Keep it simple

One way of looking at the role of a project manager is that of a person who leads a group of people through a complex set of tasks to achieve something out of the end of it.

One of the main challenges you’ll face is that it becomes very hard to deliver very complex things because people don’t fully understand them and consequently that makes them scared! Sounds silly but just watch the difference in behaviour of someone completing a known task and then watch them pick up a complex unknown project.

Assuming you won’t spend your entire career working with people who already know exactly what to do (if so you’re probably not needed!) your going to need to find a way to help people cope with the big scary unknowns.

The best advice I can give on this and I’m afraid this isn’t original is…

Keep it simple!

and if it’s already complex – Make it simple!

This is not really a prescribed tool so much as just something to remind yourself of throughout a project, but either way here are some examples…

• Break out large projects into high level streams and phases and ignore the ones your not working on;
• Break down something complex down with a top down approach into it’s component products;
• Place work items onto a “future” list to deal with later (lists have a better memory than you do!)
• Or just start simple and grow in a controlled manner – by delivering a very small project and adding to it over time!

Article by Pete Winn(http://www.petewinn.co.uk) for PM Coup.