Effectiveness Skills: Five Lessons for the IT PM

  Lessons Learned  

Along the rough and arduous road of a project, an IT project manager sometimes takes the wrong fork in the road. What may seem like the right direction oftentimes conflicts with the triple constraints of a project (time, cost, quality), a manager's viewpoint or the sponsor's wishes.

And while walking down all of the right forks in the road help improve our confidence levels, it's the wrong trails we blaze that make us more effective in the long run. Here are a few lessons to remember for your current project and future projects you're sure to confront.

Lesson 1: "It's my way or the highway!"

Have you heard this one before? I have, and it doesn't always come from the opposing side. I've had several experiences where my own management ran me in circles just to cover their idea of what the project should end up being. At first, the natural instinct is to simply keep one's mouth shut and simply do what the boss wants. However, after running in so many circles, I began to realize that it's okay to push back a little in the interest of either common sense--or a better solution. This "my way or the highway" mentality may come from various sources. It may even be a fellow team member.

Lesson Learned: To be effective, ask questions and make the opposition prove their points. Probe and find out why their point is an absolute must, and in the end …

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