5 Tips to Create Your Project Management Future

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

- Peter Drucker

Rather than wait for your project management future, if you are planning to pursue a career, get started now and create it.  Here are five tips you can use to predict the high quality of that future:

1. Have a clear vision for every project and the team, and communicate it to all stakeholders.  Add to this clarity of roles and responsibilities and involvement, and you have a recipe for success.  Everyone will embrace their roles and buy into the plan of their creation.
2. Become a lifelong learner with a mindset of continuous improvement.  Just as with other areas of knowledge, the knowledge of project management is growing exponentially. Make a commitment to continuously learn and refresh skills.
3. Use continuous improvement to improve your team and yourself to provide more value to your organization.  It's not enough to just know what continuous improvement is or regularly practice it.  You need to focus improvements where they are most needed.  This usually means increasing the skills and capacity of yourself and your team.  Generating more value for your organization ensures their place in the ever-changing and uncertain future.
4. Actively give back to project community. Giving back can take place in many forms, including coaching and mentoring those new to the practices, teaching and writing, and volunteering.  A strong community that you help build, will help ensure your future in it.
5. Understand that your manager is a high-power, high-influence stakeholder in your career.  Actively engage with your manager and take periodic opportunities to discuss your future vision.  Actively listen and collect feedback and act on it.

If this is a path you are committed to take, be sure to check out our PM Careers page.