4 Ways To Transform a Startup With Your PM Skills

Melissa Khan has more than 15 years of experience in the healthcare field and has spent 7 years managing healthcare-based projects, starting off as a business analyst prior to becoming a project manager. She has led projects in both the U.S. and Canada in healthcare software implementation, healthcare operations and veterinary medicine, and has held leadership roles in several startups as well as large companies. Melissa also runs a project management consulting and coaching firm.

  Leadership   Organizational Project Management   Strategy  

The purpose of this article is to highlight challenges and barriers that project managers working in a startup or small non-project-based organization may encounter. It will also provide insight on how to navigate those challenges strategically through the use of analysis and project management processes, skill and knowledge. There are many different types of startups; this article references startups and small organizations that do not follow structured project management processes.

Startups by nature move at lightning speed, with constant pivoting to meet new goals, shifting leadership vision and ever-changing client needs. When you place a project manager in this type of environment—especially one without previous experience in a startup organization—it is likely that the immediate reaction is sheer panic.

Project managers by nature are process driven, so bringing a PM into the mix of a startup that may not have established processes can be a culture shock. However, project managers can bring immense value to a startup. A project, program and portfolio manager’s knowledge and skills can be leveraged to help the company scale up, meet goals faster, manage priorities and execute on strategic goals more thoroughly.

Here are four tips to keep in mind:

1. Identify of Areas of Opportunity
Project managers in startups can focus on identifying …

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