Project managers fill a very important position, acting as a bridge between those who run a business and those who work for it. They are responsible for ensuring everyone on their team remains on task, and that the project is completed satisfactorily and within any time constraints. The best project managers always keep their egos in check, and remember exactly what their job entails. However, sometimes management positions become a bit muddled and those that fill these positions often wind up believing that they should have a more direct hand in the project. Project managers should thus remember three main things while overseeing a job.
First, they need to realize that project management does not mean micromanagement. Project managers have to remember that the members of their team were hired to do a particular job, and they should have the freedom to do it. Project managers need to give their team enough space to grow, and provide them the opportunity to impress. While that doesn’t mean putting them into an office and letting them do whatever they want, it does mean that a project manager should not be checking on the employees every five minutes and demanding arbitrary updates. Managers need to look at the big picture, not the tiny little details.
Project managers must also realize that all of their workers are not created equal. Some employees will work better with structure, others will abhor a manager for trying to stifle them. A good project manager knows their team, and knows what the needs of the individual members are. A project manager should always be in charge, or at least involved, in the hiring process so they have a good idea who they are working with and can lay out a plan to keep efficiency as high as possible.
Finally, project managers need to remember to keep their supervisors in the loop. Business projects can end up being very insular, with little to no contact between the project’s team and the rest of the company. A project manager is the link between upper management and the employees. The project manager should take the initiative and draw up a regular scheduled meeting with their supervisors just to update them and answer any questions. The manager should also talk to the members of their team to gain their insight and present any concerns to upper management.
