I am an New Manager of an Old Project: The Implications of Changing the Project Manager During the Project

In this podcast, Ricardo talks about what happens when the project manager is changed midway through the project, he explains that is important to keep the core team to ensure understanding of the project and gives some tips for the new project manager.

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Episode transcript

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Hello, everybody. Welcome to the five Minutes PM podcast today. I like to discuss with you one Podcast suggestion I receive at this week. I am a new project manager, have a note. Project what do you mean by that? Is that I'm lending right now into a new project. As a new project manager, we are changing the project manager in the middle of the project. First thing we need to know is that this is not good, regardless of how bad is the current project manager.

This is not good. Why does is not good because the best option is to have someone from the early beginning to the end, someone that will understand how we negotiate the project, how to plan. That is how we are as the cutest and monitoring in the process, how we are closing. So the perfect project manager goes from the beginning to the end, and sometimes you can think or ask me he got out.

I understand what your saying. You were seeing that even a very bad project manager should not be replacing the answer. Is you or doing the second mistake after the first one first pay attention in who you are selecting as a project manager. First thing in the why I'm saying this, because this is not a playground does is a project. Something very hard and very critical, and we need to have good, good, very good people on that.

So don't underestimate how hard it to select good people to do in your project. But if you have this kind of problem, maybe, maybe it's better to close the project, finished the project, terminate the project. Then we start the new one with the fresh air, new ideas. But in the order him, I am the project. Manager I'm, I'm the new project manager in a project that is now under the execution phase.

So I'd just lend it. And I like only to share you with you three quick tips for you. Three things that you must remind always when you are thinking about a new project manager role in a node project. First one do not know, not make any decisions in the fast track moat in a precipitate mote.

A lot of people they stay, Oh, OK. I'm a manager. Okay. Let me seat on my table and lat ask all the press' to come hear and say, I we'll do this. I we'll do that. I we'll do that. Folks. Don't do that. Why? Because you don't have enough information and you will lose your credibility when it's time to raise more credibility. Second thing, data, read everything, read all Project documentation.

Read all risk assessment, reeked, all that have the BS. Hey, is patient in all the planning phase. Ask questions. Do not try to answer questions, but ask questions. If I get people to answer the questions for you so you can understand perfectly what do you at handling and working on this project. It's critical to understand that. And a lot of people will ask me know what I learned that in this project in there is no documentation.

There is no project plan. I'm a PMP, but the formal one doesn't know anything about project management. So the DIEP is, do celebrate gangs. What do you should do immediately? Right? The pros a charter at that will be S a responsibility metrics and a stakeholder analysis, a risk metrics. And Y because it's better to have something that, to have nothing.

So try to draft, ask your team to do an extra work, trying to understand, and this will help you first to understand the project in seconds, to prepare documentation for our future people, for future people that will join your team. This is the second week. The third one is create a positive environment. Optimism, why I'm saying this, because all changes that people become afraid.

They become unsecure. They say, Oh, what is happening? I do know we have a new project manager so that they don't know what to expect and how to react. So ask people to help you work together with them built trust among the team members build trust, because they will see you as a potential leader to drive the project to a good finish to the success.

If you start is a late in yourself and saying, I'm the powerful one, you will only raise hostility. The people say, Oh, nothing has changed in. We have a group that is coming from a trouble because change in the project manager is the trouble. So we need to understand that. And it's sometimes it's impossible to have the perfect environment. We need to understand that not everything is perfect.

We need to understand that we need to change our behavior, ask more or less, and this is not emission. I'm not a meeting to answer questions. I'm just not ready to do that. As soon as I'm ready, I will be able to answer perfectly, but this is an emergency situation. So I hope you enjoy this podcast. I hope you understand how critical is to change the Project Manager During the Project.

And I hope you enjoyed this podcast and see you next week with another five minutes PM. Podcast bye.

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I am an New Manager of an Old Project: The Implications of Changing the Project Manager During the Project

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