WHO WOULD WANT to be a project manager? With impossible deadlines, crippling budgets, people to organise and things going wrong - the job is enough to drive anyone crazy.
However, if you are serious about your career, project management is a skill you cannot afford to ignore. Organisations are project-oriented and often rely on temporarily assembled teams rather than permanent ones to deliver results. Sooner or later, you will have to lead a new initiative. So it is better to prepare now and shine when the opportunity arrives, rather than be taken by surprise and struggle when a project comes your way.
Fortunately, project management skills are quite easy to grasp and plenty of help is available to get you started.
Build your confidence by familiarising yourself with the four stages of the project management process - defining, planning, implementing and completing - and the skills that will increase your efficiency at each stage. It would be unrealistic to expect to be perfect at everything. You may be good at generating ideas and defining the scope of a project, but may lack the discipline to implement a project efficiently. Look for support and resources to help you deal with the stages that come less naturally to you.
The first step is to make sure you have the go-ahead for the project. This may not be as obvious as it seems. It is surprising how often employees invest time and effort in a project, only to find that the idea has been shelved. You should also be clear about who is responsible for leading the project and then pull in everyone who who has a critical role.
Next, it is important to define what you hope to achieve. The scope and impact of a project has to be visualised clearly if it is to succeed. Do not underestimate the importance of this stage. Accurate definition and design will ensure support from others and allow work to progress in a logical fashion.