job year after year was never going to be a good long term option for me. Instead, I found that the project management role gave me the ideal way of switching from one thing to another with every new project given to me. So what should you do when you are given a brand new piece of work?
Don’t Panic
Ok, so you are given a few documents and none of them make sense. They talk about processes you have never heard of, people you don’t know and acronyms which make no sense. Relax. After you have done some research everything will become clear. Once you have worked on a few different projects you will be a lot calmer about this stage but at the beginning of your project career it can be terrifying. You may get the odd project which you are comfortable with right away but if you want a long career in the role you will need to get used to being given information which at first glance appears to have been written in Esperanto.
Find Out What It Is About
I have always found that taking on the new information in bite sized chunks is the best way for me to absorb as much as possible quickly. After a while you will no doubt find your own way of doing this which suits you. The important point is that you take your time and learn what you need to know in a calm fashion. This is the stage of the project when you should look to ask the silly questions and avoid making assumptions. What you find out at this point will be the basis for your knowledge throughout the project so there is no sense in trying to skip through this process as quickly as you can.
Locate the People
Who are the stakeholders? Who will your project team be and who will be assigned each task? The people aspect of the project is a huge issue and it is worth thinking about right away. Getting the buy in of the stakeholders early on is a smart move and to do this you could consider getting them involved before things really kick off. You will probably have more spare time and be more relaxed at the beginning of the project so this is a great time to make contact with the right people and start talking. You shouldn’t assume that the list of contacts given you at the start is comprehensive. This is merely a starting point for your investigations in most cases.
Think About the Plan
The project plan is something you are either keen to get stuck into or something you are putting off for as long as possible. In either case it makes a good deal of sense to start to think about this long before you need to draw it up. With a bit of experience in the job you will begin to visualize the project plan in your head but until that happens you will need to start taking down notes. Once the project fully kicks off and you are kept busy it will be difficult to remember all of the thoughts you had earlier on so noting them down somewhere is essential.
Get the Organization Right
There are a lot of little tasks which are easier to do at the beginning than during the project. These include setting up folders on the computer, making sure everyone has access to the right folders and making sure that your office is up to scratch. You might want to delegate this work to someone else but the important thing is that someone does it. A lot of experienced project managers also have tried and trusted spreadsheets and checklists which just need to be updated for the new piece of work. This is also a good time to think about any training needs for you and your team. Will this project have something different about it which justifies learning new skills before you start it? Not every new project is a step into the unknown but if there is something new there then it is best to face up to it right away.
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