- Even if you don't carry the title project manager,
professionals from all backgrounds
are expected to execute projects on time and on budget.
Project management is not just for project managers,
and in this video, I'm going to share with you
my project manager tips for non-project managers.
And stick around to the end of this video
because I'm going to share with you how
you can get your hands on my free checklist
on how to stop projects from failing.
Hi, if you're new here, welcome.
My name is Adriana Girdler,
and on this channel, you're gonna get
the best practical project management advice out there,
in my humble opinion.
Now, I would be honored if you'd subscribe to this channel,
'cause it allows this community to grow
and it is a real awesome community.
If you're now ready to learn
about those project management tips
for non-project managers, oh my goodness, let's get to it.
Know when you're running a project.
Most people run projects without realizing
they're running a project
and then wonder why things aren't going well.
Well, a lot of times, people just don't understand
what a project is.
There is an assumption out there
that projects are these huge complex multilayered teams,
huge deliverables, and that's not necessarily true.
So what is a project?
Well, a project has a definitive start,
a definitive end, and a very specific deliverable
that you have to obtain at the end of the project.
And you have to do it within a selected timeframe.
Now that I say that as a definition of a project,
you're probably going,
"Oh my goodness, I actually run projects."
Activities, initiatives, a lotta stuff
that professionals do are projects.
Now, did you just have that aha moment right now?
If you did, put it in the comments below.
If you're not running daily business activities,
then in essence, you're probably running a project,
or maybe you call it an activity,
or maybe you call it an initiative.
It's all the same thing.
It becomes really important that you recognize that
because you put on a different hat/perspective
when you understand you're running projects.
'Cause it's not business as normal.
There's a different way to look at things.
But I have you covered,
'cause I have lots of other great videos
on what exactly is project management.
And if you go to the search bar in YouTube
and go Adriana Girdler, what is project management,
a whole bunch of other videos will pop up for you
so you can even go more in-depth on this particular subject.
But know when you're running a project,
and it makes a huge difference in how you approach it.
Because now you understand there are different things
that you have to do because it's a project.
Understand the deliverable.
Okay, we just learnt what a project is.
That is really important
and it talked about the deliverable.
But really understand what that is.
What are you doing?
And the best way to do that
is to really understand your deliverable
at the beginning stages and framework of a project.
We call that initiation and planning stage.
By understanding why you're doing the project,
what's expected from you, who are you going to need,
really defining it properly is gonna help you
with the end result, which is the deliverable.
You have to be really clear on this.
If you're not, then it becomes very loose and muddy
as to what you're actually doing,
which hence, why there's a lot of failure
for non-project managers.
Because again, remember, we put on a different hat.
You really have to understand the deliverable,
and in order to do that and really get crystal clear,
you want to put a lot of attention on that beginning stages
of your project, which is in the initiation
and the planning phase of what's going on.
Be a good meeting facilitator.
"What? Adriana, what are you talking about meetings?"
Okay, (laughing) meetings are your lifeline
when it comes to projects,
and in the virtual world that a lot of us are living in,
you're only meeting your team on either a Zoom
or Teams call or some sort of virtual call,
so it's all through meetings.
It becomes really important that you get really good
at facilitation, because the worst thing that can happen
is when meetings go on, they don't have structure,
you don't have that framework that's needed,
you don't understand how to facilitate,
you don't know how to stop conversations.
It's just something that is your tool from your toolbox
that you use in order to be really successful.
Really be a good meeting facilitator.
Understand how to facilitate in an in person session,
'cause those tend to be slightly different,
and then how to facilitate really well
in a virtual session.
I got you covered again, more videos on my channel.
Just go Adriana Girdler meetings in the YouTube search bar
and you will definitely get
some other really good facilitation tips and tricks
that are going to help you that I, myself, use.
Really focus on being a good meeting facilitator.
It's a skill set that's not a nice-to-have.
It's a must-have.
Learn how to create key documents.
Oh, this can overwhelm a lot of individuals,
particularly those non-project managers,
'cause it can be a lotta work documentation.
If we're constantly busy and now you're asking me
to document stuff, yeah, I actually am.
Think about it.
If you've been a non-project manager working on activities
and initiatives, AKA projects,
and they've gone sideways on you,
it's probably because of your lack of documentation
or not the right documentation.
I see often, too often, people managing projects
through emails or chat windows.
Oh my goodness, and then they wonder why
that agreement, the discussion that they had
didn't come to fruition.
Or worse yet, everyone understood what needed to be done,
but someone else didn't deliver
and you don't have the right paper trail
to ensure that you can get recourse or compensation,
particularly when it's a third-party supplier,
if you're working in that way
and they really made a bad mistake
and you don't have it properly documented.
All right, so even though documentation
can feel overwhelming, it is going to help you,
and the work is really upfront
in that planning and initiation stage
that I mentioned in my last tip.
You want to really ensure that you have a scope statement,
you have an understanding as to the charter,
you're going to have your schedule, some risk mitigation.
There are some other documents too
that you want to consider.
Now, as a side note, I actually have a course
called Slay Project Management right over there,
and the link is underneath this video
that walks you through everything,
gives you the templates that you need.
Because for a non-project manager,
it can be really overwhelming.
"What do I do? How do I create it?"
Well, I take care of that for you
and I walk you through everything as well.
So you don't even have to think about it.
Just follow my formula.
I use it all the time, get complimented on it.
It's going to work for you.
But documentation, you need to have it.
It is not a nice-to-have.
It's a must-have.
And it's just going to save you in the long run,
'cause you're going to have everything organized,
and it's really actually going to save you time.
Because in the beginning,
even though you're creating it,
once it's all set up properly,
then you're giving it to your team and your team
is now accountable for updating it.
Again, I talk all about that in my course there
that you can, if you choose to,
can get that information from.
But really, focus on great documentation.
Set expectations and be a motivator.
Okay, when you realize that you're project managing,
then you start to realize that you're now managing
other people who don't report in to you
to get their tasks done so that your deliverable can be met.
It's a different perspective.
It's a different approach.
So, you really need to be clear with setting expectations
with everyone and you do that
at the beginning of the project
when you have a kickoff and you're very clear with,
"Hey, here's what it is I expect from you.
Now, what do you expect from me?"
And if you get that buy-in immediately
when you bring everyone together,
'cause again, this is what I mean
about you have a different perspective
when you realize you're running a project
'cause you approach things differently,
it really sets your tone because now you're saying,
"We're all going to be working together.
Here's how I expect us to work.
Here's the behaviors I expect from everybody.
What do you want from me?"
And it really sets the right teamwork tone
that you're going to want, and believe you me, need
as things progress
and sometimes get a little bit out of control,
because there's no perfect project, right?
You're gonna have fires that you're going to have to fight.
Now the other aspect is,
and not only we said about expectations, but motivation.
I have my LEGO characters.
I love my LEGO characters.
My LEGO characters, I use to have fun,
to inject fun into my projects,
'cause a lot of my projects are a lot of work.
They're huge.
They're global-oriented.
They're massive. (laughing)
Now, I do have smaller ones as well, don't get me wrong,
and I still like to inject fun.
And a nice way to do that is to pick a theme.
Have a LEGO character.
Everything is awesome is one we use with Emmet,
and we have other ones too,
and then I give a choice to individuals
which LEGO character they want to use for the theme.
It's just fun.
It's a nice way when you're working
to kinda have a little fun
because we're all trying to get to the same goal,
and why not have a little fun while doing it, right?
Ensure that you motivate and that you set your expectation.
That's really important and going to help you
to be successful as a non-project manager.
Think big picture.
Okay, as a non-project manager,
you can just think, "Oh, I have to get all this stuff done.
Just give me the tasks."
I call them, it's like a tactical approach.
Nothing wrong with that.
Yes, in projects, you do need your task list
and tactically, you need to get each item done, absolutely.
But when it comes to projects,
you really have to think strategically.
Take a step back.
Really take a look overall as to the strategy
of the organization, going to your project documentation,
why are you doing this?
It really brings a different perspective
and it ensures that you stay on course.
Really think strategically.
Don't get lost in the weeds of all your tasks.
Do take a step back.
Look at how it all ties in with everything around you,
and then you be the one,
as the person who's leading that project, activity,
initiative, whatever you want to call it,
and just give the guidance to everyone else
about the bigger picture.
That can really diffuse
when people feel a little overwhelmed
with everything that they're doing
when you remind them whey they're doing it,
the strategy behind everything.
Focus on time management and prioritization.
Now that you understand the difference
of project work versus daily work,
time management and prioritization becomes really important.
Know how to manage your time,
how to manage the time of the project
and the individuals around you,
really have that clear time table so everybody knows
what's expected of them and when.
Prioritization becomes really important too
because you start getting bombarded
with a lot of important work that's urgent.
But who is it urgent for?
Is it urgent for you, the project, for someone else?
You really have to be able to sift through that
and prioritization is a great way to do it.
Things may be important,
but where is it in the priority sequence
of getting things done?
And that's actually a very powerful magic wand
that you have.
Is if you're getting bombarded from other people, by saying,
"I need this done.
It's really important."
It's like, "Okay, hold on, let's look at it.
Here are my other important items.
Where does it fit in this scale?"
And then you, it's like a negotiation tool.
It's not just you getting dumped on
and taking it all on.
You start to negotiate.
Why?
Because you now know you're running a project
and you have to make sure
you have a whole bunch of other things you have to do too.
And when you start thinking in that mindset,
you have different lingo and language that you use,
which is just really going to make it helpful for you
so you're not getting dumped on all the time.
Good time management, understand prioritization,
and it really is, does make a big difference
on your projects.
Okay, if you stayed to the end,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
I so appreciate it.
I got a special gift for you.
This is the checklist I was talking about earlier on.
It's for you, tells you how and what and why projects fail.
(laughing)
The link is below under this video,
so grab it, it's free, my gift to you, thanks.
And on that note, see you at the next video.