I am in my first role as a Project Manager with a company who has been around for over 100 years, and has not had this role before, nor do they have any individuals working here that have a project management background or any project management certifications. In addition to their lack of experience with project management, this is also the first time I am in a role like this. I have the education required for project management, and I qualify to write my CAPM when I am ready, but the hands on experience is new to me.
Before starting here I was very confident in my ability to bring in some valuable contributions to how they approach projects, and to generally help them discover where the projects need to be! But...I am finding it very difficult to even get the input I need to learn about the project I am on, and I am also finding that people don't fully understand my place in the project. I haven't received much direction, in general, so have taken it upon myself to learn from whoever I can about whatever I can in hopes to put all the dots together to figure out how the company works. This has proven to be difficult, as there are many legacy systems, new systems, and overlapping responsibilities and roles. The company is also a mix of life time workers and young workers. Don't get me wrong, this company is very successful, does some very cool things, and I am very excited to be part of the team; however, it is more than nerve-racking to take on my first role as a project manager with a team that hasn't quite opened up enough to the role, and I'm not totally sure they even know what their own expectations are.
What do you think are the first steps I should take in making this successful for both the company and me? Keep in mind there are just over 150 people in the company. I haven't been here for long yet, and I want to make sure to make a positive impact as soon as possible, but I also want to make sure that I am doing things correctly, as to not jeopardize my own career path. Any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. Saving Changes...
Sort By:
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
It will take some time. No need to push anything on them, or rush to 'show them a better way'. Get first hand experience of the problems they face, and pain points - talk to people. In the meantime, and during, start to think of ways to slowly implement changes, proving your 'methods' through results - like "Wow, that project was smooth. What did we do different this time?", or, "I really like how all the project information was easily accessible in a centralized location and we always knew the status', etc., .....
I have to wonder what exercises the company is enacting to capture all that information from those life long workers .... What is Knowledge Management? Saving Changes...
Morne BeeslaarManaging Director| Faolan ConsultingPretoria, South Africa
I would advise that stakeholder management should be one of your key concerns. Ensure you regularly and frequently update and discuss what you are doing with your promoter. You do not need to demonstrate major contributions, just your observations and findings and keep a dialogue alive about how PM principles can make a positive contribution.
Make some notes and keep track of what you think can de done different/better. Some organizations are just in the space of manufacturing or production and if this is their core business perhaps PM is not really required. But best to determine how the company can benefit from PM before taking the dive. Saving Changes...
Deepa KalangiManager, Program Management, Author, Trainer| CVS HealthCharlotte, NC, United States
I have seen some leaders gain value by showing and proving their capabilities. Basically, it means that you learn more about the project, culture, core values etc before standing in front of the team and making sense. It takes time, perseverance and involvement to be able to show your influence. Initially, be patient and repeat if you have to. Make a Project Plan, outline a strong WBS, interact with the team, identify dependencies, make resource plans, make stakeholder matrix, Understand who are the top stakeholders to influence your project and first try to make a good impression on them so they start trusting you. Prepare well when you host your meetings, make them short, crisp and to the point, adding a little humor. Saving Changes...
I would say learn all about the business (products, services, vision, strategic vision), its people and and culture and politics, its departments and how the are run, its knowledge assets and documentation, as all of these will help you in your projects and to gain visibility and trust from stakeholders in what appears to be a weak matrix organization. Saving Changes...
You are in a new company and culture; give yourself time to get settled in. Make sure you understand your role, expectations from your boss and get acclimated to the matrix culture. You may stumble through a project or two before you get comfortable. Sounds like a great opportunity to learn a lot. Saving Changes...
I do agree with Naomi. As you the first Project Manager, so probably no one knows what is role in the company.
Try to observe and understand team, working style, working environment around, understand the project you are assigned to and talk to all stakeholders for collecting inputs. You can handle this easily once you have dome this ground work.
All the best! Saving Changes...
Following other comments, take the time to learn of the company and the business before changing it. Build your value within the company it will later be of importance . Saving Changes...
All of the other comments are good places to start and wise guidance. You have a lot of "New to" and that is a hard place to start. Take lots of notes and when the time is right the door will be open for you to make a suggestion for a change, but in order to make it work you will need to understand all of the underlying currents within the organization.
My other suggestion is to find a Mentor within the organization. Careful choices in this area will help you navigate through the firm and learn some truly valuable lessons. Saving Changes...
LORI WILSONRETIRED - Technical Project Manager| RETIRED - LifePoint HealthClarkston, Wa, United States
Who hired you? What were they looking for when they created this role? What made this company think a project manager was needed? I would focus on the answers to those questions and start there. Saving Changes...
