Building management intuition

One of the most powerful thing a manager can do is develop his intuition.  Some managers never make sense when they estimate a task, a phase or a project; some strangely seem to be able to quickly develop an estimate that is reasonably accurate.

How did they develop this skill?

I don’t know, but I know a good trick that I have used a lot in my career: have data in writing.  Then compare your estimates with the actual, and face the reality.  See where you went wrong, and find why.

Then the ultimate is to rebuild a project plan based on lessons learned at the end of the project.  Now that you know what it really took to complete the project, adjust the plan accordingly.

But to do so you need data, and a good project management platform.  I am one that is absolutely convince of the immense benefits of project management web application.  They are great to plan, manage and monitor project, but in addition you get a powerful team collaboration platform.

Ensure you have quality data in order to have useful lessons learned.

The ability to manage a single project to successful completion is an accomplishment for any project manager, but the ability to extract lessons learned from the project after the fact will yield constant, long-term project management improvement. This exercise can be particularly effective with the right pieces in place-long before the project ends.