Top Project Management Practices

College completely failed in teaching me how to manage projects. So I spent over 10,000+ hours in the field and studying legendary project leaders. Then, I distilled what I learned into 27 simple sentences. But unlike college, these won't cost you $60,000. Here they are for free: 1. If it doesn't have a clear goal, budget, and deadline, it's not a project - it's just work. 2. The power is in planning, not the plan. A plan is just a way to store your research and decision-making. 3. What we do for a living is design, make, and build things. Everything else is administration and support. 4. Successful project teams are full-time and dedicated. Focus is everything. 5. Anything is possible if you break it down into small enough steps. 6. Agreements are flexible, but deadlines are not. 7. Gantt charts are outdated the second you press save. 8. A bad executive is a distraction; a good executive shields a team from distraction. 9. The greatest threat you face managing a project isn't external; it lies within your own biases and thought patterns. 10. Lead with the answer. People have busy minds. Give them what they came for first, then back it up with the details. 11. A picture is worth a thousand words. Use diagrams, charts, and models to explain complex ideas. 12. Create one team room where everyone works, shares data, and laughs together. 13. The only acceptable answer to "who owns this" is one single name. 14. The daily huddle is the 15 most important minutes of the day. 15. Risk management is done continuously, not once. Assumptions change, so should your response. 16. One small scope change won't derail a project, but 100 will. 17. People come and go. Standardize onboarding and off-boarding for team members. 18. Preparation always beats planning. Plan for order and you’ll be destroyed by chaos. Prepare for chaos and you’ll thrive in any condition. 19. Communication isn’t what you say—it’s what they understand. Always check for alignment. 20. Celebrate small wins every week to build momentum. 21. Your project's strategic purpose is your guide for decision-making and storytelling. 22. Healthy debates, but one decision. One team, one voice. 23. Best-in-class managers are prepared to handle change orders, and so are their clients. 24. Completion percentages are a waste of time - too subjective. A task is either done or not done. 25. If you accept behavior once, you've just lowered the bar for the whole team. You're leading. They're watching. 26. Spend 80% of your time on the top 20% of your stakeholders. They can make or break your project at the snap of a finger. 27. Finish, document, reflect, and learn before starting a new project. Enjoyed this post? Please share it with others ♻️ and subscribe to my newsletter, The Influential Project Manager for more ideas like this sent to your inbox!

7 Habits of Highly Successful Project Managers. Success as a PM doesn’t happen by chance. It’s built on habits: → Habits that drive clarity. → Habits that drive collaboration. → Habits that drive results. Here are the key habits that every PM should cultivate: 1/ Start with the End in Mind: ↳ Always keep the project’s ultimate goals and outcomes at the forefront. ↳ Action: Define clear deliverables and align them with business objectives from day one. 2/ Over-Communicate, Don’t Assume: ↳ Miscommunication is the root of most project failures. ↳ Action: Regularly update stakeholders, clarify expectations, and check for understanding. 3/ Anticipate Risks, Don’t React to Them: ↳ Great PMs identify potential issues before they arise. ↳ Action: Create a risk management plan and proactively address red flags. 4/ Prioritize Ruthlessly: ↳ Not all tasks are equal—focus on what moves the needle. ↳ Action: Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to distinguish urgent from important tasks. 5/ Build Relationships, Not Just Processes: ↳ Trust and collaboration drive successful projects. ↳ Action: Invest time in understanding your team and stakeholders and create an environment of mutual respect. 6/ Learn and Adapt Constantly: ↳ The best PMs treat every project as a learning opportunity. ↳ Action: Reflect on successes and setbacks to improve your approach for the next project. 7/ Stay Organized and Disciplined: ↳ A cluttered system leads to missed details and chaos. ↳ Action: Use tools and methods to streamline tasks, timelines, and communication. Success as a PM isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistency. Cultivate these habits and set yourself and your projects up for success. What habit has made the biggest impact on your PM journey?

I've managed 100+ projects over 15 years. Here's what nobody tells you about project management: It's not about fancy tools or complicated charts. It's about turning chaos into cash. Here's seven ways to do it right: 1. Promote clear communication • Most projects fail because people don't understand their role • Define everything in writing • No assumptions 2. Manage the risks • Problems don't show up with a warning • Create backup plans before you need them • Small issues become disasters if ignored 3. Practice ruthless accountability • Track everything • Every task needs an owner • No excuses, just results 4. Support cross-team execution • Silos kill projects • Build bridges between departments • Create shared victories 5. Promote team empowerment • Micromanagement breeds mediocrity • Give clear direction, then step back • Let your people shine 6. Maximize your resources • Time is money • Talent is scarce • Use both wisely 7. Focus on results • Deliverables > Activities • Measure what matters • Align with business goals Great project management isn't about managing projects. It's about leading people to achieve something meaningful.

I spent my 30s managing enterprise IT projects. Here’s what I wish I knew at 29. 1/ Getting teams to simply talk is most of the battle. 2/ Getting sign-off (actual sign-off) on scope will save your bacon. 3/ The right time to think about risks is before you notice problems. 4/ No one is thinking about your project as much as you are. (/should be) 5/ When you have to ask ‘whose job is that?’, it’s probably your job. 6/ If someone asks you if you can do something ‘just this once’ it’s probably their job. 7/ If you do something once, it will be expected for every project in perpetuity. 8/ Understanding *why* someone is making an unusual request will give you insights. 9/ Seeing into the future is a superpower developed through experience. 10/ Senior PMs have good stories. Ask them to share. 11/ Every exec has (at least) two tones. The one they use among piers, and the one they’ll use 1:1. Don’t be startled. 12/ The first step in planning should be to define what you’ll do when things don’t go to plan. 13/ Planning is useful only if that plan quickly evolves into actual work. 14/ Repetition in meetings helps define expectations. Expectations help with accountability. Accountability is how you influence without authority. 15/ Holding people accountable—without being a jerk—is how you preserve relationships. 16/ Don’t ask if something is ‘in progress’. Ask ‘how much work is left’. Use percentages. 17/ Budget more time than you need. Then push hard to use less time than budgeted. 18/ Expect things to go sideways so you’re never surprised--and so you're always ready to act. 19/ Don’t burn bridges. Assume you’ll have another project with them. 20/ Trust is the single most valuable currency in project management. What are your lessons learned?  ____ 👋 Follow me Timothy Morgan for more about enterprise project management.