Project managers are responsible for supervising the entire life cycle of one project. It is one of the essential disciplines for many businesses, from marketing to information technology to healthcare. Having the right skills, project managers guarantee that the final product is completed on time, within a given budget, and to the contentment of everyone involved. Project management experts need good interpersonal skills.
Budgeting, planning, and moral support are just some of a few things that PMs take care of. In 2023, we are facing a more diverse work environment since many people choose to work remotely and that gives us options to hire people from all around the world.
Following the whole lifecycle of a project can be a challenging task, but once you start to advance in this career path, finishing a project on time and to the satisfaction of everyone will become one of the best experiences and feelings for you. This project management roadmap can give you a peek into some of the things Project Managers do on a day-to-day basis.
If this career path interests you, or you are already a PM but would like to advance your knowledge and get a few new ideas on how to work better, this article will give you a few tips on how to achieve just that and stay on top of your game.
Sounds Good, but How to Start my Career in Project Management?
If you find this career path interesting there are several ways to start your career in Project Management. The good news is that you don’t have to have prior knowledge or experience in PM. You can simply highlight some of the core skills that you have such as good organizational and communication skills, leadership, or conflict resolution.
These skills can help you become a very successful PM. You can also find a mentor whom you can follow and learn more about the role. If you want to learn in a traditional way, find universities around you that offer Project Management classes. Also, a great idea is to find some of the junior positions in PM near you and apply while highlighting your skills and some experience in management in general.
The Importance of Advancing in Your Career as a Project Manager
If you already work as a Project Manager or have just started, your job is, in a way, familiar to you. Having some experience is definitely a plus, but as all of us know, there is a big importance in advancing in your career. Bonuses, better salaries, and overall performances are what everyone strives for. Knowledge and skills go hand-in-hand for effective project management.
Education is crucial for project managers to build the most important competencies. Project managers must be aware of industry-specific concepts, tools, and methodologies to guide the project from initiation to completion. Project managers need to have a deep understanding of various techniques and processes, such as risk management, project planning, communication, etc.
These essential competencies can be learned by good structured educational programs.
4 Tips that can Help You Become a Better Project Manager
In this article, we will give you some of the best ways to stay organized, plan your projects and advance in your Project Management career. Here are 4 tips on how to do that right now:
1. Communication is Key for Project Managers
Work on your communication since this is one of the core competencies of a Project manager. Daily, you will be communicating with different people, colleagues, bosses, and clients, and delivering their needs is a big part of your job. It is hard to manage or plan anything without good communication.
That is why you have to work on your conversational skills. The most important things to take care of are:
- Less is more – do not talk too much, be brief and specific
- Think before you speak – sometimes it is better to evaluate your response instead of saying it immediately
- Listen before you speak – try to pay attention to what your colleague or client is telling you and do not interrupt. You will show interest and care about the conversation topic.
- Body language is important – it is difficult to talk to a person who doesn’t smile or has their arms crossed.
2. Timeline Planning and Organization
As a Project Manager, timelines are crucial to your role. Organizing your time, knowing what to do next, and how to keep track of your progress are essential things for every successful PM. How can you be more organized?
Luckily, there are many tools and apps that can help you arrange everything such as Easynote.com, Monday.com, Trello.com, etc.
These tools will not only help you organize your workload but also remind you of all things that need to be done in the future. They also allow you to keep track of everyone’s progress and how well your project is developing.
3. Keeping Up with Industry Trends
The project management field is constantly evolving, so education is definitely very important for project managers to keep up-to-date with industry news and trends. More and more sophisticated tools are being launched each year that help you effectively manage all the work and progress and the project management field is becoming more complex. Research can help you stay familiar with new tools, approaches, and ways to make your project successful.
Doing research about what is new in your industry will always come in handy for your job. Reddit.com can help you join a PM community and research what’s new on the market. You can find many new ideas for your projects and get the first news about your industry.
4. Free Online Courses for Project Management
This is probably the most important part of your journey to becoming the best Project Manager.
Before you start any free course, it’s essential to set distinct goals for what you want to learn and achieve. Are you looking to strengthen your skills in agile project management, risk management, or task management? Or are you looking for a general and wide overview of the concepts and principles of project management? By deciding what your interest is, you can stay focused and determined throughout your learning experience.
Here are some free online courses for Project Management:
- Project Management Basics
Project Management Basics is a free course offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and takes about three hours to complete.
- Introduction to Project Management
Introduction to Project Management is a free course offered by the University of Adelaide and takes about six weeks to complete.
- Agile Project Management
Agile Project Management is a free course offered by Alison and takes about six hours to complete.
- Successful Project Management
Successful Project Management is a free course offered by OpenLearn and takes about eight hours to complete.
It is also important to stay consistent and stick to your learning plan. Don’t make the mistake of studying for two days and then taking a five-day break. Creating a study schedule is a good way to stay organized.
The best way to stay organized in 2023 is to use your apps and tools. One of those tools is already mentioned Easynote.com.
How Can Easynote Help with Your Project Management Skills?
Easynote is a 5-in-1 management tool that can help with your project management, timelines, deadlines, meetings, etc. It is quite successful because it is easy to use and the options are many.
For example, if you are doing a course on Project Management, it is crucial to take notes. Easynote offers a document writing widget that is brilliantly useful and practical. You can customize it to your needs and always access it in a second. You can tag other people as well, in case you have friends who study with you.
Also, it is possible to make your document private or public, which lets you share your notes with others or keep them just for yourself. Another cool function is moving your documents to Tasks. Tasks are also placed on your Easynote dashboard. There is no need to switch between multiple apps and tools when you have everything in one place and that can drastically help you with your studies.
Documents offer an Easywrite option that integrates ChatGpt. That can help with research as well as with your writer’s block.
If you are already a PM
If you are already a skillful Project Manager, Easynote offers a variety of other options and widgets that can make your work easier and make you more successful as everyone’s workload grows in 2023. It is difficult to have all important things in one place but Easynote makes it possible. Project Managers usually need two or more apps to keep track of every task, deadline, document, and meeting.
Luckily, with Easynote, that is not a problem. Collaboration is also done easily with Easynote since all people involved in your project are displayed on your dashboard. You can stay informed about others’ processes and deadlines.
Easynote lets you add more people to different projects and remove those who are done with their work. Their contact details are available to you so problems are resolved pretty quickly.
Meeting minutes are also an important part of your everyday work as a Project manager and Easynote helps you with that as well. Meeting minutes can be easily arranged and created. You can also compare meeting minutes from your last meeting to the ones you had taken two months ago.
This way, as a Project Manager, your job becomes much easier and you don’t lose credibility. You will have all information on previous plans and arrangements.
Is Easynote a good option for Project Managers?
As we already mentioned, being a Project Manager can be a highly rewarding and interesting career. However, it is quite easy to get lost in all the duties that not only you, but your team as well, have to do. Planning a project can be an easy job if you have the knowledge and the right tools.
In 2023, since we are becoming more connected than ever, we need the best and the most concise tools out there. In our opinion, Easynote embodies all the tools needed for a successful Project Manager. And one great thing about Easynote is the fact that you can already start using it.
It takes only seconds to start working on your notes, documents, project plans, or collaborations. If you want to see how easily it works and how fast you can master the app, you can simply go to Easynote page, book a demo, try it for free, and check out all the cool stuff it offers.
However, you choose to work and whichever tools you choose to use, it is important to stay consistent and follow trends that can differentiate you from the rest. Following advice from this article, we hope that your Project Management career advances and your PM skills become even better in 2023.
