Project Management Coaching

I've managed $500M+ in projects over the years. The successful ones were all built around the same 10 principles: Give me 3 min, and I'll show you how you can lead your next project with confidence. 1️⃣ Start with Why Most project managers think they’re paid to produce deliverables. That’s bogus. Every project exists to create value. What’s the driving reason behind yours? Dig deeper than the first answer. Your project's purpose becomes a compass for decisions—and a powerful narrative to align and motivate your team. 2️⃣ Define “Conditions of Satisfaction” If your client, architect, and field team aren’t aligned on the definition of done, you’ll never truly finish. Before diving into details, clarify what you’re building and how success will be measured. Get expectations on paper. Show sketches. Build mockups. Whatever it takes. Your goal: never have the “Wait—I thought we were doing XYZ” conversation. 3️⃣ Know the Constraints Every project is defined by five levers: • Time • Scope • Budget • Quality • Value Only one (maybe two) truly matter to the client. Know what you’re optimizing for so you can make smart tradeoffs. 4️⃣ Get the Right People Your project will never be better than the people on it. You don’t need warm bodies. You need the right people in the right roles. Build your team around functions, not names. Set expectations early. Give feedback often. 5️⃣ Big Goals, Small Steps Break your project into major deliverables—then smaller chunks. Boulders -> Rocks -> Pebbles -> Sand Use tools like product breakdowns, sketches, and process flows. 6️⃣ Build a Real Timeline Every construction job has key milestones. Use pull planning, Takt, & LPS to lay out each step with realistic durations. Validate your plan with your team. Then—and only then—negotiate. 7️⃣ Risk Management Something WILL go wrong. Build a Risk Register early. Review it weekly. Rank risks by impact × likelihood. Use the TAME framework: - Transfer - Accept - Mitigate - Eliminate Antifragile projects absorb shocks. Fragile ones shatter. 8️⃣ Dealing With Change A single change won't hurt you. 100 will. Standardize how changes are submitted, evaluated, approved, and communicated. Track every change in a central log and communicate it widely. 9️⃣ Tools & Processes Your tools exist to do 3 things: - Communicate - Coordinate - Document Don’t chase shiny features. Choose tools your team will actually use. Then build repeatable processes around approvals, onboarding, access, etc. 🔟 Stakeholder Communication Most projects fall apart because of miscommunication. Map your key stakeholders. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% who can make or break your job. Tailor how and when you communicate to meet their needs. - - - - - 📌 P.S. Interested in project leadership? Join 7,500+ construction pros who read The Influential Project Manager—a free weekly newsletter with 1 idea to lead people and predict outcomes. Every Tuesday.

💥 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗔𝗜. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. And you don’t get clarity from buzzwords. You get it from mastering the basics. Yet too many PMs skip straight to frameworks, tools, and certifications—without ever understanding the fundamentals: What phase are we in? What’s the actual goal? Who needs to know what, when? Here’s my unpopular opinion: 🚫 Gantt charts don’t save projects. 🚫 Tools don’t manage risks. 🚫 Templates don’t align teams. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗱𝗼. 𝗜𝗳 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗳 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ↳ Understand how projects evolve through phases—and why jumping ahead kills momentum. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ↳ No jargon. No fluff. Just saying what needs to be said—at the right time, to the right people. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 ↳ Not just dates and tasks. But dependencies, priorities, and the courage to say “this won’t work.” 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 ↳ A proactive mindset beats risk logs every time. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 ↳ Because no methodology replaces trust, clarity, and emotional intelligence. 📌 That’s what I coach. That’s what I train. And that’s what consistently separates high-performing teams from chaotic ones. 𝗦𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 “𝗔𝗜-𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗠 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹,” 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳: ➡️ Do you understand what good project management looks like, without the aid of a tool? Because clarity scales. Complexity doesn’t. 🔁 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁—𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀. 💬 Drop your hardest project lesson in the comments. ♻️ Repost to help project leaders refocus on what matters. 💾 Save this post for later, because back-to-basics never goes out of style. ➕ And follow Markus Kopko ✨ for more. #ProjectManagement #PMLeadership #BackToBasics

You’re not a “non-technical PM.” You’re just one decision away from leveling up. Here’s the lie: “You don’t need to know the tech—just focus on the user.” 🚫 Wrong. ✔️ If you can’t explain why a feature takes 3 weeks instead of 3 hours… ✔️ If you can’t tell if a vendor’s overcharging you… ✔️ If you can’t map system flow to business value… Then you’re not leading. You’re guessing. Here’s how I coach PMs to bridge that gap: 🔧 Understand the Stack → Frontend, backend, APIs, and how they talk 🧠 Translate Tech to Impact → Tie every ticket to a business metric 💬 Collaborate with Engineers Like a Peer → Not a taskmaster I’ve helped PMs go from “I don’t get it” to driving initiatives that: ✅ Slashed cloud costs 30% ✅ Reduced delivery time by 2 weeks ✅ Built trust with engineering from day one This isn’t about writing code—it’s about owning the conversation. Tech fluency isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s the difference between being heard and being ignored. Tag a PM who needs to read this. 💬 Comment with the tech concept you finally cracked. 🔁 Repost so the next great PM levels up—now. -- 👋 Hi, I’m Richard. I’ve led global product teams, driven $25M+ in impact, and coached 50+ PMs to build confidence through clarity, systems, and real results. Let’s build your legacy—without losing your humanity. #ProductManagement #TechFluency #PMLeadership #ProductLeadership #Leadership

Project management in real world is different from the textbook. Just like life isn’t a scripted Hollywood movie scene. But that’s what makes it powerful. A client recently shared her fear: “I’ve a master’s in project management, but I’m scared to death to take on my first project independently.” It resonated with me when I started my journey in Project Management. But starting a project independently can be made easy. Take these simple 10 steps to start your first project. 1) Think outside of your books, tools and processes. 2) Ask your manager about the project’s purpose and goals. 3) Clarify your roles and responsibilities for clear direction. 4) Identify stakeholders to understand who’s involved and their impact. 5) Connect with team members to gauge their awareness of the project. 6) Set up brief meetings with stakeholders for their goals and expectations. 7) Outline a rough outline from the findings from your conversations. 8) Draft a simple project charter and gather team feedback. 9) Create a list of main tasks, NOT timelines. 10) Revisit your plan with your manager and team to fine-tune details. By now you’ll have enough information to work backward before kick-off. But why is feedback so important at this stage? It can feel counterintuitive and uncomfortable, but: → You’ll avoid mistakes before they happen. → You’ll align with what truly matters. → You’ll build confidence with every adjustment. → You’ll create trust with your manager and team. Starting out isn’t about knowing everything. It's about asking questions and seeking guidance. And learning through each conversation and every piece of feedback. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I’m starting a new journey with my client next week. If you’re interested in learning more about how I can support you in your project management journey, my DMs are always open.