Six Things I Wish I Learnt in my Project Management Degree

Your project management degree teaches you how to manage projects.

The ins and outs. The techniques. The jargon. The processes.

But it does not in fact teach you how to manage projects.

That is because the act of project management needs to be experienced to be understood.

It’s like a golf swing or a tennis serve. The written word can only take you so far.

You need to feel it.

Now there are dozens of things I wish I learnt doing my degree and certifications. But let’s look at just six.

One day I’ll tell you about a few more.

Soft skills are the real hard skills

The soft skills of people management are the truly difficult skills that you need to master as a project manager.

It’s very easy to write project plans and create spreadsheets, but managing people is a much greater challenge.

When it comes time to get people on your side, to convince them, to help them work efficiently, and to foster collaboration, it can be extremely difficult.

What we need to do as project managers is to act more as project leaders than as managers.

This applies not only to managing your team but also to managing upwards — “managing your manager,” so to speak.

You need the right combination of tact, the ability to choose the right words, and an understanding of how to communicate effectively in different scenarios.

For example, you must know how to communicate differently in meetings versus one-on-one interactions, how to write emails versus informal messages, and how to compose formal letters.

Over time, you’ll need to develop these skills while being mindful of your tone of voice and managing your emotions.

This allows you to act in ways that benefit the team and the project as a whole.

Additionally, we must consider when to apply rules strictly, when to bend them, and when to grant concessions to make the team’s work easier.

These soft skills are not typically taught in project management degrees; they can only be developed through experience.

The first step is to reflect carefully on ourselves, to understand our triggers, and to gain control over our emotions.

This self-awareness is essential for effectively expressing what we need our team to do and fostering a positive, productive work environment.

Communicate twice as much as you think you need

I’ve found in my career that, often, when you communicate, the message doesn’t come across as clearly as you think it does.

Sometimes, you need to reinforce the message by saying it twice or presenting it in a different way — for example, communicating it verbally as well as in writing. You’ll find that this approach helps you accomplish much more.

Communicating isn’t as time-consuming as it might seem, especially if you can do it verbally.

A quick call, a voice memo, a message, or a screen recording doesn’t take much time, and you’ll often find that people quickly understand what you’re trying to convey this way.

They might not have fully grasped your message the first time you communicated it.

So, follow up more often than you think is necessary.

This is great advice that isn’t always taught in project management courses but can significantly improve your effectiveness.

The Pomodoro technique is the best hack there is

This comes down to the common misconception that spending long hours working automatically leads to greater productivity.

In my experience, the inverse is often true.

The amount of time we spend working isn’t always perfectly correlated with productivity.

When we work long hours, we can lose focus, make poorer decisions, and become less productive overall. In fact, working longer hours or stretches can often be counterproductive.

One approach I’ve found effective is the Pomodoro Technique.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Pomodoro Technique involves working in focused 25-minute intervals, followed by a 5-minute break.

Working in these short, intense sprints can significantly boost both productivity and the quality of your work.

It’s an extremely simple yet powerful method to achieve better results in less time.

Thank your team in public

This next point is about thanking your team in public, which I’ve found to be highly effective.

We aren’t always in a position to reward our team financially or in other tangible ways, but expressing gratitude can be a powerful motivator.

Publicly thanking your team is an excellent way to boost their motivation.

Thank them in front of clients, their peers, and management.

Recognize their efforts in every appropriate public forum you can find.

Of course, it’s essential to thank them at the right times and only for genuinely good work, ensuring your words retain their authenticity and meaning.

This simple gesture can significantly enhance your team’s output, motivation, and overall satisfaction with their work.

Get it out of your head and into a system

“Getting it out of your head and into a system” is an idea popularized by Cal Newport.

It refers to the tendency we have to spend too much time thinking about tasks we need to complete, work we need to accomplish, people we need to follow up with, and reports we need to write.

This mental clutter causes stress, adds frustration to our day, and makes our work feel much more challenging.

If you can transfer these thoughts into a system — whether it’s a sophisticated project management software, a simple app, or even a low-tech solution like writing them down in a notebook — it can significantly reduce mental stress.

So, whenever possible, get it out of your head and into a system.

Debates mostly end with two losers

The last point I want to discuss is that debates often result in two losers.

When we engage in debates, there’s often a lot of emotion involved, and we don’t always stick to the facts.

Sometimes, both parties have a limited understanding of the topic, and often, they’re arguing about completely different things.

In many cases, the person who “wins” is simply the one who can shout the loudest, which is not a productive approach.

Whenever possible, try to avoid getting into debates with people, as debates are often counterproductive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are six simple lessons I’ve learned in my 10+ years as a project manager — lessons that aren’t taught in project management school or covered in our degrees. Of course, there are many more we could discuss in another article, but these are six of the most important.