Looking for Opportunities to Support Projects in Your Current Organisation

Introduction

Obtaining project management experience does not always require changing or moving jobs.

In fact, your current organisation may already have suitable projects that you can support.

This means that by looking beyond your day-to-day responsibilities, you can find opportunities to build practical Project Management skills as well as demonstrate your potential.

Looking for Opportunities to Support Projects in Your Current Organisation 

If you are thinking about becoming a project manager or are new to the profession, then look for opportunities within your current organisation. Projects happen in almost every organisation.

There may be new systems being introduced, events being planned, processes being improved, or changes being implemented.

These projects often need people to coordinate activities, track progress, and support the project team.

You can start by paying attention to what is happening around you.

• Ask your manager about upcoming projects or initiatives.
• Find out whether other teams need help coordinating tasks or deadlines.
• Volunteer to take on small project-related responsibilities.

Interestingly, you do not need to lead an entire project immediately.

Just supporting a project can give you valuable experience in areas such as:

• Organising meetings and documenting actions.
• Tracking tasks and deadlines.
• Communicating with stakeholders.
• Coordinating team members.
• Identifying and following up on risks or issues.

For example:

Imagine you work in a customer service team, and your organisation decides to introduce a new customer relationship management system.

You may not be appointed as the Project Manager, but you could volunteer to support the project by helping to organise meetings, recording actions, tracking tasks, gathering feedback from your team, and reporting issues to the project team.

This experience will give you great exposure to how a project is planned, coordinated, and delivered.

For example, you could include this experience on your CV and, when interviewed, you could say:

“I supported the implementation of a new CRM system by coordinating team feedback, tracking project actions, and following up on outstanding tasks.”

Therefore, be proactive and make your interest in Project Management known. When opportunities arise, people are more likely to think of you if they already know you are interested.

Remember, your first Project Management experience may already be waiting inside the organisation where you work.

Checklist and Call to Action 

1. Proactively Look Around: Identify projects or changes happening in your organisation.
2. Proactively Ask Questions: Speak to your manager or colleagues about upcoming initiatives.
3. Volunteer: Offer to support a project, even with a small responsibility.
4. Build Skills: Use each opportunity to practise core Project Management skills.
5. Be Visible: Let people know about your interest in Project Management.
6. Keep Track: Record the experience and skills you gain from each project.

Do not wait for the perfect Project Manager job to gain experience.

Start looking for opportunities to support projects where you are today.