Although more and more we’re seeing projects being managed by virtual teams, it’s also important to connect with your project stakeholders face-to-face from time to time. And as the project manager is effectively serving the needs of the project customer, it’s normally down to us to make the journey.
Many project managers find themselves travelling a lot during their career, especially if they end up in a contracting or supplier role. There are always clients to meet. However, even if you are an in-company project manager leading internal projects, you may still have to travel to another city (or even another country) to meet your team and other stakeholders.
Here are some tips for keeping on top of your projects while you are on the road.
Make sure you can access your files
Online access to your project files, whether that’s through a secure VPN connection to your company’s network or by using cloud-based project management tools, is essential if you want to be able to manage your project on the move.
It’s also a good idea to have a back up plan in case where you are going has a poor internet connection. For me, this means saving files on to the desktop of my laptop, or printing them out. If you work on a tablet you may be able to download files or take screenshots if you can’t bring yourself to have paper copies as a back up.
Stay secure
For me the most important thing about travelling is making sure my mobile work environment is safe. I don’t look at confidential paperwork on the plane or leave my laptop unattended in a coffee shop while I just pop and get another drink. Neither should you. Be careful about which wifi hotspots you access and only use those you trust.
It’s all common sense but you still hear of data being lost through carelessness or stolen, so don’t let it happen to you.
Make the most of apps
Apps make it easier to access your project information on the go, and provide a range of other helpful services like capturing recorded notes (verbal or on the screen), document sharing, maps and more. Sort out what apps you’ll use if you don’t already have them installed and make sure you know how they work.
If you have access to an app that tells you what your data roaming usage has been, that’s a useful one to get if you are going abroad. Even if you aren’t travelling abroad, if you rely on 3G or 4G it’s useful to know how much of your allowance has been sucked up by the trip. That will help you manage your data usage (or give you a chance to get more before you get cut off).
Don’t forget your chargers
Remember as well to pack any adapters that you’ll need to convert your chargers to something that will work if you are travelling to a different country. I once attended a large project management conference in the US and forgot to check the adapter for my laptop power cable. It didn’t fit the hotel plugs and despite the hotel team being perfectly charming and really trying to help, they couldn’t find me another charging cable or adapter. In the end, a friend came to the rescue, but it wasn’t the stress-free experience I wanted for getting set up in a different country.
Laptops, smartphones and tablets all use different chargers so either cut back and try to streamline (don’t pack two mini-USB connections, for example) or make space in your luggage to take them all.
Keep your phone charged at all time. There’s nothing worse than being stranded when your taxi doesn’t arrive and then finding you’ve got no charge left to call for another one.
Stay in touch
Pack your headphones so you can make Skype calls or go hands free on your phone. That’s a big help when travelling, especially if you’re in the car. If you use public transport be sensitive to the travellers around you: they don’t want to hear your conversation or your loud music.
Stay up to date with social media and your online network too. That might involve resetting your passwords before you go so you actually remember what they are and can log in easily from a new device.
These are my quick tips for managing your project while you’re on the move, and you can see some more tips for travelling for work here. What other tips do you have for project managers who need to work on the go? Let us know in the comments.