Breaking into Project Management (Part 6)

You've Landed the Project Management Role—Now What?

Congratulations—you’ve landed your first PM opportunity! Now it’s time to shift from candidate to contributor. This final post in the series covers how to evaluate a job offer, navigate your first 90 days, and set yourself up for long-term success in project management.

Breaking into Project Management (Part 5)

How to Ace a Project Management Interview—Even Without Formal Experience

Interviewing for a PM role when you don’t have the title (yet) can feel intimidating. But with preparation, the right framing, and confidence in your transferable skills, you can make a strong impression. This post walks you through how to approach interviews, answer common questions, and showcase your project mindset.

Breaking into Project Management (Part 4)

Crafting a Project Management Resume and LinkedIn Profile That Get Noticed

Your resume and LinkedIn profile are often your first impression—and they need to tell a clear, confident story about your project management capabilities. In this post, we’ll show you how to position your experience and potential to attract PM opportunities, even if your past roles weren’t formally titled.

Breaking into Project Management (Part 3)

How to Gain Project Management Experience Without the Job Title

You don't need "Project Manager" in your job title to gain real-world experience. In fact, many people manage projects without realizing it. This post will show you how to spot opportunities, build your portfolio, and develop confidence in your PM skills.

Breaking into Project Management (Part 2)

Building the Skills You Need to Become a Project Manager

You don't need a project management title to start building the skills that matter. In fact, many successful PMs begin by applying their natural strengths and learning the right tools and techniques. This post focuses on the essential skills, tools, and training to lay your foundation.

Breaking into Project Management (Part 1)

So You Want to Be a Project Manager? Here's What It Really Means

Project management is more than organizing tasks and checking off boxes—it's about leadership, communication, and driving outcomes. Whether you're switching careers or starting fresh, understanding what a PM actually does is the first step.

Approach to Mentoring Project Managers

A while back I was asked about my approach to mentoring project managers. I thought this was a very insightful question.

I feel that I'm qualified to answer it. I have mentored over a dozen Six Sigma Green Belts (continuous improvement project managers), mentored many IT project managers, and reviewed 100s (maybe 1000s) projects for quality deliverables. I feel confident that I know something about providing praise, direction, and feedback when it comes to projects; which, in my opinion, should be the key tasks of mentoring.

The first step is understand the gaps. These gaps could be at the micro-level (with the individual) or at the macro-level (with the organization). As a tool for determining gaps, I like to use the knowledge areas in the PMBOK. Think about these knowledge areas as a way to guage the level of the PM. For instance, there might be three topics within Cost Management that your company values: tracking costs, project benefits, and earned value. PMs that can show proficiency at one might be red and all three might be green. Keep in mind that red doesn't mean "bad"; we'll cover that more later. Identifying gaps at the macro-level is a little more tricky. These are the gaps between the PM and the organization. For instance, you organization may value financial benefits in the way of saving money for the company. PMs may struggle tracking the benefits, finding benefits, etc.

Step 2 is developing a plan. We really should approach individual mentoring plans just as we would a project. State the objectives, put together a list of tasks, and execute. When addressing objectives, in very rare instances has a PM been able to make significant improvements in multiple areas. The biggest challenge i have found is repetition. Most projects are long in duration and some development items are once per project. The last thing is transitioning ownership of the plan to the PM. My job as a mentor is to provide direction; it's up to the PM to execute.

Step 3 is the final step. Steven Covey describes a step as" sharpen the saw" and I really like that phrase. Other people may say "rinse, wash, repeat." The idea is that mentoring can go for as long as needed. There are several drivers that may influence mentoring. Organizations or organization priorities may change. Business conditions may change.

In a quick note about feedback. As the mentor, you must work to build report with the person you are mentoring. You must achieve a level of comfort at the same level as the feedback you are providing. Take my comment earlier about being "red" if they only master a single topic within Cost Management. Not everyone is open to seeing their name with any red associated with it. As a mentor, we should never focus on how much red there is; rather focus on reducing the red. Part of mentoring is building a trusting relationship. Trust that some things will be shared outside the mentor relationship but some things will not.

In a final note, mentoring is what you make it; for both the mentor and the mentoree. Both or either in the mentoring should feel free to take charge of the process. I can tell you that I have never heard a mentor get mad for someone being too in control of the process. If anything, it is refreshing to mentor someone that is engaged verses someone that is just going through the motions.

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