At some point or another, a project or programme manager will be faced with the challenge of taking on an in progress project. The project may or may not have been a success to date, but here are a few suggestions from Intelligo PM on what to do to ensure the project is a success under your leadership:
1. Meet sponsor and executive steering group to understand their expectations of the project and where they think the project is at.
2. Discuss with the project team what has gone well to date and what could be done better going forward.
3. Read the most recent project reports and ask the sponsor or senior project stakeholder attending project update meetings to talk you through the updates to understand the importance of the reported items.
4. Ask the sponsor, project team and the programme office (if there is one) to explain what's coming up or has to be achieved in the next 4 weeks.
5. Identify key deliverables and dependencies along with the status and point of contact for each.
6. Prepare to build your own plan as you may find it difficult to manage and track using someone else's plan. Tell the sponsor and project team that you will need time and their input to construct a fresh plan.
7. Lastly, ask for help. Nobody can expect you to pick up a project where the previous person left. Use the opportunity to build rapport with your new colleagues and understand how you can help them in return.
1. Meet sponsor and executive steering group to understand their expectations of the project and where they think the project is at.
2. Discuss with the project team what has gone well to date and what could be done better going forward.
3. Read the most recent project reports and ask the sponsor or senior project stakeholder attending project update meetings to talk you through the updates to understand the importance of the reported items.
4. Ask the sponsor, project team and the programme office (if there is one) to explain what's coming up or has to be achieved in the next 4 weeks.
5. Identify key deliverables and dependencies along with the status and point of contact for each.
6. Prepare to build your own plan as you may find it difficult to manage and track using someone else's plan. Tell the sponsor and project team that you will need time and their input to construct a fresh plan.
7. Lastly, ask for help. Nobody can expect you to pick up a project where the previous person left. Use the opportunity to build rapport with your new colleagues and understand how you can help them in return.
Forming good relationships is very important in the first few weeks.
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