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Project management is certainly an industry that never remains stagnant. There is always something new to learn. There are always new approaches, techniques, processes, and technologies being developed, many of which could really help those who are open to finding out more about them. With that in mind, read on to discover some of the outdated project management practices you need to stop doing or following, to ensure you move with the times and don’t get left behind.

Failing to learn from past mistakes

This is undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes that a lot of project managers are still making. In some job roles, you are expected to never make an error. Project management is not one of them. There are always going to be failures and mistakes in project management. Of course, they shouldn’t occur every day, but when they do come about, you need to view them as an opportunity for you to get better. Learn from what happened so you do not make the same error again.

Never learning

Another mistake a lot of project managers make is assuming that they simply take their project management training course, attain their qualification, and the learning stops. This is not the case. You constantly need to invest in yourself and improve your skill set. There are lots of different project management courses out there today, many of which are aimed at the more experienced project managers. You will only get left behind if you do not continue to better yourself.

Lack of order in documentation

Clear and written communication is imperative for any project. However, it is only going to be useful if it is teamed with preparedness and organisation. This involves storing your documents in a meaningful and secure manner.

Micromanagement

This is something a lot of project managers still do today and it is incredibly difficult for them to get away from the trap of doing so. This is because it is hard to let go as a project manager, especially if you have been doing it for some time now. You are in charge and so you feel like every task falls on your shoulders and only you can do it the way it needs to be done. However, you picked your team for a reason – they have the required skill set, and so you need to trust them to do their job. You are only going to be wasting your own time by spreading yourself too thin while annoying your team members in the process for hanging around like a bad smell.

A scope that is too rigid

Last but not least, no one knows for certain what is going to be required throughout the lifecycle of a project, which is why your scope should never be too rigid. You need to add some flexibility to ensure a great and well-designed product is delivered.

If you are guilty of committing any of the outdated practices mentioned above, there is no need to panic. Simply make an effort to eradicate these processes and approaches from your daily work life and you will notice significant differences for the better.