While the title of this blog may be "Common Challenges for New Project Managers," this is relevant for any project manager or program manager, no matter where you are in your career. Despite years of experience, project management is handled differently depending on the organization. You will encounter different coworkers, and stakeholders, both internal and external, and thus, always face some sort of challenge. Even the most seasoned PMs face challenges because environments vary. Here are some top challenges I've encountered as both a new project manager and a program manager.
Balancing Multiple Responsibilities
One of the essential skills for a PM is organization. You will juggle multiple work streams, stakeholders, meetings, and differing expectations. You must manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Your day might shift from a one-on-one meeting for project updates to leading a group decision-making call to a one-on-one with your boss, who is assigning additional tasks.
Good organizational and time management skills are vital. My suggestion for managing multiple responsibilities is to use a reliable planner or create a daily to-do list. A planner can help you map out your workday and personal life, giving you clarity on your tasks and reducing the stress of keeping everything in your head. I love to-do lists and use them more than a full planner for work. However, I am transitioning back to a notebook planner as I need to balance work and personal life.
Managing Stakeholder Expectations
There is nothing like working on a project with multiple stakeholders, each having different expectations for the outcome. Depending on their role, stakeholders will express different needs. For instance, someone in operations may have different expectations than someone in product management or on the front line. These differences mean you must be the sounding board, pulling together all thoughts and recommendations into one cohesive plan that everyone can rally around, breaking it down into deliverables, and executing against it.
Understanding stakeholder needs and expectations is critical. You don’t want a project to progress only to find out it’s not what stakeholders expected or wanted or that it’s no longer relevant. I frequently check in with stakeholders, holding meetings to ensure things are moving in the expected direction. If not, I work with them to realign the project to meet their needs.
Dealing with Uncertainty and Change
I’ve worked in grant management, small startups, and a Fortune 500 company, and what they all have in common is that change is inevitable and uncertainty is certain. You must be flexible, especially in today's fast-paced environment. You must be willing to change directions quickly, which can be unsettling. Initially, it was hard for me to understand how work done for months could suddenly become irrelevant due to a leadership decision.
Over time, I have come to appreciate uncertainty and embrace change. I now welcome it because it keeps me on my toes. As someone with ADHD, I realized I can't have the same routine repeatedly. Change or needing to pivot is something I now view positively because I know the work contributes to a greater cause and improves the project/product. I see it as a lesson and experience gained rather than work done in vain.
Building Team Collaboration
This is one of the most underrated aspects of project management. I find that project management is more about interpersonal skills than strictly adhering to PM methodologies. Understanding your team members, their needs, and their perspectives helps build an environment where people want to collaborate and achieve goals. It fosters trust, so team members feel comfortable coming to you when issues arise rather than waiting until the last minute.
It's crucial to have a team that collaborates and communicates effectively. I meet with project team members consistently and have cross-functional meetings where everyone can discuss their progress, challenges, and completed tasks. Keeping lines of communication open ensures effective collaboration and prevents departmental silos, which can hinder project success.
Tracking Progress
If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’d know that at the beginning of my project management career, I had no idea what a project plan was or how to track tasks using a spreadsheet. I was tracking tasks in meeting notes, which, while effective, wasn’t ideal. If you don’t have a project management tool like Monday, ClickUp, or Smartsheet, I recommend starting with Excel or Google Sheets to itemize tasks and assign deadlines.
Having a clear and accessible tracking system is crucial for timely task completion. If people don’t see or can’t easily reference their tasks, they’re less likely to complete them on time. As a project manager, having a visible system is essential to prevent delays and ensure accountability.