Mentoring

Had some fun today hosting a 2 hour mentoring session for some junior Project Managers.

I initiated the workshop after discussing with a couple of them about various PM tools and techniques,  in particular the WBS, and was quite surprised to hear the response that in the 6 months of time they had been shadowing other Project Managers, they had never seen one or been told what one was.

I find the WBS invaluable in creating the backbone of your project scope and shape, which can then be used to build your plan. It also focuses the attention on the deliverables required to achieve the project and not just the tasks. Best of all though, it is a great tool for turning a feeling of overwhelmed at the daunting prospect awaiting for you,  into something way more manageable.

Do you use a WBS or PBS on your projects? If not, I strongly recommend you do apply this technique as a fundamental.

I have a personal value of ensuring that the appropriate level of training and mentoring is given to new recruits when they are green and fresh...teach the good habits from the outset and then its easier than sorting out the bad habits later. How many companies are guilty of recruiting people into positions and then offering their new recruit no assistance to help with the ramp up of knowledge. There is always too much to do, higher priority work on active projects, but I dont buy this. Bringing new people into your organisation need to have some assistance at day 1 to get up to speed, whether they are an experienced contractor or a secondment trainee. Obviously, the time you need to spend on the ramp up depends upon the person you're recruiting and the level of expertise and experience.

Plan this period of assistance in! The payback in terms of their productivity will be much quicker and save you more time further down the line.

Also, why not initiate some mentoring too? I got a great buzz out of helping these junior PMs and the best part is there is some vicarious learning to be had for more experienced PMs too.