How to Improve Your Project Management Skills

Project management involves coordinating teams tasks resources, and deadlines to complete a project successfully. Mastering project management requires various skills that can be developed over time. Whether you’re new to project management or an experienced project manager looking to level up your skills, there are many ways to get better.

Improving your project management capabilities benefits both you and your organization. With enhanced skills, you can deliver projects more effectively, which provides value to your company. Investing in building your talents also advances your career. Here are some top techniques for improving your project management abilities:

Get Formal Training

Formal training through courses and certifications is one of the best ways to expand your project management knowledge and proficiencies Training options include

• Degree programs – Earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in project management. This provides in-depth education through a structured curriculum.

• Certifications – Obtain globally recognized certifications like PMP, PRINCE2, CSM or CSPO. Certifications validate specialized expertise.

• Online courses – Take individual online courses focused on project management fundamentals, methodologies, tools and leadership skills. Pick targeted skills to build.

• Seminars/workshops – Attend in-person training events covering project management best practices. These are typically short, intensive sessions.

• Organizational training – Leverage internal training within your company through onboarding, mentorships, lunch-and-learns and more.

Training delivers structured knowledge, teaches new techniques and tools and sharpens competencies through instruction and hands-on learning.

Reflect on Your Experiences

Experience is one of the best teachers. Reflecting on lessons from past projects can reveal areas for growth. Set aside time after completing a project for a retrospective analysis:

• What went well that you should repeat in the future?

• What problems or mistakes occurred that you can learn from?

• What skills do you need to improve to better handle certain situations next time?

• How will you apply the lessons from this project moving forward?

Use a project journal to record learnings as you go so they remain top of mind. Review it to guide skill development.

Ask for Feedback

Honest feedback provides invaluable insight into strengthening your project management abilities. Solicit feedback from:

• Project team members – Ask what you did well that helped them and what areas need improvement.

• Project sponsors – Inquire if the project met objectives and how you could have better managed it.

• Peers – Request peer reviews of your performance to identify blindspots.

• Managers – Seek feedback during regular one-on-one’s on your strengths and development areas.

Consider anonymous surveys to encourage completely open feedback. Act upon this input to expand your capabilities.

Study Project Management Methodologies

Learning established project management frameworks provides structured processes to follow. Popular methodologies include:

• Agile –Focuses on adaptability, continuous improvement and delivering value iteratively

• Waterfall – Sequential linear approach with distinct project phases

• Scrum – Iterative cycles and cross-functional teams

• Six Sigma – Data-driven approach to reduce defects and improve quality

• PRINCE2 – Process-based method for controlled project environment

Understand the frameworks, when to implement them, and how to apply them for successful projects.

Shadow Other Project Managers

Job shadowing provides first-hand experience observing how another project manager handles situations. Arrange to shadow a colleague to:

• Attend their meetings to see how they interact with various stakeholders

• Watch how they make decisions and prioritize tasks

• Note tools and techniques they use effectively

• Learn how they create plans, delegate work, and meet deadlines

• Gain exposure to their leadership style and communication approach

Job shadowing provides practical knowledge that textbooks can’t replicate. It shows strengths to emulate as well as pitfalls to avoid.

Expand Your Toolbox

Mastering project management software and tools is imperative. Evaluate the latest solutions and expand your knowledge in areas like:

• Task management – Tools like Asana, Trello, Jira and Basecamp to assign, organize and monitor project tasks

• Scheduling – Applications like Microsoft Project, Smartsheet and Celoxis for dynamic scheduling and resource planning

• Dashboards – Solutions like Scoro, Datadog and Geckoboard to monitor project KPIs

• MS Office – Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Teams for collaborating and reporting

• Process tools – Lean Six Sigma tools to control quality and drive continuous improvement

Learn how to correctly apply these tools through training and on-the-job usage.

Read Books and Blogs

Books and blogs provide tactical tips and strategic project management guidance from experts. Stay current by reading industry thought leadership content with practical takeaways. Some topics to read up on include:

• Leadership skills like emotional intelligence, influencing without authority and conflict resolution

• Agile, Lean and other methodologies

• Using data analytics to drive decisions and performance

• Change management during projects

• Strategic program management

• Crisis management and risk mitigation

Build your knowledge by dedicating time consistently to reading project management books and blogs from leaders in the field.

Attend Events, Conferences and Meetups

Industry events allow you to expand your professional network and learn new techniques. Look for:

• Project management conferences – Large events like those hosted by PMI and IPMA offering workshops, speakers and training.

• Meetup groups – Local meetups where professionals share experiences and advice.

• Industry seminars – Half and full day local events focused on project management education.

• Webinars – Online webinars deliver virtual learning without the need for travel.

Surrounding yourself with other passionate professionals exposes you to new ideas that enhance your skills.

Get a Mentor

A project management mentor who’s an experienced expert can provide guidance to take your skills to the next level. A mentor can advise on:

• Technical project management skills

• Leadership development

• Strategies to manage risk, change and stakeholders

• Workplace politics and influence

• Career advancement opportunities

Seek out an engaged mentor committed to your growth. Take advantage of their wisdom through routine conversations.

Simulate Situations

Practice handling diverse project management scenarios through simulations including:

• Case studies – Analyze real-world cases to determine how to address challenges.

• Role playing – Act out situations with colleagues to experience different stakeholder perspectives.

• Games – Participate in online or in-person games modeling project dynamics.

• Ethics training – Work through ethical dilemmas and project tradeoffs to guide decision making.

• What-if analysis – Think through hypothetical situations and how you would respond.

Simulating projects develops judgment, decision making and strategic planning abilities.

Develop Soft Skills

While technical project management skills are crucial, soft skills like leadership, communication and empathy are equally vital. Focus on improving:

• Emotional intelligence – Recognize how emotions impact team dynamics and relationships.

• Influencing skills – Learn techniques to align stakeholders without formal authority.

• Presentation abilities – Become comfortable speaking to diverse audiences.

• Facilitation skills – Guide productive conversations and build consensus.

• Coaching skills – Inspire and develop team members to excel.

• Cultural fluency – Appreciate perspectives of team members from all backgrounds.

Soft skills enable you to motivate, lead and relate to others effectively.

Track Metrics

Tracking key project performance metrics provides visibility into areas for improvement. Consistently measure:

• Budget vs actual spend

• Quality scores

• Milestone delivery rates

• Stakeholder satisfaction

• Issue resolution cycle times

Analyze patterns in the data to refine processes, strengthen risk management and boost on-time performance. Metrics make progress tangible.

Build Your Professional Brand

Enhancing your professional brand establishes credibility and thought leadership. Ways to build your brand include:

• Start a blog sharing your expertise.

• Publish articles in project management publications.

• Speak at industry conferences about your experiences.

• Participate actively in associations like PMI to gain visibility.

• Obtain industry certifications to validate your knowledge.

This helps position you as an expert others look to for guidance.

Make Improvements Daily

Don’t wait for annual reviews to level up. Look for small ways to boost your project management skills daily:

• Start your day reviewing plans and priorities.

• Tackle your most challenging task first when you have peak energy.

• Take 5 minutes after each meeting or activity for self-reflection.

• Identify one thing, no matter how small, to improve each day.

• Regularly solicit feedback from your team.

Little consistent efforts over time lead to noticeable results.

Enhance Your Education Continuously

Project management is a discipline requiring lifelong learning. As methodologies, technologies and strategies evolve