10 Golden Rules for New Project Managers

By Duncan Haughey, PMP

Today dozens of new project managers will
start their first project, a daunting prospect.
Here are my tips for surviving life as a project
manager.

Rule 1: Develop a Strong

Business Case
Ensure you have a strong business case for
your project, with high-level support from your
sponsor. The business case is the justification for the project and should list the
expected benefits. This is something everyone involved in the project can focus
on, and the reason the project is taking place. Projects move us from one state
to another by delivering a change, product or other required outcome, with the
business case explaining why.
Rachel Agheyisi, an economist and Executive Director of Report Content Writer
says, "A good story is memorable. A case study is essentially a success story. A
well-written business success story is arguably one of the most effective ways
to create a visual image of achievable results in the mind of a prospective
client." Ensure you have a good business case study for your project.

Rule 2: Define Critical Success Factors for Your

Project
Define with your customer the critical success factors that will make the project
a success. Ensure they are measurable, for example, 'a 15% cut in the cost of
raw materials by the end of 2011.' Use these factors at the end of the project
to measure your success. This is what counts and the 'must have' items the
project needs to deliver. All other issues are secondary to these as the critical
success factors effectively form the contract with your customer.
A favourite question of mine, is "In 25 words or fewer, what would you define
as the critical success factors for your project?"

Rule 3: Create a Good Project Plan

Time spent planning is time well-spent - as the saying goes. Ensure you have a
project plan with enough detail that everyone involved understands the
projects direction. A good project plan provides the following benefits:

Clearly documented project milestones and deliverables.

Valid and realistic timescale.
A way to produce accurate cost estimates.
Detailed resource plan.
Early warning system, providing visibility of task slippage.
A way to keep the project team focused and updated on progress.
Lack of planning will lead to problems. Ensure that you build in contingency to
any estimate. I recommend between 10-15 per cent. I prefer to be a little
pessimistic and deliver early, rather than too optimistic and deliver late. Be
careful though; adding too much contingency and under running an estimate is
just as bad as overrunning an estimate.
Number 10 on Rick Klemm's 'Top Ten Things Overheard on a Failing Software
Project', "Project plan? This project is too simple to spend time creating a
project plan!" A serious mistake no project manager worth his salt would make.

Rule 4: Manage Expectations

Managing expectations is the number one activity of a project manager.
One-way to do this is to break projects down into smaller chunks or
subprojects with frequent milestones and deliverables - commonly known as
the 'Agile' approach. This way you manage expectations by making regular
deliveries, and letting the customer see work as it progresses. This approach
ensures the project delivers to the customers' expectations by giving them
early visibility of what you are building, and allowing them to feedback
questions and concerns.
To quote actor Bruce Bennett, "All clients' needs and expectations are vastly
different." Don't assume you know your customers' needs, even if you have run
similar projects - find out what they are!

Rule 5: Keep Your Team Motivated

A motivated team will go the extra mile to deliver a project on time, on budget
and to the right quality. Keep your team motivated by involving them
throughout the project, and planning frequent milestones to help them feel
they are making progress. Communication is important here - so let your team
know when they are performing well, not just when they are performing badly.
Lee Iacocca, best-known for his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the
1980s, said "Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but
you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the
line and get him to inspire his people." Keeping your team motivated pays
dividends.

Rule 6: Communicate and Never Assume Anything

There's an adage 'never assume anything', and this is especially true in project
management. Good communication with customers, end-users, your sponsor
and especially the project team are important for project success.
Does everyone in the team understand you?
Do they know exactly what is expected of them or have you assumed they
do?
Do they communicate well with one another, with the customer and with
other departments?
The importance of good communication cannot be overstated, so ensure you
are talking to all of your stakeholders continuously. Don't assume people
understand what is expected of them.
Make sure you avoid number 9 on Rick Klemm's 'Top Ten Things Overheard on
a Failing Software Project', "Since I didn't hear otherwise; I ASSUMED all was
going well." Sign of a project manager failing to communicate effectively.

Rule 7: Say No!

The most valuable and least used word in a project manager's vocabulary is
'no'. Never promise anything you know you can't deliver, this will guarantee
problems later. Stay strong no matter how important the person in front of you
is - they'll thank you for it later. If they don't, perhaps you are in the wrong
job. If saying 'no' be firm and prepared to justify the reasons behind your
decision.
Samuel Dash, widely known for his role as chief counsel to the Senate
Watergate Committee, said "Learn to say no in situations where saying no can
be difficult, where it could mean getting fired. Say no anyway, because it could
lead you to greater opportunities."

Rule 8: Avoid Scope Creep

Scope creep is one of the most common reasons projects run over budget and
deliver late. Customers will often forget you have put in extra work and effort.
Ensure that you set expectations at the beginning of the project and clearly
define what is in and out of scope. Record it in the key project documentation.
Don't assume the customer will read and understand these documents. I
recommend that you spend at least an hour with the customer to walk them
through the project and ensure that they understand and agree the scope.
Don't continue without firm agreement.
At number 5 on Rick Klemm's 'Top Ten Things Overheard on a Failing Software

Project', "This one small change shouldn't affect anything." Wrong! Small
changes mount up and create overruns on both budget and schedule. Avoid!

Rule 9: Identify Risks to Your Project

Nobody likes to think about risks, especially early in a project. However, avoid
risk management at your peril. I recommend that you produce a risk log with
an action plan to lessen each risk. Send your risk plan to all the stakeholders of
your project and spend time to talk to them about the risks. Knowing what
action you will take, should the worst happen, is a great stress reducer.
Bart Jutte, founder and consultant at Concilio, says "The benefits of risk
management in projects are huge. You can gain a lot of money if you deal with
uncertain project events in a proactive manner." Don't let risks sneak up and
derail your project.

Rule 10: Close Your Project

By definition, projects have a finite life. A project that isn't closed will continue
to consume resources. At the end of a project agree with the customer whether
the critical success factors have been met. Ask them to sign-off, otherwise fix
any areas of deficiency. I like to use a Customer Acceptance Form, which I
lodge with the PMO. At this point, you may like to ask your customer to fill out
a customer satisfaction survey. They may have valuable information that will
help you improve for future projects.
Manjeet Singh, in his 'Quick Guide to Project Management', says "During the
closing process, you formally accept the deliverables and shut down the project
or its phases. You will also review the project and its results with your team
and other stakeholders of the project. At the end of the project, you will
produce a formal project closure document, and a project evaluation report."

In conclusion...
The job of project manager is a challenging one; however, it need not be
stressful if you follow these 10 golden rules. Good luck in surviving life as a
project manager!

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