The Importance of Patience in Project Management
If you are an impatient sort of person then you are going to find that project management work forces you to reconsider your attitude. There are quite a few situations in which a lack of patience could cause you problems so let’s take a look at some of the most important ones.
Get the Requirements Right
The very first step of most projects is that of working out what you are being asked to. Unless you get this 100% right then you can’t expect to deliver the results successfully, can you? Perhaps the biggest stumbling block in your path to doing this could be your own impatience. You need to take the time to work out what you are really being asked to do before you can even think about getting started. This might mean setting up some workshops with end-users and stakeholders or it might involve a lot of phone calls and emails. Personally, I like to go out and visit the end-users in their offices and see what they are currently doing and try to visualize what they need me to deliver. It can be hard work doing this but it will let you see at firsthand what is needed and also build up some important relationships with the end users.
Work Out the Plan
Once you know what the project is about you will need to move on to the stage of getting the project documentation into shape. If you are an impatient person then the plan might be what causes you most problems. Writing this is a task which can take up a fair bit of your time and you might not look on it as being the most exciting thing to do with your time. However, it needs to be done and done well if it is going to be useful to you later on. If you ever let your impatience get the better of you and motor on into the rest of the work without doing this properly then you will soon have reason to regret it. On the other hand, if you work out your plan well then you will have set yourself up nicely for a more relaxed and controlled approach to the work you need to do.
Understand the Issues
You are sure to come across a variety of risks, issues and problems along the way to completing the piece of work you have been assigned. Perhaps the most important aspect of project management work in this respect is that you might need to do a lot of investigative work to understand these points fully. For example, if you have a cursory glance at a problem and come up with a quick solution you could see the issue rear its ugly head again later on. It is far better to take your time and gain a comprehensive grasp of what it is that has happened or is at risk of happening. It is only by doing this than you can make the right decisions and move forwards with confidence. Diving in to make snap decisions is something you may be used to doing in your previous roles but it isn’t the answer when you are leading a project. With this kind of work you need to take your time and control your impatience if you want to make the right decisions every time.
Help Your Team Members
As part of the task of leading the project you will also need to make sure that you guide and train your team members, especially the more inexperienced ones. Of course, with so much happening and so much to do the leading of your team can seem like another distraction. However, you need to ensure that you take the time to do this properly if you want to see the project reach a successful conclusion. Of course, you will also this way gain the satisfaction of being a great project leader and helping your team members fulfill their full potential. This is one of the most satisfying parts of the job and the first requirement is patience. If you have this then you can give them the benefit of your knowledge and experience to help them progress in their career. If you are a naturally impatient kind of project manager then this is something you will need to curb when you are dealing with your team members, as they need and deserve your time and effort.
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