Scaling yourself as a TPM

I first started out my TPM career by managing small scale programs.  I inserted myself into every little detail of the program. As I started managing larger programs, I realized that in order to manage larger programs I had to do things differently. I was initially going to blog about my journey but thought it would be valuable to hear what other TPMs have done. I spoke to a few of my TPM colleagues about this topic.  Interestingly, while each one figured out their own way to scale, several common themes emerged. This blog is a summary of those common themes. 

Build an appropriate program structure 

Part of scaling yourself is to be able to handle larger and complex programs. In order to handle larger programs it is important to build the right program structure. Spending time during the initial phase of the program to build the right program structure helps to make it manageable.  I wrote about 5 key steps for setting up a new program. Additionally, here are some things to consider:

1. Build a core team with leads and TPMs from the impacted teams. 
2. Break down the program into appropriate workstreams. 
3. Set up program team hierarchy. Example: if you have teams working in different timezones, consider having a TPM or a lead in that local zone you can coordinate with. 
4. Define roles and responsibilities for various players – this is particularly important if there are multiple people playing similar roles. Ex: Multiple TPMs managing different parts of the program.
5. Set up the required communication lines/channels for the teams – regular calls, email distribution lists, slack channels etc.
6. Determine program execution methodology (agile, waterfall or hybrid) and the tools you would use (ex: Jira for task management, Sharepoint as document repository etc.) 
7. Standardizing becomes vital. Standardize status, design, execution tracking, quality, naming conventions etc. 
8. Set up a document repository (google drive, corporate wiki, sharepoint etc) and high level folder structure.
9. Set up a change management process (if you are not following agile)
10. Set up clean escalation/resolution and or 5 day alignment processes if it is appropriate for your program.
11. Enable faster decisions by using RAPID framework for your project team.
12. Ensure to set up time for team building and have processes in place for recognizing and motivating teams.
13. Set program review/retrospective meetings at a regular cadence with key stakeholders to identify opportunities for continuous improvement both in terms of program deliverables and processes. Identify process gaps and figure out what can aid with those gaps.
14. Align on priorities with the project team members. This way if your program is not a priority for anyone on the project team you can fix it right way instead of chasing after them later.

I have heard this from someone that the job of a TPM is put themselves out of a job. I am not sure how realistic that is but our goal should be to set up just enough processes and framework so that the program can be run efficiently.

Prioritize

Time is one commodity we cannot buy. We all have 24 hours a day and what we do with the time determines how we are able to scale ourselves. When we have scarcity of time prioritization becomes utmost important. There are a few tools that can help you with this and one of the most commonly used tools is Eisenhower Matrix. This method prioritizes tasks based on urgency and importance. You can use that or any other prioritization methods that work for you. Regardless of which prioritization method you use, here are some tips:

1. List down the 3 most important things you have to accomplish for the day, week, month, quarter and year. Block time on your calendar to work on those top 3 things.
2. Don’t pack your day with tasks. Allow for some free time for unplanned urgent tasks that might come up.
3. Prioritize strategic work over tactical work.
4. Be fastidious about the meetings you attend.
5. When you are managing multiple projects with conflicting priorities, you don’t always have to bear the burden of responsibility of prioritizing amongst projects. Ask your manager or the org leaders to prioritize. 

Say no 

 “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything” – Warren Buffet

This quote sums it all up brilliantly. I have a hard time saying no when someone asks me to help. One of my former managers said that I bring extra work to the team because of this. While he was half joking about it, there was truth to it and I have started saying “no” to things that do not align with my/team priorities. I realized over time that saying “no” is better than compromising on the quality bar you set for yourself. It helps you stay focused on things that are of higher priority. So be mindful/deliberate about the things you are saying “yes” to. Be courteous when saying “no” and offer alternatives if available. You can create “No Templates” which are a set of canned responses for saying no in a courteous way. Another advise that I really liked from that blog is not to leave these things open ended when you say no. 

Lastly, make peace with yourself for saying no. Instead of lamenting over missed opportunities, think about what you have achieved by focusing on your priorities.

Use templates and automate where possible

Invest time in finding the right templates for commonly needed TPM functions like status reporting, capacity planning, project planning etc. Modify them to suit your program needs. Re-use these templates instead of re-inventing the wheel.  Create templates for common emails to expedite responses (ex: No Templates referenced in the earlier section). 

Identify opportunities for automating some of the manual tasks that you do. Example – if you are chasing after project team members to follow up on their tasks, you could create a tool (or request one of the engineers to create a tool) that would regularly look at incomplete tasks and send automated reminders to the team members. Even though it might just take a few minutes to send out reminders manually, it is an interruption. Studies have shown that it takes ~25 minutes to refocus after a distraction. So instead of spending the 5 or 10 minutes that you would need to spend on this on  a regular basis you can have it automated. We might not have the luxury to get engineering to build such tools but consider the interruption time as well when you are figuring out which of the manual tasks are worth automating. 

Delegate 

As TPMs (unless you are a TPM Manager), we do not have direct reports so oftentimes delegation might not be an option. However, there are certain things that you could delegate to the managers, engineers or other project team members. If you are running a huge program, and there are other TPMs working on the program, figure out the things that you can delegate to the other TPMs. Distribute roles and responsibilities. Be self aware about your strengths and weaknesses and leverage other TPMs help to supplement with the things you are weak at. There are two good methods to help you decide on when and what to delegate. Delegation Poker and How to manage projects : Double down, delegate or destroy. While both of these are geared towards managers, the key concepts are applicable to TPMs as well. 

Sharpen the saw 

No matter how busy you are, invest in continuously improving yourself by learning new skills. Soft skills become extremely valuable as you start managing larger programs as you would have to start dealing with Executives and Senior Management. Good skills to improve on are:

1. Presentation skills
2. Influencing skills
3. Managing up
4. Technical skills relevant to the program

Train / Coach others 

Share your knowledge. Train others on your program team to be your backup. Training others will not only solidify your understanding of the concepts but is also a way to pay it forward.

Change your mindset 

You might have to change the ways in which you operate. Ex: you might be more of a face to face person but in order to save time or due to being located in different regions or across the globe, you would have to start relying on web conferencing, slack, MS Teams and other forms of communication . You might have to make peace with not being able to meet your own standards as long as it is working for the program. As you deal with more and more people the chances of being misunderstood will also increase. You might not have answers to all the questions. Be prepared to encounter situations that you might not have experience with. Be open to asking for help.

Summary

To summarize, here are the common themes. 

1. Build an appropriate program structure
2. Prioritize
3. Say no
4. Use templates and automate where possible
5. Delegate
6. Sharpen the saw
7. Train / coach others
8. Change your mindset

As you might have noticed, except for the first one, all the other themes are generic and are not specific to TPM role. Some themes might resonate with you more than the others. Hope this blog gave you some pointers that you can use to scale yourself. 

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to my wonderful colleagues – Afshin Ganjoo, Bhaven Bid, Priyanka Gariba, Tanner Wortham, Vineet Juneja, Vishu Shetty for taking the time to share their valuable insights with me.