Marjorie AndersonDirector of Community| Product SchoolNewtown Square, Pa, United States
Whether you're a seasoned project manager or someone who just finished working on their first project, what would you consider to be your most valuable lesson learned from your experiences? Saving Changes...
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Kristin JonesSocial Media Specialist III| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
Trust your gut! Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Communicate more than you think you have to. Saving Changes...
Darren KosaPlanning & Controls ContractorHampshire, United Kingdom
Hi Marjorie,
Go that extra mile to fully understand what you are supposed to deliver and how you are going to go about delivering it.
Scope creep will torpedo your Project quicker than you realise.
Regards,
Darren Kosa Saving Changes...
Michael AdamsSolutions Architect| LANLLos Alamos, Nm, United States
Hi Marjorie, I don't know if I can keep this to one lesson. Here is what I think is imperative though.
1-Like Elizabeth says, communication is key. Not quantity of communication either, though a lot of communication is necessary. Rather the type of communication. It is important to deliver information to key team members is a manner that will best empower them in giving you a successful project. Some may need a face to face, others a quick phone call, some a descriptive short paragraph, and others a list of bullet points. Invest in your communication plan!
2-Analysis is vital! Don't get lulled into a sense of confidence by team members' assumptions, ask for the analysis, look for flaws in logic. I have on a few occasions, asserted a conclusion with enough confidence that no one double checked me. On one occasion, it cost the team 120 hours of labor to find a flaw in my analysis. On the other occasion, it cost us 63 hours. Check and double check. Saving Changes...
Marjorie AndersonDirector of Community| Product SchoolNewtown Square, Pa, United States
Thanks for your feedback, everyone! It's always good to hear what people take away from any projects that they work on.
I definitely agree that communication is key. Everyone the project touches needs to be aware of what is going on and it definitely has to be the right communication in the right manner. More urgent matters may warrant a trip to someone's office or picking up the phone, where other situations may only need a quick email.
The IT staff at a large hospital near me has what they call "Plus / Delta" lessons learned. Or, "What things did we do CORRECT that we want to repeat next time" and "What things do we want to change on the next project." I thought that was very clever -- Two directions of lessons learned. Saving Changes...
