Why Project Managers Should Develop Further
The rapid transformation of the project management mission is forcing project managers (PMs) to find new ways to upgrade their roles and work methods. To stay relevant and move forward, PMs must let go of outdated tactics and systems that can lead to project delays, cost overruns and frustration in today's iterative and incremental development environment.
Here, we outline five outdated practices you're better off writing off and replacing with modern methodologies that are better suited for today's project landscape:
Old: Sticking to a single methodology
In: Hybrid frameworks
"Traditional project management methodologies have become too rigid for today's environment. "Calling yourself an Agile store, however, is just as outdated" But what does a better alternative look like?
"PMs need to adapt their approach and use a combination of Lean Six Sigma, ITIL, and some degree of Agile or Waterfall to ensure prerequisites are met and meet the operational and business needs of the organization.
Old: Extreme end-to-end planning
In: Short-Term Planning
It was long believed that a lack of anticipation, preparation and long-range advance planning would turn the project into a disaster, especially when it comes to managing the unique complexities of large, long-term and very costly projects. However, the high demand in terms of continuous delivery, small pilots and short sprints has made long-term planning a pointless endeavor.
"It is a better approach to focus intensively on the next 10 days" we recommend. And it's better to prepare for no more than the next 30 to 45 days when planning ahead."
Old: Focus on scope management
In: Consulting value proposition
While it's still important to expand the scope of work every day, your career could come to naught if you don't develop the skills necessary to create value by using a consultative approach to problem solving.
The ability to express ideas in clear and non-technical terms and explain the business implications of solutions created through collaborative efforts with stakeholders have become important skills for project managers. In other words, technical jargon and jargon are out; business acumen and marketing skills are in.
Old: One-sided competence
In: Leadership & Motivation
Hire focused and technically gifted people and lead them to success: It's an outdated process that demotivates, undervalues and ultimately burns out employees. Today's companies want all-around competent developers who don't just produce code, but also excel in the broader environment of team productivity, performance optimization, design, and usability. Modern developers don't want to be controlled - they want to be inspired and guided.
Project managers need to be able to do more than just stay on schedule. "To be effective, they need to put the right people in the right jobs and provide them with resources, support and guidance to advance their careers and be successful."
Old: Tools before process
In: flow before tools
Gone are the days of investing in proprietary project management systems that dictate processes or require costly customization. Unless you work in a very large organization that employs hundreds of developers and business analysts.
Instead, savvy PMs rely on cloud-based tools and apps that support the models, project portfolios and best practices they already have and think are working well.
When you put tools over processes, you're saddling the horse from behind. "Plus, your reputation as a PM can quickly suffer when stakeholders ask why the tool you're using isn't working, when the real problem was created in the first place by the tool messing up your team's workflow and processes."
