For new project managers, as you gain skill in managing projects, your career prospects will improve as well. In general, management recognizes success and rewards it, and projects are an excellent forum for demonstrating your leadership abilities especially in organizations focused on project management with proper reporting of project progress and successes. In addition to developing the skills required for project management, continually set career goals for yourself as a project manager. Recognize that management is watching with high expectations and will likely be reviewing your performance based on how well you achieve these goals, which may include:
Acquiring a reputation as a skilled, effective project manager
Be aware that your reputation within the company will affect your career. A positive reputation includes the element of reliability. To become a skilled project manager, practice the ideas and techniques that make the process work. To become an effective project manager, keep your goals and deadlines in mind at all times, support your team, and work well with all resources, internal and external.
Meeting deadlines, without fail
Some people accept the fact that deadlines in their companies are not taken very seriously.
Don’t allow yourself to think in this way. View the deadline as an absolute. It you never miss a deadline (except in the most extreme circumstances), management will think of you as a dependable, valuable resource.
Staying within budget
The budget, like the deadline, is often seen as an outmoded practice, as an idea with little validity. This is because so few people use budgets as they are intended - as control tools for measuring the effectiveness of management’s effort. The budget defines risk and potential reward for the organization, and should be carefully monitored and controlled while the project is underway.
Producing and delivering the desired result
Once you have achieved a clear and precise definition of your purpose and goals, you will know exactly what management expects from you. And as long as you keep communicating to ensure that the goals have not changed, you will succeed. Produce and deliver the desired result, and management will think of you as a results-oriented manager.
Resolving conflicts
Conflicts - whether involving mere scheduling problems or personality clashes - may seem trivial in the scheme of things. But in some respects, your ability to resolve conflicts without difficulty may be the most important attribute for successful project management. You certainly want to draw attention to yourself as an effective manager; what you don’t need is the kind of attention you get when top management has to step in to mediate an unresolved problem.