In this post, I’ll give you 12 project management tips for beginners so if you are a new manager or a non-manager looking just to be more efficient in your work, this post is for you.
Whether you’re managing a small internal project, launching a new product, or just trying to get things done in a more organized and efficient way, here are some of my favorite ideas for managing projects.
(If you’re thinking about teaching project management to beginners, then take a look at the Project Management for Beginners training materials here.
Project Management Tips for Beginners
1. Be Clear on the Project’s Purpose
If you are unsure of exactly what you are ultimately trying to achieve, how can you realistically succeed?
It might seem an obvious question, but so many of us start a project or small task and have no clear goal.
Every successful project starts with a clear purpose, i.e. a reason that justifies why you are doing the work in the first place.
A clear purpose and sub-goals can save you a lot of money and energy! With this in mind, before you even think about taking on work or a project, ask yourself:
- What is your real goal? Is it to increase efficiency? Are you looking to solve a customer’s pain point? Do you need to sales revenue? Be specific.
- What impact does this project need to make? Will it change how your team operates? Improve customer experience? Align it with broader business objectives.
- How will success be measured? Will it be based on revenue, engagement, efficiency, or feedback?
Once you have written down a clear goal/s, if you are working with others on this project, share the clear purpose and goal with your team.
A clear and documented goal means that everyone has a chance to align and work toward the same end goal.
It also prevents scope creep, which is when projects balloon into something far beyond the original intent because the end goal was unclear.
Everyone working on the project should be clear on the end goal and also WHY the project is taking place!
When the ‘why, is clear’, everyone involved with the project will likely be far more invested in the outcome and in the ‘how’ you can make it work.
2. Break Big Goals Into Small, Achievable Wins
An important thing to remember is that big goals are certainly exciting in theory, but they can also be overwhelming!
My advice, and what I consider one of the most important project manager tips for beginners, is to break down your main goal into bite-sized, manageable steps.
Think of your project as a startup business where you need to test, learn, and iterate quickly.
So rather than seeing a project as one huge mountain to climb, as it were, split the project into 4 or 5 smaller tasks (hills) with each of these goals designed to take you a step closer to your main end project goal.
The way I suggest managing this effectively is as follows:
- Start with the overall big picture. Clearly define the end goal and what a successful outcome will be.
- Break it down into phases. Organize tasks into sequential steps or categories to make progress measurable.
- Set milestones. These should be checkpoints that signal that you are on track. These milestones will also help give your team a real sense of achievement as they meet smaller targets during the lifetime of the project.
- Use task prioritization. Identify what really needs to be done first and what things can wait until later on in the project. Using a simple ranking system or the MoSCoW method (Must-have, Should-have, Could-have, Won’t-have).
Momentum is everything in project management.
Small wins create a sense of progress and motivation, keeping energy levels high.
Do not forget to celebrate achievements as you go through the project, whether it’s finishing a milestone ahead of schedule or simply completing a tricky task.
3. Communicate Like a Real Leader, Not Just a Manager
Most projects fail because of bad communication, rather than because of bad ideas. Here are a few things to keep in mind when communicating as the lead on a project:
- Keep everyone on the same page with regular and simple updates.
- Avoid corporate jargon, i.e. terms that can confuse your team. Use terminology that they are familiar with and used to and can relate to.
- Actively listen more than you talk. Listening to your team will give you an opportunity to hear about any issues as they arise, and you will also find that you gain some great ideas and suggestions from your team.
4. Know Who’s in the Room and Who’s Not
In every project, there are key roles.
You need decision-makers, stakeholders, and influencers. But what often matters is who is actually going to make things happen?
- Identify the key people you need for driving change.
- Know who needs to be informed versus who needs to be involved.
- Don’t waste time chasing approvals from people who aren’t essential.
Time is your most valuable resource, and in large projects, managing your time is key to the project’s ultimate success.
5. Own Your Time Like a CEO
Managing a project is about managing time, and when managing a project,t you might wish to consider the following:
- Assertively prioritizing what will get you to the desired end goal and making it happen.
- Use the 80/20 rule, which in project management reflects that 20% of the tasks will very often account for around 80% of the desired end results.
- Do try and avoid the big issue that occurs in many projects, whereby the day is filled with several meetings that really are not needed.
I am sure you’ll agree when I say that your time is incredibly precious and irreplaceable. Time in an asset, especially so as a project lead.
6. Use Tools That Help Manage a Project
There are tonnes of both good and not-so-good project management tools available, so let me suggest some ones I like.
These tools cover various aspects of the project management process, including helping with efficiency, communication, and project execution. Here’s my favorites, and ones that I often use:
- Trello or Notion for planning and task management, and I find it’s great for visualizing workflows.
- Google Docs & Drive for real-time collaboration with your team, i.e. for sharing files.
- Slack or WhatsApp for quick, direct communication and team updates.
- Asana or Monday.com for structured project tracking and accountability.
- Jira for development teams that follow Agile or Scrum methodologies.
- Slack or WhatsApp for quick, direct communication.
7. Build a Culture of Ownership, Not Just Accountability
One of the first tips for successful project management that I learned as a project lead was that great projects are not simply driven by following task lists, but by a strong leader!
They are driven by people who care and who buy into the project, and as the project lead, it is your job to make your team feel this buy-in.
Some pointers for getting this buy-in is to:
- Give people real responsibility to help them feel empowered.
- Empower them to make decisions without asking for permission at every step.
- Create a work environment in which not succeeding at something (what others might call failure) is seen more as an opportunity to learn. In other words, create a psychologically safe work environment (see teaching materials on psychological safety here).
If your team feels like they’re just following orders, you’re already losing.
8. See Problems Before They Happen
Risk management isn’t about waiting for things to go wrong—it’s about spotting problems before they blow up. The best project managers are always asking:
- What’s the weakest link in this plan?
- What’s the most likely reason this could fail?
- How can we adjust now to prevent chaos later?
The best leaders are proactive, not reactive.
>> View the Project Management for Non-Managers PowerPoints and Materials
9. Be Ready to be Flexible and Pivot
Things will change during the project! Timelines will shift. People will drop the ball. The ones who win are the ones who adapt, not the ones who complain.
- Stop chasing perfection and start executing.
- Make the best decision/s you can with the available but best possible information and data.
- If something is not working, avoid stubbornness and be ready to adapt your plan and set a new direction as needed. (You can learn more about change management here).
The faster you can pivot, the more unstoppable you’ll be.
10. Conduct Brutally Honest Reviews
When you reach its natural end, MAKE SURE that you take time to reflect and to consider and document the following:
- What worked? Double down on it.
- What failed? How can you avoid this same thing from happening again in the future?
- What did we learn? Apply it immediately.
The best teams get better because they take time to learn from experience.
Final Thoughts
I hope you have found one or two of the tips mentioned useful. These 10 project management tips for beginners are fairly easy to implement, and I think you’ll find that your project will go far more smoothly if you follow the advice given.
Owner at Symonds Research Training Materials
Valeria has a PhD in Sociology, 25 years+ working in education, has taught at the University of Bath &Cardiff Metropolitan University, & Hankuk University (Korea) & worked as a researcher (Exeter University), & many years industry experience (including Cardiff University in management roles). Trusted to provide training materials for companies including Honda, Amazon, Penn State University, Coca Cola, Verizon, Yale University, Atlanta Braves, and for many major organizations in USA, UK, and worldwide.