Give yourself the best chance of project success by getting to know your team and stakeholders and communicating effectively.
Every organisation has a different culture. Understand it's mission, purpose and values, build your internal network and hone your communication skills – including informal communication – so that you quickly understand “how we do things round here”.
With some projects, an overwhelming number of people may be actively invested in its outcome. Start by identifying all stakeholders, clarifying their roles, motivations and levels of influence. Who has decision-making authority and who just needs to be kept informed?
Learn as much as you can from team members – who are likely to have a broader understanding of the organisation and first-hand experience of working on similar projects there in the past.
Identify your people’s strengths and weaknesses and listen to their insights and proposals. You can reject some of these after careful consideration, but make sure you understand them and have taken them on board.
Trust is a big part of mutual respect, and establishing trust is a huge part of any leadership role. Motivate your team and inspire them to feel a shared sense of ownership in the project.
If you're unsure of the processes or potential ramifications of any part of the project, don’t be afraid to ask someone in the know to explain these to you. You can’t be expected to understand every element up front – particularly if you are working with specialists.
Once you understand issues, you’ll be better placed to challenge their validity, query the costs involved or give a specific action the green light.
When you come into a team or organisation as a project manager, you may worry about rocking the boat or looking weak. Feigning being on top of things, when, in fact, there are serious issues to address, could be detrimental to both the project’s success and your own role.
If you’ve spotted risks, challenges, problems or conflicts of interest, communicate these; listen carefully to any problems communicated by team members. Be sure to flag risks and issues as early as possible to your team and manager and to address them early on.
Set realistic deadlines and goals. This doesn't mean giving yourself an easy ride by woefully under-promising. It means being objective and setting reasonable expectations: “If the team works effectively given the permitted budget/resource/timeframes, it should realistically achieve X.”
Determining to stand by your word and meet your goals will help you build rapport with clients. It's vital not to overpromise just because it's what the customer (or board) wants to hear; you'll only end up disappointing everyone.