In a previous blog post titled How to scale and find balance as a TPM, I talk about creating repeatable processes and systems to help you move faster and save time. Time is the biggest and most expensive investment, so you want to make sure the return is high.
Throughout my time as a TPM, I kept creating templates, playbooks and checklists that I could reference quickly. Instead of starting from scratch each time, I already had a framework ready. This helped me immensely but primarily in three ways:
Unblocked Instantly: How many times have you started at a blank screen trying to figure out where to start your status report. Having the format and structure of the document ready, immediately unblocked me and I just had to add in or update the content. It was like plug and play.
Created a brand: When your writing style, formatting and structure are consistent across the different forms of communication, your stakeholders immediately recognize the email/report is from you. And if they have found value in your content previously, they are bound to pay attention again. It helped build my brand but more importantly, it got me their attention which is so crucial in this world of information overload.
Saved time to focus on high value work: I often hear TPMs complain about writing reports and documents because it takes time. Once I built my system, I found that it saved me time to create any form of communication. The value to stakeholders was high enough that I didn't mind doing weekly or biweekly reports. The time I saved was dedicated to other high value work in my programs. Over-communication is important and the first report you create will take some time, but trust me; once you have your scaffolding ready to go, it is just a matter of routine.
If you haven't checked out the Free Toolkit, I highly recommend downloading it. The templates available in this toolkit have been developed by me over the course of my TPM career. I have iterated on them multiple times based on feedback and what worked with stakeholders. I have leveraged them repeatedly for my own program execution and even shared then with my teams.
You can use them to:
Set your yearly and long term career goals
Track OKRs and Program Plans
Manage Dependencies and Risks.
These tools are available to you completely free. I have also added a list of other resources like books and courses that I have found useful. Hope you find these templates and resources helpful and effective.
Are you feeling stuck in your role and want to get to the next level? Are you tired doing the same things over and over. TPMify can help with your career goals so you can achieve excellence and be the most sought after TPM. Contact Us to learn about our personalized career coaching services.