Project Management Tips: Use What You Don’t Know

A project management consulting team’s strength often lies in the diversity of its members – a range of experience, expertise and personalities work together to successfully execute a project. By embracing the diversity of your team and looking to the expertise of your fellow team members, you’ll increase your personal knowledgebase for future projects, you’ll have ready access to an expert source the next time you need one, and your current project will benefit from a broader support base.

Industry

Team members with significant expertise in the current industry are a critical component of your project management team. They can offer insight into industry trends, normal company growth metrics, project budgeting quirks, and impacts of regulatory oversight. It’s also likely your expert will have a more robust list of contacts and resources who are accustomed to getting things done in the industry.

Discipline

Face it, you may not be terrific at everything. From communication to documentation to estimating, it’s likely that your personality and your past experience lend themselves to some disciplines and not to others. If something on your current project’s list of requirements isn’t your strong suit, it’s time to tap the other members of your team. Some folks are naturally drawn to certain aspects of project management, and objectively determining the strengths of each team member will give your project better support.

Niche areas

Your project may require specialized skills or expertise due to complexity, scope, stakeholder expectations or other factors. Tapping into the capabilities of your team members can fill a void you’d normally need to outsource, potentially saving the project both time and money.

Gather information on team members’ strengths and areas of expertise at the beginning of each project, so you know which resources you have available in-house. You can then track down outside experts to fill any remaining holes.


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