Sound project manager skills are more important now than ever. Thanks to Covid-19, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of employees that are working from home.
However, 88% of remote workers face inconsistent leadership and miscommunications with other team members. It’s a project manager’s job to prevent this from happening.
But IT project management can be a challenge, regardless of whether it’s taking place in the office or online.
That’s why it’s so important for project managers to regularly spend time honing their skills. Doing so will help you stay in control of your teams and the projects they’re working on.
If you’re an IT project manager who’s looking to get better, you’ve come to the right place. Here are seven strategies that you can use to improve your project management skillset.
1. Find the right project management tool and become an expert on it
Project management tools play a crucial role in the modern project management process. The software makes it easier to:
- Plan projects
- Keep track of key milestones and metrics
- Store and access documents and files
- Project budgets
- Communicate and collaborate with team members
- And more
Finding the right project management software and maximizing its impact is essential to your long-term success as a project manager. Doing so will make it easier for you to handle virtually every aspect of your role.
Once you’ve figured out which project management tool is right for you, it’s worth spending some dedicated time just practicing with it. Your goal should be to discover every value-add that the software includes so that you can leverage each of them when the time is right.
2. Develop your communication skills with targeted practice
Project managers need to have strong communication skills. Without them, an IT project manager risks losing control of their team and its work.
So, take some time to work on improving your communication skills. Doing so will ensure that your decisions, expectations, and requirements are fully understood by your entire team.
This doesn’t have to be super challenging either. You can work on your communication skills while going about your daily life.
For example, focus on nonverbal communication cues, practice active listening, and give yourself opportunities to practice public speaking. You’ll naturally become a more well-rounded communicator as you focus on these things.
3. Spend time studying what makes leaders great
Project management is about leadership above all else. That means if you become a better leader, you should also start to see better results with the projects you oversee.
One of the best ways to achieve this is by studying what has made great leaders successful.
You don’t have to stick with leaders from your own industry either. Instead, consider what made leaders from a wide variety of sectors special. Pick some of your favorites and read their biographies or listen to them speak.
Doing so will be a great way to pick up some of their techniques, which you can begin using with your own projects.
4. Take care of your physical and mental health
Of course, you already know that your health is important. But you may not be aware of just how important it is in the workplace.
According to a study conducted by Cambridge University, physical and mental health account for more than 84% of productivity loss in the workplace.
That’s an incredibly high number that points to just how much value can be lost when people neglect to look after themselves.
You don’t have to go out and complete an Iron Man. But you should make your physical and mental health a priority as an IT project manager.
This will help you think clearer and complete your work more effectively.
5. Ask for feedback from your teams
The Harvard Business Review says that the best leaders are those who ask for feedback.
That makes sense if you think about it. We’re not always the best judges of our own efficacy. It can be very useful to have someone you trust to tell you how your actions are viewed by others.
So, consider asking someone that you trust from your professional circle to be honest with you about where you’re doing well and where you’re not.
It could be just what you need to improve.
6. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses
As you work on improving your IT project management skills, you will discover that you have an assortment of strengths and weaknesses.
Nobody is an expert in everything. There are always going to be some skills that you’re better at than others. All of this is perfectly okay.
The key is being honest with yourself about where you’re strong and where you’re not. You have to accept that you can be better at something before you’ll be able to improve at it.
This is true in life and in project management.
7. Use Newman’s International Associates to hire the right people
A key part of being a good project manager is hiring the right people. But you don’t have to do that alone.
Instead, consider reaching out to Newman’s International Associates for assistance. NIA is an internationally-focused firm that can help you hire from a pool of global candidates.
Our company was founded by project managers for project managers. It could be just what you need to start getting more out of your projects.
Get in touch with NIA today to learn more about what we can do to help you improve as a project manager.
