Some project managers feel disappointed if they aren’t given the big projects to manage. I say, don’t take this as a reflection on your ability. Managing multiple small projects is a definite skill, and one that not everyone has. And besides, small projects are great! Here’s why.
1. The opportunity to learn
Small projects give you the opportunity to learn new things in a relatively safe environment. Of course, some small projects are very high profile: small doesn’t necessarily mean unimportant. But the majority of smaller pieces of work don’t reach the radar of the senior executives and they do give you the opportunity to learn about new areas of the business or parts of the company that you didn’t know much about.
2. A small team
Working with a small team has advantages too. You can build deep relationships with them and really get to know their strengths and weaknesses. On a large team there is a risk that the project manager turns into more of a work allocation expert and you can’t be expected to have meaningful relationships with a team of 150.
Smaller teams give you the chance to practice your coaching and leadership skills, as well as trying out new ways to manage your team.
3. Fast benefits
Small projects typically don’t have such a long timescale as projects with a wider scope. That means the benefits are achieved more quickly. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with being able to make changes that deliver benefits for the company in a short timescale. You can quickly see the links between your work and what the company is seeing as a result.
It’s also good to give that feedback to stakeholders: they’ll appreciate the speedy introduction of functionality that delivers business value as well.
4. Get to move on
But what if you don’t like your project very much? That could be because you don’t enjoy the subject or the deliverables or the team aren’t your type of people. The good news about small projects is that you aren’t stuck with them for long! You’ll soon be completing the work and moving on to a new project with different objectives and a new team.
Small projects give you the chance to experience a lot of variety, both in deliverables and the people you work with. If you don’t know what area you would like to specialise in, or appreciate getting a broad exposure to the business then small projects are a quick way to do it.
5. Practice your skills
Small projects give you the chance to try out new skills in a safe environment. Want to try a different approach to risk management? With lower executive oversight small projects are a good place to try new skills.
If you’ve just come back from a training course and have a raft of new techniques you would like to try out, start implementing them on a small project. By the time you put them into practice on a large project they will be tried and tested techniques.
6. Practice juggling
Most project managers have to juggle several things at once, whether that is multiple projects or a mix of projects and BAU work, or something else. If you routinely manage small projects you’ll normally be doing several at a time.
Working on small projects is good because it allows you to practice this juggling. You have to make decisions every day based on what you should focus on for the next 8 hours. You’ll have to remember more information (and that will force you to keep better records, which is good practice). You’ll have to work with more people and that will help you build better working relationships across the business and also prompt you to learn more about balancing competing demands of different stakeholder groups.