The Dunken PM’s Rules of Project Management

1.You are not nearly as smart, or experienced as you think you are.

2.The client is not as obtuse as you think they are.

3.Your ego is in your way.

4.Provide your client with what they need in a manner that requires as little of them as possible.

5.There are multiple ways to solve every problem. What you have done in the past may be more familiar, and you may have spent more time on it, but it is not necessarily the best answer for this specific situation. Always be willing to consider other solutions.

6.When you encounter conflict. Take the time first to imagine you are arguing your opponents side. Understand their argument and find the holes and issues in yours before you speak.

7.What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Keep you eyes open for new solutions and be ready and willing to adapt.

8.You can, and should, learn from everything.

9.Your primarily responsibility is to the project. It is more important that the client’s ego and your ego.

10. Your secondary responsibility is to the client. This means making sure they have what they need, know what they need to know and receive all of it in the most easily digestible format possible.

11. Be respectful of everyone.

12. If they have asked you for hamburger, that doesn’t always mean that you should give them filet mignon. Sometimes, they really just want a really good hamburger.

13. Find the things you resist and understand why. These things are limiting your ability to grow and adapt.

14. Find the things you do not do and the things you avoid. Learn why and then break the avoidance habit.

15. At the end of each day, think of three things you did right, and three things you did should have done better. For the latter, plan out what you will do next time to realize a better result.