Are Mini-Projects the Best Assignments for New PMs?

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Leadership   New Practitioners   Talent Management  

I know a lot of organizations who view mini-projects as an ideal development area for new project managers. These are those smallest organizational initiatives that last a few weeks to a couple of months, and have small teams of around three to five people.

They are often associated with less formal things like the holiday party or summer picnic, but they can also be related to key priorities for the business (they’re just smaller than most).

Advantages…
There are a number of advantages to assigning new and inexperienced project managers to these initiatives. Because they are smaller, they also tend to be more straightforward, reducing the chances of significant problems occurring—and giving the PM a good opportunity for an early win in their career.

Because fewer people are involved, team development and management are easier—as are all the related disciplines of motivation, communication and so on. They generally have fewer stakeholders as well, making that part easier to deal with.

Additionally, the short timelines mean that a PM gets to experience the entire project lifecycle within a compressed window, allowing them to add practical experience to their theoretical training—all while that training is fresher in their minds. I also find that once a project manager has been through an entire project cycle, every aspect becomes …

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