4 Hacks for Entry-Level Project Managers with a Growth Mindset

As an entry-level project manager, you have to quickly get used to juggling multiple projects, tight deadlines, and demanding stakeholders, all while staying in the driver’s seat.

To thrive as a project manager, you’ll need to possess strong leadership skills, or at least, find a way to acquire them. 

To be a great project manager doesn’t just demand leadership; it demands critical thinking, excellent communication, and a command of relevant technology. 

However, as any growth-minded person knows, you don’t have to walk in the door oozing all these qualities. And while experience is the best teacher, you don’t necessarily have to wait on it, either, to thrive on your professional journey. 

Is there a way to hack your way to the top? We say, always! It just depends on what you consider a ‘hack’: If it’s a quick fix, then no. If it’s a way to work smarter, not harder, then bring it on.

In that spirit, here are four practical tips we gathered from real project managers to help you grow your skill set, your professional prowess, and hopefully, the profitability of your projects. 

1. Commit to mastering resource management out the gate

Effective resource management is crucial to begin accumulating project success. And let’s face it, people want to work with project managers they like, ones who are in tune with their schedule, their skills, and their capacity. 

By committing to the mastery of resource management before anything else, you’re putting your team(s) first. Project teams should be able to run like well-oiled machines, except these machines are creative, dynamic, and emotional. The more you have a handle on the different parts of this machine, the more people will want to show up for you with their work. 

As part of your commitment to nailing resource management, you’ll need to learn to allocate resources strategically for each project, based on the availability and skills of your team members. 

One of your best friends during this process will be a capacity planner. A capacity planning tool will show you in real-time where each of your resources stands in relation to workload and capacity. This will help you not to overload anyone and spot red flags of burnout far sooner. Not to mention, on an emotional level, team members feel empowered that their individual situations are being taken into account as the project progresses.

Don’t forget to monitor your resource utilization as your projects progress and use resource allocation tools to help you more effectively visualize your schedule. Maintain open communication with teams, making sure everyone is aware of their priorities, workload, and task dependencies, where applicable. 

2. Prioritize relationships and build strong ones

As a project manager, your success hinges on building strong relationships with your team, stakeholders, and clients. That’s a lot of people in the wheelhouse.

Instead of getting overwhelmed by these relationships, prioritize them and focus on making them strong every single day. 

How do you do that? Number one is using empathy, your EQ, to more fully understand the perspectives of others. Make sure that empathy is not stagnant; put it into action by engaging in active listening, aka being present when someone is speaking to you, and communicating effectively. When everyone is keenly aware of deadlines, updates, etc, it creates an atmosphere of trust and transparency, both of which make fantastic motivators for really good work.

Popular agile frameworks often emphasize process and workflow, but it's crucial to remember that project success ultimately hinges on human interaction. Effective project management involves understanding and addressing the needs and concerns of individuals, in order for the pieces to come together to form a macro result. By prioritizing human interaction, project managers can more easily overcome challenges, build trust, and even increase the profitability of their projects.

3. Use all-in-one project management software with AI

A reliable project management tool is your secret weapon. And these days, that means going with an all-in-one solution that also offers some kind of AI capabilities. This will keep you focused and organized, able to kill more birds with one stone, in just one digital place:

• Task Management: Break down projects into smaller, manageable tasks and assign them to team members. Use Kanban boards or Gantt charts, depending on your preference, for a handy visual aid.
• Time Tracking: Monitor time spent on tasks to improve efficiency and accuracy in billing. An all-in-one project management tool should have this built-in, so it will automatically be able to connect with invoicing data and other project data.
• Collaboration: Facilitate seamless collaboration among team members, regardless of their location, and keep conversations organized around the tasks they pertain to.
• Reporting and Analytics: Easily generate insightful reports to track project progress, identify bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions.

AI can also really help by way of predictive analytics, letting you see if a project is in danger of overspending or going past the deadline and when. AI tools within a larger project management software solution will also help you organize tasks, track progress, track time automatically, and much more.

4. Create an environment of adaptability & continuous learning

The field of project management is constantly evolving, but embracing continuous learning can help you stay ahead of the curve at all times. Attend workshops, webinars, and conferences to expand your knowledge and project management skills. Read books on philosophy. Take a nature walk. Do something different. Seek mentorship from more experienced project managers who you respect, pick their brains, and try to glean insights from their experiences.

Remember that the most successful project managers are wickedly adept at adapting to unforeseen challenges. They also know how to set realistic expectations. Seasoned PMs intimately understand that even the most meticulously planned projects can fall prey to unforeseen obstacles. 

In a working environment of adaptability and continuous learning, PMs communicate openly and honestly with their teams who learn to pivot on a dime, and importantly, they know how to sustain momentum.

Work smarter, not harder, and use your EQ

In sum, the central theme across our hack to be a great project manager involves two things most of all: to figure out how to work smarter, not harder, and to use your EQ more than you think you need to.

Focus on mastering resource management from the very beginning, as this will help determine how well you work with your team and how well they work together. No one wants an absent-minded manager who doesn’t take their position and concerns into account. The more you do this, the harder people will want to work for you.

These relationships, not just with your team, but with your clients and stakeholders, should be prioritized to a tee. The more you nurture your relationships, the stronger they will become and the longer they will serve you.

Don’t forget that you have to use a project management tool, so it’s easiest to go with an all-in-one solution. These help you keep contracts, invoicing, planning, tasks, and everything, under one digital roof. Your team members will thank you, and they are sure to benefit from automation and AI assistants that will save everyone time on admin. 

And finally, as a project manager, you are largely responsible for shaping the team culture. Promoting an environment of adaptability and continuous learning will help everyone churn out great work and excel within their roles. 

By following these tried-and-true hacks, you can become a more effective and efficient project manager people will love to work with. It’s all about the journey, so keep learning, keep growing, and keep developing the best version of yourself.