It is unnecessary to mention the growing scope of PMP certification. Project management professionals are needed in every industry sector because it is one of the most valuable certifications. You know how persistent you must be to get those three letters on your resume. You are unquestionably capable of effectively managing and completing the projects assigned to you. Project managers make mistakes when communicating with their teams. This is often due to their tight schedules and unrealistic goals. Project managers are more proficient in their hard skills like designing plans and monitoring reports than they are with soft skills such as how to interact and inspire their teams. It is not enough to be able to use scheduling software or an assessment model. We will be focusing on the soft-skill-related slip-ups in this article.
Did You Really Mean ‘AoYes’ when You Said “AoYes”?
Project managers are often placed in situations where they have to answer for multiple aspects of an ongoing project. Or, they are asked if they can deliver a specific result in a very short time. These deadlines can be dangerous because of the pressure. Your project’s success can be affected if you promise more than you can deliver. This could damage your reputation and make you appear inept. Instead, take the time to properly assess the client’s needs and the current situation before you say yes. You can save yourself a lot of time by suggesting viable alternatives or recommending acceptable solutions. Remember that your client is a person who is looking out for his best interests and not a monster.
Talk Less, Listen More
Project management is all about managing high-pressure situations and meeting tight deadlines. You are often busy resolving prevailing issues, allocating tasks and coordinating activities of the team. You also need to monitor the progress of the project. You tend to give instructions, rather than having a meaningful conversation with your team members to understand their concerns. This conversation will allow you to evaluate the situation and verify that they have received your message. It is not something that anyone wants to be told all the time how to do things. You will immediately get the answer if you are willing to listen. Take some time to understand the feelings of your team and what they understood from your message. It can be extremely rewarding to learn about the concerns of your team members and work towards solving them. This will strengthen the trust between you all.
It is a strict no to release superfluous information
While it is a great gesture on your part to give a detailed account to your boss and client of all details of the project, please don’t overwhelm them with unnecessary information that could cause confusion. Your periodic status update should include all evidence of your progress, a summary about all risks and your plan to deal with them. If you are only providing an update, please mention this in your communication. Sometimes you will need to listen to their inputs and take their ideas into consideration before making a decision. In such situations, you can let your boss know that you are still waiting for his/her feedback.
In-Person Communication With Your Client
E-mailing has many advantages, but direct communication offers more benefits than e-mailing. E-mails work best for small items with no complexity, but face-to-face interaction is essential for better project management. Avoiding face-to-face communication to avoid a difficult discussion can lead to many problems.