Where do myths come from?
Of course, this folklore originated from the public, which is either insufficiently informed, or has nothing to do with this profession in principle. When you know the inside out, such stories are taken with humor. But how can this absurdity be surpassed if there is no way to compare it with experience? I propose to take a closer look at the 5 most common myths and destroy them together.
#1. Professional project managers have no failed projects
This is one of my favorite and most ridiculous beliefs. What if I said that as a child, when I learned to walk, I never fell? I don't think you believe it. Everyone falls when they take their first steps. And guess what, it's the same here.
When you start your professional career, chances are you don't know a lot about the processes, documentation, possible risks and challenges that you will have to face. And more importantly, you have no experience yet to identify them by smell. Experience is a vital element of this picture. You become wiser throughout life, you become more qualified with experience. Failure is great. And I'm part of this path.
So if someone tells me that they NEVER had failed projects (or tasks), I will assume that this is not true; or the person simply does not have enough experience. There is nothing wrong with failure. It's normal and natural to have failures in your professional career. However, the key here is to admit mistakes, learn from lessons, and act wiser next time.
# 2. You cannot get professional certification without work experience
To be honest, I believed that too. She even set goals, measured in years of professional experience, in order to get the desired certification. The problem here is the lack of sufficient knowledge about certification in general, and about the options available in particular. Moreover, many people believe that the first certifications available are not valuable as they do not require years of professional practice. It is not true.
For every certification you have to study, and that's a fact. Therefore, even if you do not have enough experience behind you, you can get the relevant knowledge that you can apply in your work. And believe me, the availability of proven professional knowledge will add points to you against the background of candidates who have not yet invested in themselves.
# 3. The project manager is responsible for ABSOLUTELY everything
This is a handy point for those who do not want to take on any responsibility. It is obvious that the project manager is great I th responsibility; plans, directs and controls work; makes decisions; reports on progress; takes care of the team and interaction with suppliers. However, can a project manager be held responsible for, for example, a low-quality code review; for a supplier who was unable to deliver materials on time; or, say, for a client who decided to change the requirements for a project?
What I'm trying to say is that every project is a collaborative team work, and no project is carried out by just one project manager. This means that each project participant bears some responsibility for the outcome of the project, both for failure and for success.
#4. The project manager always knows best
How many people know everything, everything, everything? Each PM has a number of projects behind him, which can differ significantly from each other. The best practice we follow is to bring in specialized experts. Therefore, if the project manager is not an SME (subject matter expert), or if he / she has not done the same project before, there is a huge chance that there are people who are more knowledgeable about the topic.
This is neither good nor bad, just reality. We, as project leaders, strive to lead the project and the team to the best possible result by collaborating and interacting with the right people. A good PM doesn't always know better; but a good PM knows where to find people who know better.
#five. The customer is always right
This is an interesting point, and it is important to get the flow right. Many adhere to the following: who pays is right. However, does this person always know how to do it right?
Obviously, there are situations when the client is a specialized expert in the field of his project. However, there are also areas in which he / she feels less confident. So it's really a moot point about who is right. Since project managers are usually the first point of contact for a client, it is extremely important for us to build trust. Thus, taking into account all the previous experience, together with the team we can make a valuable contribution, we can train the client and show the best ways to implement. Again, the project is a team effort.
Hope my MYTH REVIEW was helpful; or at least entertaining.
Share your myths, we will destroy together!