6 mistakes beginner PM

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Now working in IT is a very popular trend for well-known reasons. And more and more young people decide to devote themselves to this particular business. However, writing code is not to everyone's liking, and therefore the choice of a beginner often falls on non-technical IT specialties, such as business analysis, testing (manual, of course), recruiting or a project manager. Moreover, by beginner, I mean both yesterday’s students and people with experience in other fields. Just as a project manager, I would like to dwell in more detail.

Nowadays, the position of a leader or business owner is so attractive that I’m afraid in 10 years there will be nobody to manage ... I don’t know why, but it is believed that if you have knowledge of the English language, and even have read several best-selling books on leadership, motivation and management, then I’m ready the perfect candidate for a PM seat. How often have you heard such reasoning: “What is there to manage the project - I handed out tasks, monitored (seriously and sooo strictly), chatted with the customer and that’s all the work, business then!”?

I hasten to upset you. The field of knowledge on project management is no less extensive than that of developers. Like other IT specialties, the role of PM requires efforts for continuous self-training and self-improvement. Oh yes, you still have to work with people who are in many ways superior to you in knowledge and skills, so in the best case, the matter will end in ignoring the “decrees” of the newly-made “leader”.

In this article, I would like to describe the common actions of PM which, in essence, are errors, but are committed by combining best intentions with a lack of knowledge and experience. The saying “Do not do good - there will be no evil” very clearly illustrates the consequences of the naivete of a young manager.

Action No. 1 "Whether to entrust someone with a task"
A typical situation is when the manager entrusts someone from the team with a task without providing all the necessary information or even without delving into what the person actually needs to complete it. Of course, he calls this approach “delegation” - the transfer of tasks with responsibility for its result.
Effects. The task will be delayed or it will not be completed correctly, which will negatively affect the project (after all, we did not expect such a scenario). And, of course, a subordinate who does not do “everything as it should” will be guilty.
The starting point for thought. To get started, familiarize yourself with the term delegation:

Delegation is the transfer of a task, power or responsibility, setting a goal for someone with the simultaneous provision of funds for its achievement and the responsibility of the performer for the quality of the results.
V.V. Glukhov ("Management". Textbook for universities, 3rd edition)


As can be seen from the definition, for proper delegation, the manager needs to make sure that the person has everything necessary to complete the task (understanding the goal, knowledge, authority, access to information, etc.). Therefore, entrusting tasks the next time, remember that before you demand, you first need to explain or even teach .

Action No. 2 "And let's help ..."
Out of best intentions, some managers consider it their duty to help than they can. And to verify the layout with the design, and to correct the requirements, and to decompose the Sabtaski, and to test and still have any work ... Instead of fulfilling his direct duties, the manager simply turns into a multi-armed Shiva, who heroically overtime alone, and for some reason there are problems in the project not getting smaller, but rather the opposite.
Effects. Drowning in tons of someone else’s work, PM loses focus and is no longer able to cope with its main task: to successfully implement the project together with the team.
The starting point for thought. This topic is beautifully revealed in Ken Blanchard's One-Minute Manager and Monkeys. The basic idea is tonot to scatter their efforts to perform someone else's work, but to try to free up time as much as possible to engage in their immediate duties (producing results, administering, integrating, working out and implementing new ideas).

Action No. 3 “We agreed with the customer on everything”
Unfortunately, the practice of simply “letting down” tasks to the team is very common. PM does not consider it necessary to bring to the public additional information about the goals, about priorities, about why something is being done is so important for the company or the customer. We work on the principle of "no time to explain." But in vain!
Effects.The team, being in ignorance, often goes in the wrong direction, does not have the opportunity to share their ideas (and believe me, this is a very big loss) and the result is failed sprints or even projects.
The starting point for thought. Try to always convey to the team not only WHAT it needs to do, but also WHY . Firstly, such an approach will help to build trusting relationships, because you do not just give out instructions, but you entice people and motivate them to take the maximum part in creating the project. Secondly, you insure yourself against failure before the customer. The better the team understands what is going, the faster errors, contradictions, and risks can be identified.

Action No. 4 “From Monday we live in a new way”
Here we will talk about the reckless changes that young PMs so often like to implement. In almost every book, article or report, you can find a call for experimentation and testing of the material presented on your project. I completely agree with this empirical approach, but still it is fraught with danger. Many experienced developers are often skeptical of such changes, because in their experience they have already experienced this.
Effects. The abundance of new fashionable terms and pulling the advertised ways of working as is on your project in the best outcome simply will not give any result. At worst, such global, rash changes can lead to a complete stoppage of work, to chaos and confusion, if you like, to paralysis of the project.
The starting point for thought. Make sure that you have studied the issue deeply enough and understand the essence and purpose of the new approach. Think about how to adapt a new approach to your project, taking into account the prevailing characteristics, culture and policies of the company. Implement in stages . This will allow us not to overload the team (nobody canceled their current tasks), to notice in time that additional adjustment is required, to be able to measure the result and draw objective conclusions. Present a new approach to the team and ask for their opinion. It is very important that the team becomes your supporter - after all, they will have to work with the new process every day.

Action No. 5 “I did everything right”
Often observed cases where fault for failure must necessarily find its owner among team members. And the saddest thing is that this man himself completely agrees that the problem is in him. I allow myself to note that in almost 90% of cases, indirectly or directly, the blame for what happened lies with the management. After all, it is PM who is responsible for organizing and maintaining the optimal processes on the project, which are designed to serve for smooth work. And the failure of processes is the area of ​​responsibility of the manager, who simply did not notice in time that something had gone wrong.
Effects. Due to a misinterpretation of what happened, similar problems will arise in the future, because no action other than "putting out the fire" will not be taken.
The starting point for thought. Analyzesuch deviations with particular care. Look for the real causes of the problem and have the courage to share responsibility for the negative result with your team. Only by eliminating the cause can you be sure that this problem will not bother you anymore. By acknowledging your mistake, you will also earn respect from the team. And without respect for leadership, there can be no question.

Action No. 6 “I have been doing this for 3 years and it works”
Another case related to the manager’s self-confidence is a reluctance to learn. For example, you already have some experience and think that you already have all the necessary skills and knowledge. But in reality there is no guarantee that the methods worked out in the past will help to achieve a result in a new project (company). You will surely need fresh ideas and views.
Effects. If you stubbornly ignore the achievements of the IT community, then your way of conducting the project simply may not suit new customers or employers. You will become like a dinosaur, suddenly found himself in the middle of a metropolis.
The starting point for thought. Always be open to new knowledge.. Follow new trends, read literature, blogs, watch video conferences. Fortunately, a huge amount of various useful information is available on the Internet. You only need to have a desire.

In conclusion, I want to note that IMHO the times of a strict sole-manager remain in history and I see PM as a full-fledged player in the team whose main task is to help. Facilitation is becoming the key focus for PM. To be able to build friendships in a team, promote the growth of each member as a professional, produce the products that are necessary and useful for users, build partnerships with the customer - this is all that a modern project manager strives for. I hope that common sense will prevail over vanity and soon such Professionals can be found on any project, regardless of the size and name of the company. And if you firmly decided to opt for the role of PM, then go the right way, bypassing the long-known "rake".

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