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7 Fundamentals of IT consulting success
Thinking of becoming an IT consultant? That might not be a bad idea — if you’ve developed the skills and experience needed to help clients deliver successful projects.
Companies are in need of expertise in areas such as cloud computing, cyber security, big data and analytics, data center transformation, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and the internet of things (IoT) — among others. But they’re facing an ongoing shortage of talent with skills in these areas. That’s where outside consultants can help.
Pay for IT contract workers is on the rise. The Dice 2018 Tech Salary report notes that hourly rates for consultants increased 4.7 percent from 2016 to 2017, while pay for IT staffers remained fairly flat.
What does it take to be a successful IT consultant? Some of the obvious requirements include self-discipline, having good organizational skills, the ability to work independently, and so on. But experts say anyone looking to transition from a full-time IT job with an organization to being an independent IT consultant should follow some basic practices. Here are some of the more important ones.
Develop good interview skills
As a consultant you will be interviewed by prospective clients — in some cases multiple times by people at different levels of an organization. That means you need to learn how to be adept at interviewing. Be prepared not only to answer a host of questions about your background and skills, but to eloquently describe how you will help solve specific problems and deliver value to the client.
“Your resume may get you in the door of a prospective client, but your interview is where you make a lasting impression and land the opportunity,” says Todd Weneck, vice president of search at Modis, a provider of IT staffing services.
“You want interviewers to leave the discussion impressed with your technical capabilities as well as your soft skills,” Weneck says. “Practicing interviews with a mentor or recruiter can help you become more polished in your responses and go into an interview with confidence. Find someone who knows your industry and will give you candid feedback as you prepare.”[ Download CIO's new Roadmap Report on 5G in the enterprise! ]
As part of interviews, consultants need to provide quantifiable examples of how they affected work projects in previous roles. “What you must be able to do is effectively communicate what value you’ll bring to the organization and how you’ll be able to solve the problem the client is facing,” says Jim Johnson, senior vice president at IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology. “You’ll also want to be able to clearly convey how you’ve solved business issues in your prior roles, whether in full-time or contract positions.”
You might want to view the interview process as more of an in-depth business meeting, Johnson says. “Research the company in order to understand the issues the company or industry are facing, and come prepared with your own set of questions about the company and the project,” he says.
Learn how to review client contracts/confidentiality agreements, and find help if needed
Contracts should cover areas such as costs, hours, milestones, deliverables, deadlines, and who pays for outside expenses.
“If you are taking the independent contractor route, this is especially important, as you will be expected to comply with the ‘flow-downs’ of the company you are consulting with or the consulting company with which you are subcontracting,” says Steve Perkins, U.S. and global managing director of the technology industry practice at professional services firm Grant Thornton.
“In addition to SLAs [service-level agreements] and rates, this will include privacy, [intellectual property], insurance, etc.,” says Perkins, who began his career in government IT before transitioning to IT and management consulting. “It’s essential to learn the business model of consulting — how they make money — and the levers that can be pulled to improve performance.”
It’s not a particularly complicated business, Perkins says, with consultants generally charging an hourly rate with some fixed-price, value-based and subscription models. “But it’s a hard business as the competition is fierce, rates pressure is significant, labor costs are rising, and the technology consulting business itself is being disrupted dramatically by technology” such as bots and artificial intelligence, he says.
Navigating through the contract process can be a time-consuming, confusing, or stressful part of the consulting process for many who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of what goes into the administrative process, Johnson says. Many new consultants will lean on an outside services firm that can take care of the administrative tasks.
Consider focusing on one or a few industries and go deep in these areas
One of the first questions prospective clients are likely to ask is what kind of experience you have in their industry, so focusing on particular sectors and gaining lots of experience might help land assignments.
Don’t understate the value of the insights you gained working in their industry, Perkins says. “They are what will differentiate you in the early days of your consulting career,” he says. “Others will know the methods, tools and craft skills of consulting, but few will have the depth of industry-specific insight you bring to the table. Trade on this.”
As you develop a sense of which industry sectors most interest you, seek out assignments that will extend your expertise, Perkins says.
“Your value increases the deeper you go,” he says. “And conversely, actively manage yourself away from industry specializations that don’t interest you.”
Early in his consulting career, Perkins was assigned to two large agricultural chemical clients in a row, and was beginning to be referred to as the “AgChem” subject-matter expert. “Nothing wrong with AgChem, but I fancied myself a financial services technology strategist and took steps to gain experience in other areas,” he says. “At the same time, though, don’t neglect the emerging technologies and methodologies that will keep you attractive to a broad range of client and assignment types.”
Acquire relevant credentials and affiliations
Prospective clients want assurances that the consultants they hire know a lot about the particular technologies or services they are using. That’s where having credentials and affiliations in relevant areas can help seal the deal.
“These are table stakes in the consulting business,” Perkins says. “They range from the more general, such as certification in project management, to the specific, such as certification in a specific vendor product. These credentials enable clients, recruiters and consulting management to quickly appreciate your capabilities.”
Some are even required as a part of bidding for work in a structured proposal process, and a given in technology consulting for government clients, Perkins says.
IT certifications are beneficial in particular when they meet the needs of clients, Weneck says. “For instance, being an AWS Certified Solutions Architect is a valuable credential, but not if Microsoft Azure is your client’s cloud service,” he says. “The key is to know your audience and build on your existing skill sets.”
On the other hand, if your credentials are not exactly what the client is looking for but you think they will translate to the larger context of the job, it’s important to be upfront about this and articulate how your background makes you an ideal fit for the position, Weneck says.
Develop communication and collaboration skills
Being an IT consultant in many cases means working with others on a team, and being able to communicate clearly with team members and supervisors is vital.
“One of your primary goals as a consultant is to secure long-term and repeat opportunities,” Weneck says. “When management is considering which consultant is the right fit for the job, it often comes down to how well they integrate with the existing team.”
Effective communication and interpersonal skills help position you to seamlessly assimilate with those already on the job, Weneck says. An annual trends survey of decision-makers that Modis conducts identified teamwork and communication as the most difficult soft skills to find among technology professionals. “It solidifies the need to hone these skills to be a successful IT consultant,” he says.
In many cases teams are assembled quickly from a large pool of potential candidates, and projects can be short term. “Your ability to quickly gel with your teammates to form an effective, productive unit is essential,” Perkins says. “And unless you are a solo practitioner, this will be an important performance evaluation measurement.”
Nurture relationships and get good references
When looking to land consulting gigs you will almost certainly be asked to provide references. This can be a challenge when you’re first starting out, so you’ll probably need to list former employers as references.
Once you’ve successfully completed consulting projects for clients, be sure to ask if you can cite the organizations as references for prospective clients.
“Clients do business with people they trust and respect,” Perkins says. “Even if you are a part of a large consulting business, it comes down to your personal reputation, your track record of client service, and referrals from previous clients. In this consulting business, you are only as good as your last project. While a well-recognized logo will open a door to a new client, your reputation will close it. Over time, your network — within industry and within consulting — will be more valuable than your technical skills. Constantly nurture it.”
As part of networking, “consultants should pull from past experiences, research, industry relationships, colleagues, partners, and what they learn within an organization,” says Kevin Rooney, vice president at AIM Consulting, a firm that specializes in IT consulting.
Get endorsements from people you work with on LinkedIn or other vehicles for showcasing your personal brand, Rooney says. “Everyone checks to see how you are connected before they will work with you,” he says. “This is how you will build a pipeline of business.”
Learn to be a salesman and business developer
In many cases the consulting work is not going to come to you; you need to go out and get it. One often-overlooked skill is the ability to both “sell” and “do,” Perkins says.
“The smaller your business — and especially if you are on your own — the harder this will be,” Perkins says. “And when you are selling, you are not making money, and when you are delivering, no one is bringing in the next project. You will certainly move into consulting with a client or two and a project or two already in hand, but quickly will come the need to replace these.”
Business development skills are almost never acquired in previous industry roles, Perkins says. “You must be the steward [of] your own career, proactively seeking out the client projects to gain the experiences you want and need, and the training to achieve necessary and value-add skills and certification,” he says. “You may have a mentor to help along the way. [But] in the end, you must chart your path.”
What is agile project management?
Agile project management is an iterative approach to
managing software development projects that focuses on continuous releases and
incorporating customer feedback with every iteration.
Software
teams that embrace agile project management methodologies increase their
development speed, expand collaboration, and foster the ability to
better respond to market trends.
Here
is everything you need to know to get started or refine your agile project
management practices.
History
Stemming from Toyota's lean manufacturing
concept of the 1940s, software development teams have embraced agile
methodologies to reduce waste and increase transparency, while quickly
addressing their customers' ever-changing needs. A stark change from waterfall
project management that focuses on "big bang" launches, agile
helps software teams collaborate better and innovate faster than ever
before.
Traditional
agile project management can be categorized into two frameworks:
scrum and kanban. While scrum is focused on fixed-length project
iterations, kanban is focused on continuous releases. Upon completion, the team
immediately moves on to the next.
How scrum works
Sprint Planning
Sprint Demo
Daily Standup
Retrospective
A team planning meeting that
determines what to complete in the coming sprint.
A sharing meeting where the team
shows what they've shipped in that sprint.
Also known as a stand-up, a
15-minute mini-meeting for the software team to sync.
A review of what did and didn't go
well with actions to make the next sprint better.
Scrum is a framework
for agile project management that uses fixed-length iterations of work,
called sprints. There are four ceremonies that
bring structure to each sprint.
It all starts with the backlog, or
body of work that needs to be done. In scrum, there are two backlogs: one is
the product backlog (owned by the product owner) which is a prioritized list of
features, and the other is the sprint backlog which is filled by taking issues
from the top of the product backlog until the capacity for the next sprint is
reached. Scrum teams have unique roles specific to their stake in the process.
Typically there's a scrum master, or champion of the scrum method for the team;
the product owner, who's the voice of the product; and the scrum team, who are
often cross-functional team members in charge of getting s@#$ done.
The four ceremonies of scrum
The scrum board
A scrum board is used
to visualize all the work in a given sprint. During the sprint planning
meeting, the team moves items from the product backlog into the sprint
backlog. Scrum boards can have multiple steps visible in the workflow, like To Do, In Progress,
and Done. Scrum boards
are the key component for increasing transparency in agile project management.
How kanban works
Kanban is a framework for agile
project management that matches the work to the team's capacity. It's
focused on getting things done as fast as possible, giving teams the ability to
react to change even faster than scrum.
Unlike scrum, kanban
has no backlogs (usually). Instead, work sits in the To Do column.
This enables kanban teams to focus on continuous releases, which can be done at
any time. All work is visible, scoped, and ready to execute on so that when
something is completed, the team immediately moves on to the next. The amount
of work is matched to the team's capacity through WIP
limits, which is a predefined limit of work that can be in a single
column at one time (except the To Do column).
The kanban board
A kanban board is used to visualize all
the work that's being done. It's also used for planning resources allowing
project managers to see the work and develop timelines accordingly. A kanban
board is structured into columns and lanes that stories pass through on their
way to completion. Stories sit in the To Do column until the WIP
limit allows for the next task to be worked on. The list of work should be
split into relatively small issues and organized by priority. As you can see in
this example, lanes can help keep the higher priority items separated from
"everything else."
Estimate, report, and plan
Whatever agile framework you choose to
support your software development, you'll need a way to see your team's
progress so you can plan for future work or sprints. Agile project estimating helps both scrum and kanban teams
understand their capacity. Agile reports show the team's progress over time.
And backlog grooming helps project managers keep the list of work current and
ready for the team to tackle.
Agile project estimating
Project estimating is an extremely
important aspect of both kanban and scrum project management. For kanban, many
teams set their WIP limit for each state based on
their previous experiences and team size. Scrum teams use project estimating to
identify how much work can be done in a particular sprint. Many agile
teams adopt unique estimating techniques like planning poker, ideal hours, or
story points to determine a numeric value for the task at hand. This gives
agile teams a point of reference to refer back to during sprint retrospectives,
to see how their team performed. Jira Software can be customized to
capture your teams' unique project estimations.
Agile reporting
Project estimations come into play at the
beginning and end of each sprint. They help teams determine what they can get
done at the beginning of the sprint, but also show how accurate those initial
estimates were at the end. Agile reports, such as
Burndown charts, show how many "story points" are
completed during the sprint. Jira Software offers dozens of out-of-the-box
reports with real-time, actionable insights into how your teams are
performing. Having data to support your retrospectives is an invaluable way for
agile teams to improve.
Backlog management and grooming
A product backlog is
a prioritized list of work for the development team to do that comes from
product roadmap and its requirements. The development team pulls work from
the product backlog for each sprint.
Grooming and maintaining your backlog
helps teams achieve their long-term goals by continually adding and removing
items based on the team's long-term capacity and changing business objectives.
Jira Software lets teams groom huge backlogs with multi-select ranking and
order user stories and bugs by dragging and dropping issues. You can
also filter with Jira Software's flexible search to find a particular user
story or bug.
How to Deal With Employees Not Accountable for Their Time at Work (Remote Work)
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Many employees don’t spend a lot of
time under your watchful eye in the workplace, including sales representatives,
consultants, telecommuters and those who travel a lot on the job. Even
employees who work on-site might not be that easy to monitor all the time. As a
supervisor, you have several options for dealing with and tracking the
whereabouts and performance of your employees to make them accountable for
their time.
Monitor Hours Worked or Job Performance
Decide what you want from each
position in your company. Are you more interested in the number of hours an
employee is physically in your place of business, or are you more concerned
with the volume and quality of work being performed? Some managers feel they
need to see an employee to make sure he is busy. For example, if you manage a
store, you want to make sure you employees are helping customers when customers
are around, or arranging merchandise when customers aren't around. In other
cases, however, you might be comfortable letting employees set their own
schedules as long as they are meeting their responsibilities in a timely
manner. If you manage a sales branch, you don't want your people hanging around
the office when they should be out in the field drumming up business.
Are
Employees Salaried or Commissioned?
Hourly employees can be asked to punch
a time clock, check in and out at a front desk, or submit a detailed work log
to account for the hours they work. Commissioned employees expect more leeway
in tracking their hours. They should be given this leeway provided their
performance goals are met. A commissioned employee's paycheck is based on how
much revenue he generates for the company. As such, he might need more
flexibility in the hours he puts in to accommodate before- and after-hours
sales calls. You can make these employees accountable for their work by
establishing specific financial goals or sales quotas.
Monitor
Work Stations
Managers can use commercial software
programs that let them track the time an employee spends on his computer,
whether he is telecommuting or working in an office environment. This not only
allows a manager to monitor the hours being worked. It also her track Internet
usage to ensure work time is not being spent on personal pursuits, such as
surfing the web, shopping, playing games or checking social media accounts.
Employees who misuse their work time can be reprimanded according to corporate
policy for conducting personal business on company time.
Monitor
Recurring Bad Habits
If you have an employee who is often
away from his work station, or who fails to complete assigned tasks on time,
it’s time for a frank, one-on-one discussion. An employee cannot account for
his work time might be leaving work early, arriving late, or spending time on
non work-related activities. Meet with this person in private to discuss your
concerns. You might find the employee has a medical condition that requires
frequent restroom breaks, or one who tries to leave work for short periods to
check on a child or elderly parent. Once the issue is out in the open, you can
discuss solutions or actions. If the employee has a valid reason for being away
from work, consider a more flexible schedule or reduced work hours. If an
employee is ambivalent about his job or is just lazy, insist on hourly personal
check-ins and weekly time breakdowns that detail hours and work performed.
Revisit the issue at regular intervals to ensure work time continues to be
accounted for.
At the end of the first year of self
employment, consultants quickly discover that their income is taxed differently
than that of an employee. To offset this, self-employed consultants also have
the advantage of claiming far more expenses. Long before tax time arrives, talk
with your accountant to learn how the tax law applies to your practice and
develop a method to track these expenses as they occur. Then, tax time will
become a far less painful experience.
Expenses While Consulting
Almost any amount spent with a client
can be claimed as an expense, as long as it pertains to the job. You can claim
paper, pencils or any office supplies. Rental of equipment like a computer or
projector and the purchase of items for the client need to be tracked and can
often be included on invoices. Food set out during presentations or meetings
also can be reported, but track meals with a client separately, since different
rules apply.
On
the Road
Airfare, hotels and car rental all
qualify as business expenses. Keep all bills and receipts and credit card
slips. Some meals can be reported, but talk with your accountant to determine
which can be expensed. When driving to a client, whether to a distant city or
just up the street, always track the miles driven. Keep a log book listing the
reason for the trip, the starting and ending odometer readings, and then
calculate the number of miles driven. Each year, the IRS publishes a standard
mileage rate and these miles add up quickly.
If you set aside a separate room for
your consulting practice, the IRS allows you to expense a percentage of your
mortgage, utilities, insurance and other home expenses. There are a number of
advantages and disadvantages to this practice, so discuss this with your
accountant. Even if you choose to not deduct the space, keep track of the
furnishings and equipment purchased for the business. Desk, chair, computers,
fax and other equipment all apply. Also remember to track phone calls and
consider purchasing a separate cell phone specifically for the business.
Tracking
Expenses
The best time to track an expense is
when it occurs. Keep a notebook or Day-Timer handy to jot down expenses or tap
them into your smartphone. Remember to also keep all receipts. Once you are
back at home, enter them into a spreadsheet or small business accounting
program. For most, a checkbook program like Quicken works well, is easy to
learn and offers a variety of reports by category and time period. Buy a file
box or cabinet and a stack of file folders. Then, organize the receipts, credit
card slips and other paper by expense category, month or client.
Top 5 Project Management Certifications To Become A Great Project Manager
Are you working as a project manager? You may want to improve
your prospect. There are many certification courses for project manager you
should do. We here bring the great options in project management certification.
Here you can know the various options available in certification and how to
continue in your post.
You as a project manager can increase your skill and prospects
of job sharp with certifications. A project manager who combines certification
with their degree get opportunities. In the past few years, the PM jobs have
got increased to 425%.
Behind all IT projects success, you can find a highly talented
and capable project manager. From software to hardware upgrades to security
patches, application development and software itself, a project manager has to
keep their teams on task and production.
Almost all IT professional can benefit from adding a
certification to their IT credentials. It shows how you plan, schedule the
budget, execute it, deliver and report them on IT initiatives. If you want a
hike in your salary, a certification can give you this.
If you are looking to gain all the above-mentioned points, you
can analyze and choose the best project manager certification for your
requirements.
First of all, you should know which the best certification is.
The top 5 certifications for project manager available are:
PMP
PRINCE2
CAPM
CSM
PMI-ACP
Let us see, what all these courses have to offer you in details:
Project Management Professional (PMP)
One of the top credentials is the PMP certification (Project Management Professional) for
project managers. This is the most widely accepted and popular certification
you can find anywhere. The Project Management Institute is the accreditation
body for the PMP certification.
About the PMP certification exam
structure
The PMP training certification examination can be passed only if
you are perfect with all the techniques needed to plan and monitor a project
from its start to finish. According to the 8th edition salary survey of Project
management, a project manager who has PMP certification should get 17% more
monetary benefit than others.
The PMP exam isn’t easy to clear. To be successful, you need to
spend about +35 hours to prepare for the exam.
The exam has about 200 MCQs and runs for 4 hours. No extra time
is given to you for the exam unless specified otherwise.
No negative marking is awarded, so it’s best you answer
everything; even if you aren’t sure of the correct answer.
PMP certification prerequisites
To be able to do the PMP certification, you need to have:
A
4-year degree
4500
hours or 3 years experience in guiding and managing projects
35+
hours of PM education
Or
A
secondary degree
7500
hours or 5 years experience in guiding or managing projects
+35
hours of PM education
You can pick a PMP training either from a university or from an
online training provider. In fact, in many cases, PMP is integrated into
certain master’s degree programs.
This project management certification ensures you possess
certain skill and qualification that is necessary for successfully managing all
phases of the project. This includes planning, initiating, controlling,
monitoring and closing the project.
A manager certified in PMP will be highly equipped in managing
every aspect of the constraints of cost, time and scope. The employers will
depend on the project manager to manage the budget, track costs and
expenditure, ensure there is no scope creep and to identify potential risk
factors that could impact the project and minimize such risk to protect the
investment of a project.
PRINCE2
The PRINCE2 certification course is another important project
management credential project managers can take. was first introduced for
the government offices of UK. After the huge success, it came into the
corporate world. Now it has become an important certification program in much
organization all over the world.
PRINCE2 is accredited by AXELOS and focuses on managing, directing
and delivering projects throughout all phases from pre-project to initiation,
delivery, and the final delivery.
About the PRINCE2 Certification exam
structure
PRINCE2 is divided into two: foundation and practitioner. The
entry-level credential is Foundation that tests your basic methodology and
terminology of project management while in Practitioner tests the advanced
project manager who has passed PRINCE2 Foundation. The key features of this
exam are:
Focuses
on business justification
Product-based
planning and approach
Defined
organization structure
Emphasis
is given on projects division into controllable and manageable stages
The Prince2 exam consists of 50 objective-type questions, each
of which weighs about 1 mark. The duration of this exam is two and a half
hours, with no extra time given for breaks. 30 marks or 60% is required to
clear the exam and get certified.
PRINCE2 certification prerequisites
The Prince2 foundation exam has no prerequisites. The Prince2
practitioner exam, however, needs proof that you have cleared at least
one of the following exams.
The CAPM certification or Certified Associate in Project
Management is the precursor of the PMP certification and is also accredited by
the PMI. If you are a professional without graduation or project management
experience or you want to pursue PMP certification next all together, then CAPM
is the first step toward this.
About the CAPM certification exam
structure
The CAPM certification in project management is a renowned
program for the IT professionals who want their career to grow as project
manager. The CAPM certification exam has 150 MCQs that needs to be completed in
3 hours. A candidate needs to retake the exam every 5 years to maintain his or
her CAPM credentials.
CAPM certification prerequisites
The eligibility for this certification is:
Secondary
Degree or High School Diploma or an associate degree or any equivalent degree
accepted globally
And
you must have a 1500 hours project experience
or
Secondary
Degree or High School Diploma or an associate degree or any equivalent degree
accepted globally
23
hours of project management education
If you are interested in shifting your career to the project
management, get this certification done. When you get CAPM certification, it
shows the commitment of yours learning new skills. This also shows you
understand the processes and terminology used in this project management.
CSM
We cannot mention project management without bringing up
the CSM Certification. The Agile methodology has become the
standard of all IT organizations. Therefore it is not at all surprising that IT
professionals must be qualified uniquely to manage any projects. A CSM
certification offers a big jump to project managers starting out as Scrum
professionals.
Scrum Alliance is the parent organization that accredits the CSM
certification. The Scrum Alliance helps organizations follow Scrum and Agile practices,
promote user group and also provide resources for development professionally.
CSM certified project managers can facilitate teams in using scrum effectively
for successful project organization.
About the CSM certification exam
structure
The CSM exam consists of 35 MCQs, out of which you need 24 or
more correct answers to clear the exam. Candidates are given an hour to
complete their tests, with extra time given for breaks. You can pause and take
breaks as and when required.
CSM certification prerequisites
This is a great certification for anyone who is a beginner in
the field of project management. There is no set prerequisite for candidates to
take this course. While a working knowledge of how scrums work would be
beneficial, this isn’t mandatory. Having said that, there are prerequisites
that need to be fulfilled for you to take the exam.
These are:
Attend training sessions conducted by a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST)
Register and attend the exam within 90 days of completing the course
Clear the CSM exam
PMI
ACP
ACP stands for Agile Certified Practitioner. The PMI-ACP certification carries a high level of integrity
professionally because it includes agile training by examining the tools and
fundamentals of agile projects.
About the PMI-ACP certification exam
structure
PMI-ACP helps people address the need of their organizations. It
helps professionals apply their skill on different projects in a proper manner.
To get certified, you need to take the ACP test, which consists
of 120 MCQs. To successfully clear the paper, you need to answer about 100 of
these questions in 3 hours.
PMI-ACP certification prerequisites
If you are a project manager who works in rapidly changing
environments, or if you have to deliver products in a short developmental
cycle, then you should explore this certification. Its requirements are:
A
secondary Degree
2000
hours general experience in project management
1500
hours experience in agile projects
21
hours training on the agile practice
The PMI-ACP certification helps you discover techniques for
managing the project scope actively and learn the principles of Agile to
improve the performance of the team and collaborate that to ensure better
delivery.
Regardless of choosing which certification is better for you,
ensure they are well-versed in all concepts of the project methodology, and you
are capable of handling all the aspects of all projects successfully. Now that
you understood the basic principles of these top 5 certifications; it is going
to be easier for you to choose anyone. You should prepare properly for
appearing the certification examination.
Timeboxing - An Efficient Time Management Technique for Productivity
Our
inability to efficiently manage time often lands us in hot water, with hordes
of delayed assignments and fast-approaching deadlines. Keeping up with the
daily activities then becomes a Sisyphean task where you do not actually get
anything done but are always in the grind with no way out.
While most of us are eager to start and end
our daily tasks on time, very few of us are actually able to do that because of poor time management. Even with a set to-do list or proper
planning, staying on track is a difficult feat. Fortunately, we have the gift
of different time management tools and techniques that
aid in improving our time efficiency.
People use different methods and tools to
make the most of their time. On average, a person uses around 13 different methods for time management. Among these
different methods, one that has proved its efficiency time and again is
timeboxing.
Timeboxing is hailed as one of the best
methods for time management. The method targets gaps in time management to help
you improve your work productivity. Additionally, the technique can help you
fight procrastination and narrow your focus for better working.
This article will answer your questions as to
what is time boxing and how to use time boxing.
What Is Time Boxing?
As we
mentioned earlier, timeboxing is a time management technique.
The unique method offers a different approach to time management wherein
you allot a specific time to a task.
This method of management can help you focus
your attention on the task at hand without any distractions or lapses in the
focus. Your goal is to accomplish the task within the specified time limit.
There is no flexibility in terms of increasing your time.
Scheduling your tasks into timeboxes
significantly improves the time spent on tasks. When you start your timebox,
you have to rid yourself of disturbances to make sure you optimize your working
during this time and accomplish your goal.
Hard Timeboxes Vs. Soft Timeboxes:
There are two types of timeboxes that you can
schedule your work in:
Hard timeboxes: Hard timeboxes have a rigid limitation where adding a few minutes or
even seconds is out of question. It implies the complete cessation of whatever
activity you are performing and moving on to the next task. Hard timeboxes can
prove beneficial especially when you aim to improve your efficiency over time.
It might take a little getting-used-to to come to terms with the method, but
gradually you will learn to time your work accordingly.
Soft timeboxes: In contrast, soft timeboxes are flexible in which you are notified
whenever the specified time is up. You can then, make adjustments in your work
accordingly. Soft timeboxes can help bring back your focus to the task so that
you can speed up your work and complete the task as soon as possible.
Choosing between the two is completely up to
you!
How To Use Time Boxing?
How to timebox your tasks? Managing your time
through timeboxes is as easy as it seems. Follow the following steps and you
will realize how easy and quick it is to manage your time with timeboxing
technique.
1. Create A Timebox for The
Items in Your To-Do List
The first step of the technique involves
determining the complexity of each task on your to-do list and allocating a
timebox to it. You have to determine the approximate time that will be required
to complete the task and create a timebox accordingly.
Make sure to leave some time for breaks and unexpected disturbances that may hinder the smooth
working. You should have sufficient time to complete the task within the
specified timebox.
2. Set A Timer on Mobile or
Desktop
Once
you have figured out the time you will spend on each task, you can set a timer
that will alert you whenever you have to move on from one task to another. The
time will help you stay focused so that you can optimize your work performance during
that time and accomplish your goal within the specified time.
You can use your phone or desktop for this
purpose.
3. Hard Timebox or Soft Timebox
Before starting the timer, you can also
decide whether you will go with a hard timebox or a soft one. A hard timebox
will work better if you are looking for perfection and are certain that you
will be able to complete the task without any delays.
If you are not sure about the time limits or
are afraid that it might take more time to complete the task, you can go for
soft timeboxes that offer more flexibility. A soft timebox will give you the
freedom to adjust your time and keep yourself focused on the
task.
4. Start The Timer
Now that you decided everything, the only
thing left is to start the timer for the timebox and start working. The end of
the time limit does not only indicate the end of the allotted but also notifies
you of the impending task that needs your attention. So, make sure to follow
the timebox.
5. Evaluate And Revise
Once you have completed your tasks, evaluate
your performance and revise your schedule to improve your work efficiency. Take
a look at your performance during the day and analyze whether you completed all
the tasks on time? Is there any room for improvement? How can you optimize your
work?
With each evaluation, you can identify the
gaps in the process and develop strategies to enhance your productivity.
All in all, timeboxing is a simple and easy
technique. You can easily use the method to make significant improvements in
your work.
Benefits Of Timeboxing Your Daily Tasks
Timeboxing
has several benefits to offer, some of which include the following:
Better focus: With specific time allotted to each task, timeboxing can help you focus
your attention on the task underway. In such a way, you can also train your
mind to stay attentive during the specified time period.
Better organization: Timeboxing will help you become more organized. Since you have specified
a time limit for your work, you’ll learn to organize your tasks in such a way
so that they get completed within that time limit.
Improve
productivity: The technique can
significantly improve your productivity levels by helping you stay on track and
accomplish your tasks within the time allotted.
Helps deal with procrastination: Timeboxing can be especially helpful if you are dealing with
procrastination. The method can help you focus better and invest your time in
the task at the right time.
Prioritizing: With timeboxing, you can learn to prioritize your tasks. The most
important tasks go first and are allotted time accordingly while the less
important ones go next and vice versa.
One task at a time: With laser focus and a specific time limit, you can invest your
attention in one task at a time. This way you will be able to complete the task
within time and then move on to the next one without any hurdles.
Goal-oriented: Timeboxing is a goal-oriented method, you are not just limiting the time
you spend on a task but setting a goal for
yourself; your goal is to accomplish the task within time.
Prediction: With a time limit allotted to each task, you can predict the amount of
time you will save yourself or the time you can invest in other tasks.
Time-saving: Probably the most obvious of all benefits is time-saving. Timeboxing can
prove to be especially helpful in managing your time the most efficiently and
getting your tasks done in the shortest time.
With all these benefits, timeboxing can help
you ace all your tasks within the deadline.
Tips To Make Timeboxing Work for You:
Before we conclude this article, we would
like to add a few tips to make sure that the technique works for you:
Pre-plan your tasks: Before you start with the process, make sure you have planned everything
out. For example, which task will you complete first? How much time will each
task need? How can you utilize your time most efficiently? etc. Planning is a
great way to kickstart your progress and make the most out of your time.
Keep Your Timer in Front of You: To keep yourself focused and avoid distractions, keep your time in
front of you at all times. The timer will help you analyze how much time you
are left with and how you have to make your way around it to make sure your
task gets completed within that time.
Take regular breaks: By taking regular breaks you are not wasting your time but rebooting
your system to maintain the same level of energy you had at the start of your
day. So, take breaks within each task and between different tasks.
Avoid distractions: Since you have set a goal for yourself, you ought to make sure that
there are no distractions in your way. Set aside a space for yourself where you
can work, turn off all notifications, and make sure that there are no other
distractors in the way of your work. By doing so, you can increase your
efficiency.
Set similar tasks together: Moving from one task to another can be difficult especially when
both tasks are poles apart. To minimize the time spent on refocusing your
attention, you can set similar tasks together so that you can quickly get on
with the work without missing a minute of your time.
Use a management tool: If you find it difficult to create a list and create timeboxes manually,
you can take help from an efficient time management tool.
The tool will help you create tasks with specific time limits. Time tracking
features of such a tool will help you keep up with the task.
You can take help from these tips and create
efficient timeboxes for your work. These tips will surely come in handy when
you are working with timeboxing.
Conclusion:
We hope that this article has answered all
your answers related to timeboxing or how does it work. What do you think of
this technique? Is there any other technique that you use to manage your time?
How to Start a Consulting Business
If you are an experienced consultant or just starting out, you
must have a strong operational backbone to support your business as it grows.
From managing projects to billing and invoicing clients, managing independent
contractors and team members, logging billable hours, and managing bookings, we
at SystemX have a solution to get you started. CLICK HERE to allow us to walk you through our cloud-based Business
Management Platform and show you how we can help.
The dictionary defines a consultant as
"an expert in a particular field who works as an advisor either to a
company or to another individual." Sounds pretty vague, doesn't it? But
unless you've been in a coma for the past decade, you probably have a good idea
what a consultant is.
Businesses certainly understand what consultants are. In 1997
U.S. businesses spent just over $12 billion on consulting. According to Anna
Flowers, spokesperson for the Association of Professional Consultants in
Irvine, California, the association has recently noticed an increase in calls
for information from people who want to get into the business. "The market
is opening up for [the consulting-for-businesses] arena," Flowers says.
Melinda P., an independent consultant in Arlington, Virginia,
thinks more people are getting into the consulting field because technology has
made it easier to do so. "The same technology that has helped me to be
successful as a consultant has made it easier for others to do the same,"
she says.
A consultant's job is to consult. Nothing more, nothing less.
It's that simple. There's no magic formula or secret that makes one consultant
more successful than another one.
But what separates a good consultant from a bad consultant is a
passion and drive for excellence. And--oh yes--a good consultant should be
knowledgeable about the subject he or she is consulting in. That does make
a difference.
You see, in this day and age, anyone can be a consultant. All
you need to discover is what your particular gift is. For example, are you very
comfortable working around computers? Do you keep up with the latest software
and hardware information, which seems to be changing almost daily? And are you
able to take that knowledge you have gained and turn it into a resource that
someone would be willing to pay money for? Then you would have no trouble
working as a computer consultant.
Or are you an expert in the fund-raising field? Maybe you have
worked for nonprofit agencies in the field of fund-raising, marketing, public
relations or sales, and over the years you have discovered how to raise money.
As someone who has turned a decade of fund-raising successes into a lucrative
consulting business, I can tell you that fund-raising consulting is indeed a
growing industry.
Things
to Consider Before You Become a Consultant
What certifications and special licensing will I need? Depending upon your profession, you may need special certification or a special license before you can begin operating as a consultant. For example, fund-raising consultants don't need special certification, although you can become certified through the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. And in some states, you may need to register as a professional fund-raising consultant before starting your business.
Am I qualified to become a consultant? Before you hang out your shingle and hope that clients begin beating your door down to hire you, make sure you have the qualifications necessary to get the job done. If you want to be a computer consultant, for example, make sure you are up to date in the knowledge department with all the trends and changes in the computer industry.
Am I organized enough to become a consultant? Do I like to plan my day? Am I an expert when it comes to time management? You should have answered "yes" to all three of those questions!
Do I like to network? Networking is critical to the success of any type of consultant today. Begin building your network of contacts immediately.
Have I set long-term and short-term goals? And do they allow for me to become a consultant? If your goals do not match up with the time and energy it takes to open and successfully build a consulting business, then reconsider before making any move in this direction!
Why an
Organization Wants to Hire You
According to a recent survey, here are the top 10 reasons
organizations hire consultants:
1. A
consultant may be hired because of his or her expertise. This
is where it pays to not only be really good in the field you have chosen to
consult in, but to have some type of track record that speaks for itself. For
example, when I mentioned earlier that I had become an expert as a fund-raising
consultant, I knew that every client who hired me was doing so partly on the
basis of my track record alone. After all, if you are a nonprofit organization
that needs to raise $1 million, it makes sense to hire someone who has already
raised millions for other organizations.
2. A
consultant may be hired to identify problems. Sometimes employees
are too close to a problem inside an organization to identify it. That's when a
consultant rides in on his or her white horse to save the day.
3. A
consultant may be hired to supplement the staff. Sometimes
a business discovers that it can save thousands of dollars a week by hiring
consultants when they are needed, rather than hiring full-time employees.
Businesses realize they save additional money by not having to pay benefits for
consultants they hire. Even though a consultant's fees are generally higher
than an employee's salary, over the long haul, it simply makes good economic
sense to hire a consultant.
4. A consultant may be hired to act as a catalyst. Let's
face it. No one likes change, especially corporate America. But sometimes
change is needed, and a consultant may be brought in to "get the ball
rolling." In other words, the consultant can do things without worrying
about the corporate culture, employee morale or other issues that get in the
way when an organization is trying to institute change.
5. A
consultant may be hired to provide much-needed objectivity. Who
else is more qualified to identify a problem than a consultant? A good
consultant provides an objective, fresh viewpoint--without worrying about what
people in the organization might think about the results and how they were
achieved.
6. A
consultant may be hired to teach. These days if you are a
computer consultant who can show employees how to master a new program, then
your telephone probably hasn't stopped ringing for a while. A consultant may be
asked to teach employees any number of different skills. However, a consultant
must be willing to keep up with new discoveries in their field of expertise--and
be ready to teach new clients what they need to stay competitive.
7. A
consultant may be hired to do the "dirty work." Let's
face it: No one wants to be the person who has to make cuts in the staff or to
eliminate an entire division.
8. A consultant
may be hired to bring new life to an organization. If
you are good at coming up with new ideas that work, then you won't have any
trouble finding clients. At one time or another, most businesses need someone
to administer "first aid" to get things rolling again.
9. A
consultant may be hired to create a new business. There
are consultants who have become experts in this field. Not everyone, though,
has the ability to conceive an idea and develop a game plan.
10. A consultant may be hired to influence other people. Do you like to hang out with the rich and famous in your town? If so, you may be hired to do a consulting job simply based on who you know. Although most consultants in this field are working as lobbyists, there has been an increase in the number of people entering the entertainment consulting business.
What is Timesheets in Project Management?
If you are looking for a cost
effective Timesheet solution to track time by project managers, and teams, send
us a quick note by CLICKING HERE.
Timesheets rarely get a
lot of good press among employees. Admittedly, they often live up to their bad
reputation: nobody likes to sign a ton of papers just to “prove” they had put a
given amount of work time.
On the other hand,
however, timesheets can be truly beneficial for both managers and their
team members. The key is to select the right tool for your team, establish
processes you can follow regularly and support everything with ongoing communication.
In this article I will outline a couple of ways in which you can gather
insights from your team’s timesheets.
Let’s start with the
question at hand:
What is
timesheet management?
Simply put: timesheet
management is a practice of monitoring and analyzing timesheets (recorded work
hours). It can also involve taking
different actions e.g. calculating employee payroll or invoicing the client
based on these timesheets.
The working time used to be summarized on a
sheet of paper, hence the name of the timesheet. Nowadays, online timesheets
are much more popular, although there are several options here as well: from
simple spreadsheets to AI-powered software tools.
As I’ve mentioned at the top of this
article, timesheets are notorious for being rather unpopular among employees.
Let’s dive into this topic and try to answer a question that is being raised
frequently:
Are timesheets evil?
Not necessarily, but there are definitely
cases in which timesheets are an utter waste of time
that may greatly contribute to people’s dissatisfaction with their workplace.
See, historically, timesheets have been a
way to prove that people have actually done their work. That’s where things get
problematic. First of all, this can easily create a culture in which people
feel that their timesheets are more important than the effects of their work.
It doesn’t feel good to have to prove that you worked or that you’re being that
closely watched (and timed) by your supervisors.
Also, this doesn’t incentivize people to be
more efficient at work. Why look for better solution if you can just log more
time in the timesheet (and possibly get paid more)?
This is not to say that paying by the hour is necessarily
bad, even in the project setting. While in this text we don’t go into detail
about using timesheets to determine one’s monthly earnings, we understand that
it’s an important use case for companies who e.g. work with freelancers. This
is why we’ve created a separate guide on calculating employee
payroll.
Finally, people are really bad at
remembering how much time they’ve actually spent working on something. This is
why filling out timesheets at the end of the week or, worse even, a month is
closer to writing fan fiction than collecting reliable data.
All in all, we can say that timesheets have little effect
unless:
You and your team
understand their purpose and see the value,
Timesheets are filled out
regularly and truthfully,
The quantitative timesheet
data is supported with regular communication to gather more descriptive
insights (more on that below)
A suitable form of
timesheet is employed.
The latter aspect is something worth
emphasizing as many teams still rely on simple spreadsheets to do the job (most
companies have thankfully moved on from actual sheets of paper). It’s a step in
the right direction, since an online document can be easily updated and
accessed by multiple team members if needed, but it’s still a sheet that needs
to be filled out, which is not the most convenient thing to do.
Modern time tracking tools often come with
start/stop trackers that can be switched on and off by one click. Others offer
beacons that automatically record clocking in and out.
From the managerial perspective, another
important aspect is that the timesheet
software is paired with a leave management tool. People need to be
able to record their working time as well as their time off, otherwise you
might end up worrying about empty timesheets of someone’s who’s just on
vacation.
Using software that serves also as your
team’s schedule gives you an extra value of being able to compare the planned
working hours with the recorded ones. Data-driven project managers can use this
insight to evaluate the state of their project and whether anything should be
adjusted.
That’s just one example of how
timesheet management can support PMs in delivering their
tasks but there are more. In fact, I’m going to dedicate the next section to
ideas as to how you can use your team’s timesheets to the benefit of the team
and the project.
Effective
timesheet management: use cases
Calculate the cost of your projects
A must-have for companies who operate on
time & materials contracts. Since you’re billing your clients for the labor
your team puts into the project, you might simply use their timesheets as the
base for your invoice. Many resource management tools allow you to export the
timesheet data or share it externally.
Find room for improvements and savings
Analyzing your team’s timesheets is a great opportunity
to dive deeper into the data and identify improvement opportunities. Many time
tracking tools offer an option to tag recorded time entries with predefined
categories or add comments to them. This way you can analyze how much time of
your team goes into non-billable activities. Granted, a lot of it is probably
well-justified, but you might also see worrying patterns. What could they be?
An abundance of meetings could be a red flag. People spending a lot of time on
administrative tasks would be another one. It might turn out that investing in
collaboration or knowledge-sharing tools could be a money saver in the long
run. Your team morale will also benefit from a more robust process.
Forecast resources
Historical data, such as timesheets, can be also used to
forecast recruitment needs. Looking at numbers from previous years or months,
companies are able to spot trends that are likely to happen again.
Identify
problems before they escalate
Sometimes project difficulties are fairly simple to
notice just by looking at the recorded timesheets. For example, people may
start logging a lot of overtime in order to deliver the next milestones.
It’s a good practice, however, to regularly compare your
team’s recorded time entries with the estimated schedule. This will allow you
to spot any inconsistencies before they result in missed deadlines.
Another important thing to keep in mind when it comes to
timesheet management is that timesheets
can’t replace regular communication with your team.
The numbers will provide you with information that
something happens. But in order to understand the “why”, you need to discuss
matters with the project team. Not only will you be able to get to the bottom
of the problem, but it’s also a great way of building a workplace culture in
which employees are actually heard and respected. As such, they’re less likely
to treat timesheets like a necessary evil hanging over their heads.
Timesheets alone
won’t tell you everything you need to know about your team’s effectiveness or
the quality of work, but they can provide important signals for project
managers to act upon. Creating a deliberate and transparent policy of timesheet
management, backed by open communication with your team will help you keep your
projects under control while maintaining high employee satisfaction.
Why is Project Management an Important Skill for Managers?
One recent study shared an
alarming statistic: 57% of employees have left a job specifically
because of their boss.
Yikes. As a manager yourself, you don’t want to be part of that
figure. You want to become better in your role and lead your team more
effectively.
But how do you make that happen? Cross your fingers? Close your
eyes and click your heels together? Sleep with some leadership books under your
pillow and hope that knowledge magically transfers to your brain?
Sure, you could give those a try (though we don’t guarantee any
results). However, like any other position, improving your leadership expertise
is all about honing the right skills.
In this article, we’ll break down some of the most important
competencies you need to be an effective manager — with a healthy amount of
emphasis on the importance of project management.
What skills do you need to be a manager?
When it comes to being a top-notch leader, there are a lot of
important manager skills you’ll lean on — and many of them will depend on
things like your company, industry, and even your team.
The good news is that it’s surprisingly simple to figure out
what areas of improvement you should focus on as a manager – just ask your
team. Yes, it’s your role to offer feedback to your direct reports, but it’s
just as important that you ask for it.
In fact, 80% of survey respondents said their boss has
a significant weakness that everyone recognizes and covertly discusses with one
another, but not directly with their manager. That’s valuable information you
could be using to boost your leadership skills.
But if you at least want to get started with the basics, there
are some soft skills that remain consistent between successful managers. Here
are five of the most important project management skills.
1. Communication
Managers are the link between the company’s overarching vision
and their own teams. That means they need to communicate effectively to
eliminate confusion and ensure alignment.
Working on verbal and written communication that’s frequent,
direct, and concise will help set leaders apart — especially when one survey
found that 91% of employees claim that their bosses lack
communication skills.
2. Decision making
Naturally, teams look to their leaders for direction. They trust
their managers to make informed decisions about priorities, challenges, and
next steps.
Decisiveness doesn’t come naturally for all of us, but it’s a
skill worth honing if you want to take your management skills up a notch.
3. Delegation
As the manager, you’re ultimately the one in charge. But we can
likely all agree that there’s nothing more frustrating than a boss who
exercises total control and refuses to loosen the reins every now and then.
Unfortunately, 59% of employees say they have worked
for a micromanager at some point in their career. And, even worse, that
constant supervision had a negative impact on their work. 68% of those who had
been micromanaged say it decreased their morale, and 55% said it hindered their
productivity.
That’s why successful managers need to know how to delegate.
They should provide the necessary context, resources, and support, but then get
out of the way so their teams can do their best work.
4. Problem solving
Here’s one of the challenging parts about being a boss: You
don’t get to stand on the sidelines and hope that somebody else solves the
problems on your team. It’s quite literally your job to resolve conflicts and
help your team overcome roadblocks.
Demonstrating that you’re willing to step in and provide
guidance when the road gets rocky reinforces the fact that you’re in your
team’s corner and, as a result, boosts trust and morale.
5. Project management
You knew we wouldn’t make it through this list without
mentioning project management skills development. When bosses are the
ones leading the charge, it’s undeniably important that they know how to
confidently spearhead projects from inception to completion.
Why is project management such an important
skill?
We know we might seem a little biased in terms of the importance
of project management. But there are a few reasons that a leader with top customer
facing project management skills will be far more effective. Let’s dig in.
1. Managers need to steer the ship
Even if managers don’t personally have a hand in every single project,
they’re still the ones who have to provide leadership to their team and ensure
that expectations (including project timelines and budgets) are being
met. They can also answer some of the most frequently asked questions from team
members, such as "Why are projects important?"
Additionally, not all projects go according to plan. So when
things run off the rails, managers will need to step in on a variety of
projects to help navigate any roadblocks or conflicts, regardless of how much
individual involvement they have with that particular project.
Finally, the team’s manager is the one who oversees bandwidth
and ensures that projects and requests are a productive use of the team’s time
that brings them closer to company-wide objectives.
Whew, that’s a pretty big job, right? And that amount of
leadership and decision-making is all the more challenging if you don’t have
any project management skills.
2. Managers need to balance team-wide priorities
As much as you might wish you could say “yes” to everything,
there are only so many people on your team and so many hours in a day. It’s up
to the manager to decide what projects and tasks deserve a spot at the top of
the list.
Should your team tackle a refresh of your onboarding process or
should they work on revamping your benefits enrollment? What should come first?
Oftentimes, it can feel like you have competing priorities, and
you’re bound to juggle a lot of projects, objectives, and deadlines at one
time. Project management expertise will help you effectively identify things
like project goals and scope, and then prioritize and schedule them for
your team accordingly.
3. Managers need to effectively oversee resources
Your team is highly focused on a pressing project when you get
an unexpected request from another department. Should you accommodate that? Or
keep your employees on the task at hand?
These are decisions that managers need to make every day, and
project management skills can help them be mindful of their resources (think
things like budget, time, and team bandwidth) and manage them appropriately.
Without thinking through those resource limitations, it’s far
too easy to bite off more than you can chew and spread your team too thin. And
that constant, overwhelming state can quickly tank morale.
According to a report from the Society of Human Resource
Management, 38% of people feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they
have to get completed when they’re on the clock.
Understanding resources not only helps you be more realistic
about your team’s workload and avoid stressing out your team, but it also helps
you plan out more accurate project calendars and manage the
expectations of other stakeholders.
4. Managers need to track progress toward goals
Do you want your team to complete projects for the sake of
checking them off the list? Or do you want a team doing work that really moves
the needle for your company?
Obviously, the second option, right? That’s where project
management expertise comes in.
Leaders with project management knowledge can successfully
provide strategic direction by clearly stating a goal or vision (which should
be highlighted in the kickoff meeting and the project plan) and
then frequently tracking team progress toward that agreed-upon goal.
Managers can use a variety of systems (like KPIs, OKRs,
or SMART goals) for doing this. But, regardless of the specific goal-setting
technique or framework, one thing remains the same: They should know how
to monitor progress and course-correct when necessary, and project management
skills will help.
Boost your project management skills and
fearlessly lead your team
You want to be an effective leader who helps your team meet
goals, maintains a positive culture, and keeps your top talent around — rather
than sending them straight for the door.
There are a lot of skills you’ll need to make that happen, but
we think that project management deserves some special attention. Why? There
are a few reasons:
Project management skills help you provide leadership.
Project management skills help you balance priorities.
Project management skills help you oversee resources.
Project management skills help you track progress toward goals.
So, if you’re going to start somewhere, focus on honing your
project management skills as a leader. We promise it’ll take you (and your
entire team!) far.