25 quick-fire project management tips

As a project manager, you will almost certainly be considering some type of professional project management qualification to demonstrate your knowledge and experience, and also to boost your career prospects. But when you don’t have time to study, sometimes some quick tips can help. Here are some of our favourites… 

1. You are only as good as your team, so make sure you assess skills and experience carefully when choosing your project team.
2. Continuous professional development is important throughout all stages of your career. You should never stop learning.
3. Don’t be too proud to ask for help.
4. Master the art of delegation. You can’t do everything yourself.
5. Always, always plan for risks. Things rarely go as you intend them to.
6. Scope creep on projects can cause serious delays.
7. Be honest and transparent at all times. 
8. Assign tasks based on skills rather than giving them out to the first person available.
9. Don’t favour team members. It will disrupt the harmony of the group.
10. Choose the right communication method for the subject being discussed. You don’t need to hold a meeting for everything.
11. Don’t forget to say thank you. It costs nothing yet makes a huge difference to your team members. 
12. Create a list of tasks to complete for the following day before you leave the office.
13. Set a period throughout the day to check emails, rather than responding as and when they come in.
14. Don’t waste time.  A project manager’s job is never finished.
15. Always listen to what people are saying, rather than simply waiting for your moment to speak.
16. Review every project once it is completed so you can learn for the next one.
17. Deliver feedback based on the person you are talking to and the nature of what you are going to say.
18. Agree overspends up front.
19. Don’t overpromise and under deliver. 
20. Don’t make assumptions. Deal with facts and ensure there is a solid reason for the decisions that are made.
21. Evidence is everything.
22. Fail to plan, and you will definitely plan to fail.
23. Keep open lines of communication with everyone involved in the project.
24. Make use of project management software to streamline your processes.
25. Get to grips with change management. There are bound to be changes throughout the project.
26. Accept that you can be wrong at times, and admit when you are. Your team will respect you for it.
27. Be mindful of scoop creep. When a change is requested, assess the impact on quality, time and budget and relay this to the client before proceeding. 
28. Set a time for meetings and stick to it.
29. Only invite people to meetings that are impacted by the outcome.
30. Respect the cultures and national holidays of your remote team members.

So, there you have it – quick tips to make your project management life a little bit easier.