Accidental PM Guide

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PMI Conference discussion on tips for the Accidental Project Manager:

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What is an Accidental Project Manager?​
The individual called upon to undertake project management responsibilities with little or no formal training. Many accidental project managers do an effective job by: utilizing individual technical skill, working with people, applying leadership, communicating with stakeholders, remaining focused, and enjoying some occasional good luck; however, any success is difficult to repeat, creating inconsistent results over multiple projects.

Helpful Tips for Accidental Project Managers
  • Practice intentional stakeholder management to align expectations
  • Clarify success criteria
  • Use standard communication practices
  • Understand and manage the most relevant constraints and assumptions 
  • Avoid fancy tools – or tools fancier than the project
  • Managing a realistic schedule is very useful.
  • Learn some good estimating tricks applicable to your type of work.
  • Ask an experienced PM for guidance and a start-up checklist
  • Use basic tools/templates:
    • Charter - agreement of what needs to be done.
    • Schedule - who and when will the work be done.
    • Status Report - how are things going?
Accidental Project Managers should avoid:
  • Taking on too much, too quickly, or too big of a  project!
  • Don't try to use PMI / PMP language when necessary.
  • Underestimate the importance of communication!
  • Assumptions about things 'just getting done", be proactive! 
  • Ignoring issues and bad news. It is not like red wine and will NOT get better with age. Deal with it and move on.
  • Dependance on Hero's and "Hail Mary" moves. Plan around reality and capability.
  • S.M.A.R.T. goals, be realistic when planning and managing the work.
  • Using complex tools like MS Project, use tools that you are familiar with and provide leverage for managing the work. 

    If have questions or would like to stay in contact, let us know how to reach you below: 

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