Why project size matters: Choosing the right project early in your management career
How the size, scope, and pressure of your first project can accelerate - or derail - your leadership growth
I love climbing mountains. Growing up, I was fortunate to live close to a decent-sized hill. My dad and I used to walk together to the top every chance we got. When I was around 10 years old, I started doing the hike by myself. Soon after, I was jogging up and down that hill like it was a small mound. In the years that followed, I upgraded to a number of small rocky mountains.
My 20s saw me conquer many peaks in the 6,000+ foot range. In the beginning, I always climbed with a group of friends. Later on, I felt confident enough to do some hikes on my own. I eventually ventured out in the dead of winter, with snow and ice on the ground, to perform more harrowing climbs.
With each experience, I learned something new. I felt equipped to handle more challenging climbs, pushing the envelope a little more every time and growing in confidence as a result.
Then came the big one: Mount Fuji. Armed with no special gear and only a flashlight, I took a nine-hour trail up the 12,000-foot beast at night in the middle of an ice storm. The wind gusts were so strong I had to duck down the second I heard them howl, lest they pick me up and toss me down the flank of the mountain. At a certain point, I became disoriented from altitude sickness. I suffered, and I endured. I managed to make it to the top.
To many people, attempting this ascent in such conditions may seem like a stupid idea. But there was no gamble there. I knew I’d be challenged, but my gut told me I was capable of overcoming whatever I would face. I was confident. It felt right.
A project or area of responsibility is no different from a mountain you need to conquer.
Every manager has the experience of being handed his or her first project. It’s an exciting moment. You feel the adrenaline rush, and you ride an emotional high for quite some time afterward. But what you do next can make or break your career in management.
Do not, under any circumstances, get yourself into a project or area of responsibility you’re not ready for. It is shocking how often I’ve seen people dive head first into something they were not prepared to handle, only to fail miserably. Luckily, this mistake can easily be avoided.
Before accepting a new responsibility, regardless of where you are in your career, it is absolutely critical for you to do some due diligence. Meet with your manager and find out everything you can about the project. Pay special attention to the “what,” “why,” “who,” “how,” and “when.” Your goal is to get a good handle on the scope and complexity of the work ahead, the challenges you might face, and the expectations you must meet.
When meeting with your manager, ask the following types of questions:
What impact will this project or responsibility have on the company’s bottom line?
A high impact means more pressure.
Who are the stakeholders?
The higher the stakeholders are on the corporate food chain, the more you’ll be in the spotlight. Are you ready for prime time?
Have the project charter, project initiation, or project planning documents been written already?
An undefined project can spell chaos and stress for you.
Has funding been approved?
Time and resource constraints are your enemy.
What is the scope and duration of the project?
Marathons are harder than they look!
Is what’s being built within my subject matter expertise?
The more you know about what’s being built, the better equipped you will be.
How many people will be on the project team?
You need the right number of people. Too few or too many will give you a guaranteed headache.
Will the team members be dedicated to the project? If no, then what percentage of each person’s time can I count on?
Ideally, you want team members to be fully committed to your project. Shared resources mean the squeaky wheel always gets the grease.
Are the team members local, or will they be geographically spread out?
It’s not fun dealing with geographically spread out groups, unless you enjoy daily status meetings at 6 a.m. or midnight.
Do I have a balanced team in terms of competence and experience?
This will make or break the project.
Are there outside consultants, vendors, or teams involved?
The more moving parts you have, the harder the project is to manage.
Ultimately, the big-picture question you are trying to answer is: Can I handle this project or responsibility?
This is by no means a yes or no proposition. It’s a gut feeling. Be honest with yourself. You want to feel challenged, and yes, you should be pushed to the limits of your competence — but you must feel confident in your ability to deliver. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to fail. At the very least, you’re in for a very unpleasant experience.
If your gut tells you to walk away, politely decline the opportunity and explain to your manager that you are simply not ready for a project of this size or scope. Passing on a challenge at work may sometimes reflect negatively on you, but that setback will likely pale in comparison to the damage a failed project will do to your reputation. A tarnished image within a company often leads you straight to the active job seeker pool.
Properly saying no does take some finesse. You should always make every effort to offer a suitable alternative. It never hurts to find out if you could take a lesser role on the project (like an understudy) or to volunteer to be in charge of a different, smaller project.
A good friend of mine successfully hiked to the top of Mount Everest in 2012, a feat that has inspired me greatly. However, were he to invite me on his expedition the next time he attempted to tame a 20,000+ foot monster, I would politely decline without much thought. Why? Because there is only one outcome for me, regardless of how rigorously I train for the hike: I will die with 100 percent certainty. I am simply not mentally equipped for something of this magnitude, nor have I ever been tested at anything above 12,000 feet. The next level for me is around 15,000 feet, not 28,000! I would be stretching my competence level beyond my ability to cope with the inevitable unknowns.
To put it simply: I feel that I would fail, and without confidence, I surely will.
So start small and work your way up. Smaller projects and a smaller area of responsibility mean smaller mistakes. Build up your confidence through incremental successes until you feel ready for something bigger. Size matters.
Key Points
Career growth happens through progressive challenges, not sudden leaps to the biggest responsibility available.
Early management roles can accelerate or derail a career depending on the size, scope, and complexity of the project accepted.
High-impact projects come with greater visibility and pressure, especially when senior stakeholders are involved.
Confidence is a critical success factor - managers should feel challenged but capable, not overwhelmed or uncertain.