New Year Resolutions for the Project Manager

Dr. Andrew Makar is an IT program manager and is the author of the Microsoft Project Made Easy series. For more project management advice, visit the website TacticalProjectManagement.com.

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As people watch the ball drop, sing the Auld Lang Syne and toast to old times, thousands of new year’s resolutions will be made. As you promise to drop 20 pounds, exercise three days a week and obtain a better work/life balance, don’t forget to add a few project management best practices to your resolutions. Below are just a few resolutions that we all know are good practices--even though we might not entirely follow during project execution.

1. I will update my project schedule weekly and share the updated plan with the team. The project schedule is one key document that needs to be revisited every week as project teams report progress. Project schedules are not intended to be cast in stone but rather serve as a forecasting tool that can adjust and incorporate re-planning. Spend 30 minutes to an hour a week updating the project schedule, reviewing it and obtain input from the team on scheduling changes.

2.  I will document meeting minutes and send them out by the end of the day. I know we all abhor meeting minutes, and transcribing them from scribbled notes into a meaningful MS-Word format can be a challenge when the day is packed with meetings. If you don’t get your notes and key action items out by the end of the day, they will likely fall behind--and few people respond to late meeting minutes. That’s why I advise using a mind mapping …

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