Prince2 Project There are many reasons why you might consider working on projects on a part-time basis. Perhaps you want to free up more time for your family, or maybe it is a question of winding down at this point in your career.

Whatever the reason is, there are sure to be some doubts in your mind about doing this. Can you really keep your finger on the pulse if you aren’t working on this all the time? Will it be incredibly difficult to stay in touch with your team and stakeholders?

Make Your Working Hours Clear and Consistent

Problems with part-time project managers tend not to be around how many hours they work. It is more likely to be due to the exact hours and how clear they are. If you do this wrong then you could leave everyone else feeling frustrated.

The first step is to think about the hours you should be working. When are you most likely to find other team members around and be able to get things done? When can you arrange meetings and speak to the people that most matter?

After that, you should be sure that your working times are clear for everyone to see. Finally, you need to be consistent about sticking to these times. In this way, no one will ever be left in any doubt about when you are going to be around.

Be Available for Emergencies

It is certainly possible that no one ever has to look for you in an emergency. However, what would happen if something went seriously wrong when you weren’t there? Would they know how to get in touch with you quickly?

Leaving emergency contact details with your PRINCE2 team is a good move. In this way, they can easily get in touch if there is anything that you need to know about urgently.

Of course, getting disturbed by calls and messages while you are away from the office isn’t ideal. Yet, this inconvenience can save a problem from turning into a major disaster in your absence.

Give Your Team the Chance to Cope Without You

If you are going to run a PRINCE2 project on a part-time basis then you need a strong team to back you up. They are going to keep things ticking along without you and should be able to work without asking your guidance on a regular basis.

This means that you need to get the right training arranged for them. If a team member is ready to take their PRINCE2 Foundation Bristol then this will give them an extra edge that allows them to help you with the running of the project.

This point also covers the confidence that you need to give them for working without you. You can get them to feel comfortable doing a variety of project tasks even when you aren’t there to help them out.

Getting Your Planning Right

The planning aspect is hugely important on any PRINCE2 project. This is something that has to be at the heart of any piece of work using this methodology.

It is especially crucial when you aren’t there all day long. You need to accurately take into account the amount of time that you think each milestone will need.  When you work fewer hours any slippage can be harder to rectify.

Taking all of these points into account, there is no reason that you can’t work as a part-time project manager on a PRINCE2 piece of work. However, it is clear that it does need a bit of extra thought put into it to avoid problems.