How to go from Micromanager to Project Manager

"People leave managers, not companies." It's a common phrase repeated often and reiterates the idea that a manager can be a deciding factor between an employee leaving a company or sticking with it for the long-haul. Micromanaging is considered one of the worst management styles.

Everyone has come across a micromanager at some point in their career. The boss who tracks what time you get into the office and what time you leave, you get the impression that they think you're wasting valuable time at work, or requests frequent updates throughout the day on any given project. Studies show that this type of management style is not sustainable in the long run. According to a recent survey, 74 percent of respondents reported feeling hindered by trivial activities or felt micromanaged, which led to anxiety, stress, and high turnover. 

At Accelo, we understand the importance of teamwork, accountability, collaboration, and autonomy. We've compiled a few ways to avoid the micromanagement style, and with the help of some of Accelo's tools put the pro in project manager: 

Maintain Visibility Without the Back-And-Forth Hassle

Being on the same page is crucial when it comes to effective team relationships. Investing in a team scheduling system like Accelo's allows you to track tasks, projects, team availability and other vital elements in real-time that are essential to operating seamlessly and efficiently as a team. 

With a Utilization Dashboard, see exactly what each team member is working on, what type of work they're doing, and how much of that is billable. It's important to know your team's workload, but having a system in place prevents you, as a manager, from having to verbally ask or ping them for a status update multiple times throughout the day. Instead, leverage a complete automation solution that you can easily reference and gain insight into their productivity at a glance. 

Give Your Team Autonomy

Work autonomy can be just as pivotal to your employees as money and a better title. It's important that they feel in control over their workload on a day-to-day basis. As a manager, knowing when to give your employees the space they need to do their job and when to step in is invaluable. With Accelo's My Schedule they can control their bandwidth, plan their schedule, and keep track of their work. With this feature, they can view tasks, reorganize their schedule to help prioritize, and view their capacity to pull in tasks when they're available. 

Focus on creating the type of environment where employees feel they have control over their workload. Don't forget to discuss things that matter to them when it comes to their career: speaking openly about career goals, offering advice, and being open to alternative methods to approaching a project. 

Adopt the Adaptive Project Management Approach 

Earlier this year we announced a third Project Management approach - called Adaptive Project Management - that combines the best aspects of Agile Project Management and Waterfall Project Management. By implementing this new methodology, managers can embrace the agile aspect of encouraging their employees to take more control of their own schedule and tasks while handling milestones and budget allocations firmly as you would under the Waterfall method. Additionally, your direct reports doing the work can create their own tasks, adapt and prioritize work flexibly as changes occur, rather than you as their manager taking charge of it. 

Be the PROject Manager your team needs by utilizing Accelo. Sign up for a free trial today! With this complete automation solution, your team will be equipped to take control of their work, leaving you with more time to focus on the work you love.