Manifesto of a Project Manager

  1. Project management is a bit like conducting an orchestra. Musicians do the real work. But waving a little stick at the front can make more difference than you’d think…
  2. Always aim to add value for your clients. Bring a bottle to the party.
  3. Value* is whatever the client says it is. It can be different on every project. Remember to ask before you start.
  4. *It usually involves Time, Cost, Quality. And Risk.
  5. The more we understand the ‘why’ of a project, the more we can help to create a great ‘what’ and ‘how’.
  6. Listen. Properly. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
  7. Tell the truth. Always. Even (especially) when you know it won’t make you popular.
  8. Work with talented people you like. Particularly if they make you laugh.
  9. Hire the experts. They’ll make and save you money. As Real Madrid’s chairman said, expensive is cheap.
  10. Projects need good ideas and clever thinking. Create enough time and space on your projects for both to flourish.
  11. Take responsibility. Lead from the front. Until the very end and it’s completely finished.
  12. DWYSYWD. Do What You Say You Will Do. Always. If you’re not going to do it, don’t say you will.
  1. Generate the passion, the buzz and the energy in the room. If you don’t, who will?
  2. Encourage great design. Know why it adds value to your client’s project. It needs talent and time to happen.
  3. Under-promise, over-deliver. But no need to tell everyone that’s what you’re doing.
  4. Treat your client’s money as if it were your own. Understand how to spend it well.
  5. Great design is never indulgent. It always does what it says on the tin, beautifully. If it doesn’t, nip it in the bud.
  6. Reduce waste. Be kind to our planet. Like Baz Lurman said, we’ll miss it when we’re gone.
  7. Building it is the most important part. Don’t pay too little for it or entrust it to just anybody.
  8. Always insist on exceptional quality. Materials, details and craftsmanship are the things that will outlast us all.
  9. For clients, results are what matter. Can we hand on heart say we achieved what they asked for?
  10. It really is a team game. None of us could do this on our own. (Even though one day we’ll tell someone… ‘I built that’).
  11. ENJOY THE JOURNEY. It may be a serious business but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun.