- I have something really new and exciting for you,
a little bit different than my usual videos.
And that is, I have a roundup of my favorite
project management tips just for you,
taken from my most popular project management videos.
What's really cool too,
is I have underneath this YouTube video
the links to the full videos, if you wanna learn more,
because my goal for you
is to give you what you need
to be a successful project manager.
So enjoy.
Hi, if you're new here, welcome.
My name is Adriana Girdler
I'm a business productivity specialist
and a certified project manager.
If you wanna excel in your career and your project,
subscribe to my channel
and you will be getting a new video every Wednesday.
Ensure customer satisfaction.
In projects, it is all about the stakeholder,
and who's the stakeholder?
It's everyone from the sponsor to your project team members,
to the people who are actually going to be the recipients
of your project deliverable.
So you really need to ensure that everybody is satisfied.
And how do you do that?
Well, you do it through emotional intelligence.
You really need to get attuned
to where people are and what they're thinking
because sometimes people don't speak up.
And part of that is communication.
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Project management is all about communication.
And if you're gonna have great customer satisfaction,
which is critical for projects,
then get in tune with people
and communicate as much as you can
to ensure that everyone's on the same page.
Scope statement.
Alright, you wanna be creating this
with the project sponsor.
In the ideal world, they would've given this to you
and said, "Hey, I gave you this project.
Here is a scope statement."
Unfortunately, that doesn't really happen.
So you need to create this.
This is a very pivotal part of your project plan
because this is going to lay out for you
what exactly is it that you're delivering on,
sort of the high-level parameters,
and by laying out what's in and out of the project,
this keeps everybody on the same page
and is a very critical component of project planning.
Don't be a drill sergeant.
I know when you're project managing,
particularly when things are stressful,
you probably get into this routine of get it done,
checklist, check, check, check, check.
Sometimes in that mode,
we can become my way or the highway.
That is not gonna work.
If you wanna be a great project manager,
you wanna really empower your team,
then you need to be flexible.
It is not a one-way street.
It is a two-way street.
So don't be a drill sergeant.
Listen to what your team has to say.
Now, that being said,
you will have to have some sort of go, no-go things.
Like there's some fundamental things
that I don't negotiate on.
I must have this in order for me as a project manager
to manage a project.
However, there's other things I'm very flexible on.
So I always listen to the team.
If I have to have a certain document
that everyone has to use for updating,
that's my rule, no ifs, ands or buts.
But how often we update it, I'm very flexible with
and I listen to the team regarding it.
So it is a two-way street.
Don't be a drill sergeant,
'cause I promise you,
you won't be successful for that long.
People will not listen to you.
And if you're gonna be successful,
you really need to have people be on board and inspired.
When done right, kickoff meetings can be inspiring and fun,
and they are critical 'cause they're gonna set the tone.
So let me show you how to do just that.
There are two critical items
that you really have to think about
and we have to talk about right now,
and that's timing and purpose.
A lot of times with timing is people do a kickoff meeting
as soon as they get their project.
Don't. Don't, don't, don't.
You have so much to do in preparation of,
that if you were to throw your kickoff meeting now
when you just got information,
then people would be excited
and then you would have nothing to give
to them and they'd walk away,
and then how do you reinvent that excitement?
So the timing is really important.
You need to do it once you get all your information.
So once I give you those five steps,
then you're gonna do your kickoff meeting.
Now, the purpose.
Here's something else that people also have trouble with,
is the purpose of your kickoff is to ensure
that your team is set up for success,
if they have everything they need at their fingertips.
And a lot of times with kickoff meetings, they don't,
because you do it too early.
That's why the timing and purpose are so critical.
And when you think about purpose
and because you're giving everything to your team,
the length of the meeting is really important.
And our meeting is not gonna do it for a kickoff.
You have way too much to do.
And when I go through those five steps, you'll know why.
There's way too much to do.
You need at least minimum half a day.
And depending on what you actually need to accomplish,
sometimes it can be up to a full day
or even a day and a half.
Communication. Surprise!
Yeah, like that should be a surprise for you
that I talk about communication.
How often do I say communicate, communicate, communicate?
Well, it's a must skill set for all project managers,
having excellent communication skills.
Make sure things are clear.
Make sure you address all issues in the room.
You're listening
'cause that's a big part of communication, right?
Is listening to what people are saying around you.
So ensure that you brush up on your communication skills.
Try to think and listen before you speak,
take in all viewpoints, as I said,
and that's a really big part
of the leadership and coaching aspect too.
So really hone in on communication skills
and set up some parameters
for the rest of your team around communication as well.
The next thing that becomes really important
in your arsenal, oh my goodness, is this.
You need to understand the top 10 mistakes
about projects and how to avoid them.
This is free fou because this is so important.
So check it out.
There's a link below this video.
Click on it and you can download this.