4 key points to help the product manage the project well

Project management is a necessary skill for product managers , But this is also the hard wound of many novice product managers . The article shares several key points that novice product managers should pay attention to when managing the project well , I hope it helped you .

Projects vary in size , The process is long and short . Some projects and products are very successful , But there will also be some projects that are less successful . Each project has its own characteristics , The success or failure of each project also has its own complicated reasons . Maybe it's a lack of resources , Or the time is very tight . even to the extent that , Unfortunately , You caught up with one “ Second hand projects ”.

actually , For anyone , Project management is not an easy thing . For the following two types of people , It is also an extraordinary challenge .

1. A new airborne . They may be experienced , But people are often unfamiliar with their places , A strong dragon can't bear a snake .
2. New recruits . They are passionate but lack skill , Often because of too much force to make smoke everywhere , I am very passive .

Project management is a branch of management , Use a systematic point of view 、 Methods and theories , Effectively manage the whole process of the project , The emphasis is on the limited resources , Meet or exceed set needs and expectations .

For what we are going to discuss today “ Novice products ” Come on , It is not so easy to master , Even if I have paid a lot of energy to systematically study the methodology of project management , Even already PMP The test of , But it doesn't mean you can actually apply these methods and tools .

01 Be familiar with your environment

First , We should change a conventional idea , The success or failure of the project , In fact, it does not depend on PM Personal effort , The fact is that the success or failure of the project is the product of the environment . You are just one of the forces to promote the implementation of the project in this environment .

This idea comes from PMP, be called “ Business environment factors ”. It is not under the control of the project team , It is a prerequisite for the project team to carry out activities , Directly influence the project , Instruct or restrict the work of certain projects .

These factors include various situations inside and outside the company , And the factors that are most directly related to us include the department structure 、 Cultural atmosphere , Relevant processes and requirements , Input and level of human resources , Rules and regulations, etc .

such as , The development plan for new products is sales driven , Market driven , In the decision-making of new products, it is the cost decision , Or value decision , The key factors that directly lead to the resource input in the whole project process and the balanced selection .

In an order driven environment , It is essential to meet the delivery time , The sacrifice of product value and experience is inevitable , Just don't overdo it . Emphasize cost reduction , How to make the team work overtime is your top priority , And put forward the problem of insufficient development and testing resources , Maybe it will make you stand on the opposite side .

This is the cruel reality . When you don't recognize your environment , It's easy to make conflicting decisions and lose support . And get full authorization , yes PM The basic guarantee to promote the implementation of the project , Whether you can keep your word directly determines whether you can succeed in the project .

Because there is only sufficient authorization , You can design and lead a project organization relationship that is conducive to the work , It is possible to achieve orderly and controllable within the project team , There is a unified export , There is a stable order inside .

Everyone appreciates the change in the world “ hero ”, Changing the environment requires full strength and personal charm , I believe you have your own judgment and assurance .

02 Get to know your colleagues

Why is a requirement put forward by the product manager , Will often be programmers “ resentment ” Well ？ even to the extent that , We often encounter a very simple thing , However, the other party suggested that it would take a long process , Leaders are required to give instructions . It seems that they have every reason to refuse your request , So that both sides can connect with each other .

Behind these questions , There must be unreasonable demand factors , However, there are often more complex project organization relationships .

We need to recognize the fact that ,PM We can only rely on the efforts of the team to achieve project and individual success , It is not your own efforts that can ensure the smooth progress of the project .

You'll find that , Compared to all kinds of strange needs , Challenging problems , In the project , The most direct influence （ Lethality ） What you want is people . You could even say , If you can't make it, you can't make it . Especially when you are on a large project , The logic of "right thing not right person" is probably wrong .

there “ people ”, Generally speaking “ All persons involved in or affected by the project ”, Not just your team members , Of course, the first is your colleagues in our company . They are collectively called “ Project stakeholders ”, Directly affect the progress of the project .

Need to know , People who make up a project , They all have their own strengths （ Each with his own mind ） Of . Generally speaking , Project stakeholders should actively promote the progress of the project , But sometimes , A proposal for you , As long as Zhangsan agrees , Li Si will definitely oppose , Just like the nail households encountered in demolition . This phenomenon is actually very common , Their reason for interfering with the project may be the opinion of the leader , Technical problems , The shortage of time resources and so on .

What few people know is that some demands of these people have not been met , All complaints are simply “ Loss of interest ”, It may be economic , It may also be in terms of power and status , It may also be about face , To name but a few .

therefore , When you start a new project , Or add a new project that is already running , The first thing you need is to clarify the relationship map of a project , Instead of directly and rashly raising demands .

You need to find out who is influencing the project as soon as possible , Especially those who have a negative impact , A backstabber , People who sell well when they get cheap , Those who don't play cards according to common sense . And the impact of these people on the project is continuous , Dynamic , They will change their strategies and positions as the project progresses , This will have an unknown impact on you and your project .

Approach them , Get to know them —— Know about the personnel of the project members （ Including character 、 Expertise, etc , Especially the leaders at all levels ）, Establish initial relationships with project members , That is to say, we should quickly integrate into the new team .

Then we can clearly realize the responsibilities and authorities of each project stakeholder , Only in this way can we clarify everyone's role and relationship position , It is possible to establish a relatively sufficient communication and sharing mechanism to promote the smooth progress of the project . And beautiful documents , Detailed requirements , At best, it's just a bonus .

03 Find out the history of the project

Enter a project that is already in progress , Jargon is second-hand projects , This kind of project is usually much more complicated than participating in the whole process on the first day of the project .

The project becomes second-hand , There must be many reasons , It may be the loss of personnel , It may also be that major changes have occurred in the middle of the journey, making it difficult to continue . To the next generation of the project PM Come on , face 3 An unknown number ： Unfamiliar project requirements , Unfamiliar product design , Unfamiliar teams .

Newly arrived , It's easy to be a black eye . Second hand projects are difficult , Often because they don't understand , Looking at a lot of things and all kinds of hearsay information , Psychologically, there is pressure first .

therefore , The first thing to do after entering the project is to sort out the current status of the project , Understand the current problems , In particular, we should understand its cause and effect , Why do you want to do this project , Why is this the case today . Once you don't know this , It's easy to turn into playing brute force without flattering .

because , The reason why your predecessor did what he did , Or make some decisions , It must have his background at that time , Even his “ ineffable difficulties ”, It was the basis of his decision at that time .

Fish bones are a good tool , We must learn to use .

Generally speaking , When you look up some information , Visited some project stakeholders , Actually, I went to some field scenes , It should be said that I have some preliminary understanding of the project , The next step is to have a relatively formal meeting , Through this meeting, we can further understand the problems encountered in the first phase of the project and what achievements have been made .

The first thing we must do is to affirm the achievements of the early project team , Then we can analyze what can be improved , Find the starting point to make efforts , We must not completely negate the previous efforts and start a new stove . Once some kind of opposition is formed , The project will become more and more difficult .

What we need to understand is , It's what you should do to deal with a unfinished project , If you can't handle it well, it's your ability .

That's why , There are some PM Think , My responsibility is to do a good job of demand analysis , Draw a functional prototype , When entering a new project , What's more, we need a quick knife to cut the mess , Complete the important tasks entrusted by the organization as soon as possible .

This is called relying on some enthusiasm to make a mess , The result is obviously thankless . This passionate impulse , It's easy to get you into a kind of “ Don't you think , I want to think ” The trap of , When your position is not right , Will fall into a God's perspective and try to play the role of Savior .

04 Show your professionalism

Professional questions , Yes, a lot PM It is easy to become a tool dispute . For example, in the end axure good , still word good , What is good PRD, It is a problem that many product managers can't let go for a long time .

Little imagine ,PRD In essence , Also a “ product ”, It has its user objects , It has a life cycle , As a product person , It is somewhat unnecessary to fall into this kind of dispute . What is more important is how to target the right users and environment , Output the appropriate document , Instead of sticking to form .

All documents during the project , The fundamental problem is not how to write but how to make the team understand the business , And how the development process is delivered and executed . This is what we need to really strive to achieve . Documents are always just a tool for communicating business , It is a standard language with consistent internal understanding , The goal is for everyone who comes into contact with it , Can understand what to do , Why do , And how to do it .

There is no doubt about it , A good document has requirements for the product manager , It also expects the R & D side to understand and be familiar with some businesses . But at the same time , A team with a good atmosphere , It's also crucial , In any case , Want to make a product , The promotion of vertical communication and the coordination of horizontal communication , Is the fundamental , This includes familiarity with the business , Understanding of the product , And the awe of technology . Instead of sinking into a sea of documents , And forget the core work as a product manager .

Your professionalism , Using good tools is just the starting point , How to sort out clear business boundaries within the team , Control the good project rhythm , Returning to the value itself to ensure that the final output conforms to the value interests of the project is the core , Keep a clear head at all times , There are adequate plans for project risks , In case of emergency , It can respond to changes with the greatest elasticity .