"Three Key Elements Every Project Manager Must Tackle!"

I've been thinking about the three main things a project manager needs to handle. A project manager is responsible for managing everything in a project and is accountable for its success. I believe these key things can be grouped into three categories or "buckets." By doing this, a project manager can be more aware of what's happening in the project and better deal with any issues or risks that arise in those areas, making the management process more efficient.

Actually, I tried to create a risk register with only two categories of risk. Out of the three categories I'm going to mention, we could use only two for documenting risks and issues. We placed every identified risk or issue into these two categories. This approach worked fine for a small project, but for a more complex project, it wasn't sufficient. However, as we continued with the idea of simplifying documentation, we found a way to make it work well by sticking to the two primary categories.

In short, we used two main categories and several subcategories to organize all the issues and risks in our project. This approach significantly reduced the complexity and workload of managing risks and issues.

Here are those three categories.

• - Self management

• - Team management

• - Business Management.

Self management.

A project manager must first manage themselves, which is a crucial aspect of project management. This topic is so important that it can't be summarized even in a thousand-page book. I won't attempt to list all the key things a project manager needs to do or handle personally, but a few examples include time management, emotions, insecurities, and relationships. If a project manager neglects these areas, they are setting themselves and their project up for failure. It's a painful but powerful realization.

Team management.

Team management is an incredibly important part of any project. The difference in the quality of work from a team that is inspired and motivated compared to a team that lacks motivation is truly significant. From my experience, I've realized that the primary responsibility of a project manager is to lead the team in delivering the benefits that the customer needs. This highlights the critical role of team management in a project's success.

I've spent enough time understanding how to effectively manage a team, and I've developed a model that works well in an IT environment. I plan to dedicate a blog post to share more about team management later on.

Business management.

Understanding the business is a significant responsibility for a project manager. If a project manager lacks visibility into the business and doesn't comprehend the value or benefit management plan, they might miss the chance to get inspired and excel in each project. Learning about the business management aspect was tough for me, and it took a few months to truly grasp how crucial it is for a project manager to understand the business to be successful.

Conclusion.

Unlike traditional people managers and technology leads, a project manager needs to handle various roles. Their first step is to look at themselves every day and think about areas for improvement, then they concentrate on managing their team. A project manager must possess strong business acumen and stay updated with the organization's business strategy. They need to understand the value that their project brings to the organization.