While you’re thinking of your own goals for the New Year, why not also take the time to look at where your Project Office (Project Team) is and where you want to take it in the New Year? If you’re stuck for ideas, we’ve put together some resolutions you can use to get started.
1. Increase ongoing education. As project workloads ramp up, project management training is one of the first things moved to the back burner. Instead, resolve this year to keep your project management team’s education on the priority list. Schedule classes early and be sure everyone on the team has the opportunity to learn something new.
2. Boost career development efforts. Now is not the time to let your project management professionals grow stagnant—if you don’t give them a path toward greater opportunities, there’s a good chance your competitors will. Encourage team members to set goals that keep them motivated and facilitate mentoring relationships whenever possible.
3. Commit to creativity. Your team’s ability to develop innovative solutions can help manage any problem. Implement some creativity-building activities and watch your team triumph over challenges.
4. Market your Project Team. In many organizations, it’s no longer enough to be good project managers. Your ability to engage stakeholders and end users is increasingly important, and could influence everything from budget approval to staffing levels.
5. Improve communication. Even Project Teams that are really good at communicating should make improvement a yearly goal. Talking with end users, providing stakeholders with progress reports, and maintaining good lines of communication within your team are all critical to project success.
6. Develop a more robust network. Reach out to fellow project management professionals before you need help. Your team will have better access to resources—including project management consulting professionals, market research specialists, equipment suppliers, and potential new employees—and will also be more in tune with regional and industry trends.
