Today, I want to share a great story with you about someone I have been working with on their project management career.
They are one of the members of pmStudent e-Learning.
This person reached out to me about two or three weeks ago to let me know that their employer had recently announced they were going to do a project and that there was no project manager. They wanted to know my opinion on a newbie joining a short-term project like this. How would you convince the client that a project manager is needed for this project ?”??? Would you be willing to take on the role?
Absolutely. Go after it! Once you have a clear idea of the scope of the project, you can start to think about how you would manage it.
Do not assume they don’t have a plan. They may have one that you don’t know about. Make sure you don’t talk about your benefits, but theirs when you approach the manager.
Talking to someone about how great it will be for them is not the right approach. If they agree to let you participate in this project, you need to be clear about the benefits to them.
We exchanged information. They spoke to the owner, who informed them that the project was not yet in progress but that another project was being considered. They would keep him in their thoughts. After that, I received an email updating me. This was one of the points that I discussed in my article about how to ask for help without being a pest.
I wrote back to say that although this one didn’t work out, they were thinking of you and that you are interested in this kind of work. You are doing everything right!
A few days ago, another message came from this person. “I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be meeting management to discuss a new venture!”
This is a great example of how to seek out experience in a new place. It is important to step outside of your comfort zone and be patient. The case study shows that even if the opportunity doesn’t work out, he shouldn’t be discouraged. Keep going! Keep doing the right thing! You can start to move up in the project management ranks by managing smaller projects first, then you can move on to larger projects.
My PM Career Coaching Course will help you to get started in project management.
