There are many things you can attribute to a great project manager. There are three things that we will focus on here. Questioning things in order to make things run more efficiently, paying attention to detail and thinking about the big picture.
As a Project Manager – why should we question things?
Questioning things can bring about new ideas for how we do something. If we ask why we do things a certain way, and challenge the status quo, we may come up with more efficient ways for doing them, which can save both time and money. Questioning things also brings about innovation. A systematic approach to always questioning what’s required, what’s happening and what’s delivered is a good three stage approach to improvement.
Why should Project Managers always pay attention to the detail?
Ever hear the phrase, “The Devil’s in the detail”? When you are working on a project, you want to pay very close attention to the details. You want details to be clear and accurate because in the end, you want the results to be focused and polished. The details are the most important aspect to any project.
Many project managers deliberately structure their project to enable work-streams to focus more on the details across what would have been a highly complex area. By breaking complexity down into manageable pieces – this aids a person’s ability to hone in on what really matters and handle the detailed stuff.
Why is “the big picture” important to project managers?
Thinking about the’ big picture’ is the whole point of doing a project. A project may serve a smaller purpose, but in the end you want to be thinking about how it can be used to contribute to something larger. The hundreds and thousands of small, detailed items will eventually converge into what makes up the whole of the project. So taking a top down (big picture) view of progress, quality and delivery against a set scope and budget will help keep your project in perspective.
In closing:
There are many things that a great project manager must pay attention to. Attention to details, constantly thinking about the big picture and questioning things are some of the great ways to keep projects going strong. If you think about a project this way, you have a better chance at being successful with it.