Practical tip 1: Tell it like it is. Even if that means you don't get an assignment.
Telling people during the project intake that it will *never* succeed? Trainer and project manager Jeroen just did it: 'I was sitting at the table during an intake. It was a fun assignment and it looked good. Still, I saw immediately: this is really never going to work.'
Now, as a project manager, at such a moment you might think: good job and it pays well. We'll see then. Jeroen took a different approach. Jeroen: 'I said immediately: Sorry, but this is never going to work, because if you do this and that, then this and that will become the problems.'. I felt the account manager next to me stiffen: 'Jeroen, what are you saying?'
But Jeroen didn't hesitate for a moment: 'It was a fantastic assignment, but I would never have made a success of it. There were already elements in the plan that meant this wasn't going to be a success. I didn't want to burn my fingers on that. And I also feel that I have to be honest about that.' The assignment went to another project manager. The account manager was disappointed. The drive home was, as Jeroen put it nicely, “not the most pleasant”.
A few months later, Jeroen's phone rang.
It was the client. He said: 'Jeroen, you were right after all. I see the things you predicted happening now. The project has been stopped.' A while later, another project came up with that same client. Naturally, they immediately thought of Jeroen.
Jeroen: 'One of my colleagues took on that assignment. It just goes to show, my keen eye and clarity have only strengthened the relationship with this client. When people can rely on your expertise and your honesty, you build a lasting partnership.'
Practical tip 2: "Make PRINCE2 always tailored to your project, use your common sense
The PRINCE2 method provides a sense of stability. It takes you by the hand through all the steps of your project. That is very nice. On the other hand, working with PRINCE2 also means daring to let go of PRINCE2.
Jeroen says about this: 'You always have to tailor PRINCE2 to your project. Use your common sense. And sometimes just dare to say: this may be in the methodology, but if it doesn't contribute to the success of my project, then I won't do it. Otherwise, it will only cause you trouble.'
Common sense? Abandoning methodology? That sounds quite rebellious. Jeroen laughs: 'As a project manager, you are allowed to be a tad rebellious. Not for the sake of being rebellious itself, of course, but you are allowed to stand up for what your project needs. You, as a project manager, possess that knowledge. Dare to put that knowledge to use; your projects will benefit from it.'
The methodology serves the project, and not the other way around.
As an example, Jeroen explains what PRINCE2 says about product-oriented planning: 'PRINCE2 has a principle that you should plan in a product-oriented way. In this case, project managers were in an environment where activities were the standard, so it is more practical to plan in an activity-oriented way.
You could turn everything upside down just to insist on product-oriented planning, but then you are essentially running an internal change project. For this project, it is more sensible to say: you know what, let's at least get started with activity-oriented planning. The methodology serves the project, not the other way around.
Practical tip 3: Build a good relationship with your stakeholders from the very beginning.
It sounds so logical: build a good relationship with the people closely involved in your project. But in practice, that often falls by the wayside. As a project manager, you are already 10 steps ahead in your mind, so having a quiet coffee with your stakeholders? No time, no time, and once again… no time!
However, according to Jeroen, this is one of the most important PRINCE2 hacks: 'Build a good relationship with your client right at the start of a project. If you manage to do that and trust is established, you will benefit greatly from it throughout the entire project.'
Change is people's work
And Jeroen, what does that look like in concrete terms? 'I often just start with a cup of coffee. Not as a networking tactic, but genuinely to get to know each other as people. After all, change is about people. You have to get people on board. And that means building a real relationship. So yes, that takes some time, but you earn that back many times over with better results and more mutual enjoyment at work.'
Jeroen adds: 'Clients often find me difficult.' There’s Jeroen again with his questions. The good relationship helps with this as well. Because the contact is good, people can rely on me. Ultimately, they see that the questions lead to a good result. So they call me again for the next project. Therefore, always put the relationship with your stakeholders first!
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