Project Management 101: Organizational Structure

The power and influence of a project manager is different depending on the organizational structure of the company. Based upon the organizational structure the characteristics of the project manager’s authority, role, budget management, resource availability, and staff will vary. Organizational structures range from functional to matrix to projectized.

A functional structure follows the traditional company structure. Employees report to a single supervisor and are grouped by specific functions into departments i.e. public affairs, information technology, marketing, accounting. Project work within a department occurs independently of other departments. Project managers have little influence and are primarily responsible for coordinating project efforts through functional managers. Project resources, budget, and staff are provided at the discretion of functional managers and staff provided often assist with projects as supplemental tasks while maintaining functional area primary responsibility. The functional manager is at the top of the hierarchy in the functional organizational structure.

A projectized structure is at the other extreme of organizational structures. While employees within the company may still be grouped into departments, the employees may have primary responsibilities of providing support services to projects or report directly to the project manager. Project teams are often colocated (often in the same department) or virtual collaboration techniques are frequently used to maximize efficiency of project work. The project manager has significant authority and independence over project resources, budget, and staff. The project manager is at the top of the hierarchy in the projectized organizational structure.

A matrix structure combines properties of both functional and projectized structures and can be categorized as weak, balanced or strong based on how closely the structure aligns with a functional or projectized structure. Influence and power over project resources, budget, and staff vary depending on the type of matrix organizational structure. A weak matrix is more similar to a functional structure, while a strong matrix is more similar to a projectized structure. A balanced matrix is when the project manager and functional manager share equal or near equal influence on the project.

Organizations may have one type or a mix of organizational structures. One organizational structure may make sense for one department, while a different one may make sense for another department. Understanding the type of organizational structure dictating a project will allow the project manager and project team to better coordinate project efforts. If additional resources are needed on a project, will the request need to be approved by a functional manager or does the project manager have the authority to obtain the resources? In a functional structure, the functional manager would have the authority while a project manager would not. In a projectized structure, the project manager would have the authority while the functional manager would not necessarily need to be consulted. Knowing the format of the organizational structure will allow the project manager and project team to take full advantage of project opportunities or be aware of project drawbacks.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: The Project Manager

More and more work is project based in organizations leading to more and more demand for project managers. What is a project manager and what is the role of a project manager? As defined by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) standard published by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project manager is the person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives. A project manager can be assigned to be over only one project or several different projects and try to lead several teams to accomplish the objectives of the different projects. To effectively accomplish project objectives, project managers must possess several competencies: knowledge, performance, and personal.

Knowledge of project management methodologies and tools. Project management knowledge allows the project manager to know which and what methods or tools best facilitate achieving the objective of a project. As an example, the PMBOK outlines ten different knowledge areas with 47 different processes that fit into five different process groups. These processes are guidelines to standard projects but may not necessarily be used in every project. A project manager’s knowledge determines the tools and methods available for application to a project.

Performance is the project manager’s outcome from applying his or her project management knowledge. What is the consequence of the application of the project manager’s knowledge? Did the project successfully achieve its objectives as a result? Or did the project overrun its budget or cost? How effective was the project manager at working with the project team? A project manager needs to be equipped with the right knowledge and personal competencies to result in strong performance.

Personal or emotional and social intelligence is key to a project manager’s success. A project manager work with many people including the project team and other stakeholders. Effective guidance and interaction with those associated with the project by the project manager directly impacts project success. Some of the key skills of project managers are communication, leadership, decision making, political and cultural awareness, negotiation, conflict management, team building, influencing, motivation, coaching and trust building.

A project manager can best achieve project objectives by building knowledge and personal competencies which will result in sound or even outstanding performance. Even equipped with all the knowledge and personal skills, a project manager will still sometimes experience negative performance. Sometimes project failure is unavoidable (the organization changes its strategic direction, project resources become unavailable, the project objective is no longer relevant to the current course of business). Building competencies will improve the likelihood of accomplishing project objectives leading to increased success of the project manager and organization.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: The Project Management Office (PMO)

The work landscape is changing. Significant percentages of work within organizations are shifting from operational work to project based efforts. To effectively manage the changing work scope, many organizations have established project management offices or are considering establishing project management offices. Sounds great, but what exactly is a project management office?

As defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project management office is a management structure that standardizes the project-related governance processes andfacilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques. PMOs can perform a range of functions for an organization from directly managing projects to providing support in the form of best practices and templates. PMOs can be categorized in three broad categories based on the amount of control and influence held by the PMO within the organization.

• Directive: High level of control and influence held by the PMO. The PMO has direct oversight over projects and manages projects directly

• Controlling: Moderate level of control and influence held by the PMO. The PMO provides general support to the organization’s projects and requires compliance with standard methodologies or governance dictated by the PMO i.e. specific templates, reporting requirements, identified tools

• Supportive: Low level of control and influence held by the PMO. The PMO offers consultative services in the form of best practices, training, templates, lessons learned, and project management information

The control and influence of the PMO varies across a broad spectrum based on the needs of the organization from the authority to make key decisions i.e. terminate or fund projects and management of project resource allocation to simply providing a group to provide information on project management and templates. An organization may even have multiple PMOs serving the needs of various departments or different functions i.e. one office’s role may be to provide training while another office’s may be to formally manage projects.

PMOs can provide support to project managers in various ways i.e. mentoring, training, monitoring compliance, managing policies, developing templates, coordinating communication across projects, managing shared resources across projects, identifying best practices, or maintaining project records. PMOs and project managers serve different roles related to projects. PMOs optimize resource allocation across all projects while project managers optimize assigned resources to meet the needs of their projects. PMOs manage enterprise level project structure including methodology, templates, standards, metrics, interdependencies, while project managers manage individual project constraints. PMOs are concerned with program or portfolio scope changes focusing on the achievement of organizational objectives, while project managers focus on achieving the objectives of their projects.

If an organization desires increased standardization, central oversight, or project management knowledge, then the organization may benefit from establishing a PMO. Organizations should be clear in communicating the purpose and function of any PMO established to ensure that the scope of work performed by the PMO is understood. A PMO’s customers are the organization and its constituents. Customers are much more likely to seek or follow a PMO if the role of that PMO is clearly established.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: Project Constraints

Every project has constraints. Understanding each constraint and the relationship between the constraints will allow for more effective management of a project. The primary constraints of a project are risks, resources, budget, schedule, quality, and scope.

Constraint	Definition from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)	Huh? What does that mean?!
Risk	An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives	What might affect the project and result in a pro or con
Resource	Skilled human resources (specific disciplines either individually or in crews or teams), equipment, services, supplies, commodities, material, budgets, or funds	Who and what is needed to complete the project
Budget	The approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure component or any schedule activity	How much money is available
Schedule	An output of a schedule model (a representation of the plan for executing the project’s activities including durations, dependencies, and other planning information, used to produce a project schedule along with other scheduling artifacts) that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources	How much time is planned (for each part and the whole of the project)
Quality	The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements	How well something fits outlined specifications
Scope	The sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project	What’s the desired outcome & how will it be accomplished

Since constraints exist for every project, it is important to understand the relationship of project constraints. The relationship of project constraints is if any one of the constraints changes, then one or more other constraints is likely to be affected. If converted to a representative mathematical equation, then the relationship of constraints would be similar to below:

Project Outcome = Risks + Resources + Budget + Schedule + Quality + Scope

The relationship can also be thought of in terms of a pizza (just because I love pizza and am currently craving it) where each constraint is a slice of the whole project, but if one slice is larger, then the other slices will be affected.

For example in a project to implement new accounting software for a customer, the customer approaches you and insists that it is necessary to add a procurement module in addition to the account modules. Accepting the customer’s change request would mean a change in scope since instead of implementing only new accounting software, now the project will implement new accounting and procurement software. By allowing this change to scope (a constraint) other constraints are likely to be affected i.e. quality may decrease if the project remains on the same schedule and budget then some of the specifications may need to be sacrificed to accommodate the scope change, risks may increase since additional work is added to the project will provide more opportunities for uncertainty.

Planning is key to a project’s success, but projects are rarely static. Change happens and when change happens, constraints shift. To adapt to the natural flow of a project, planning should happen frequently and be progressively elaborated as constraints change. Many details and information are not known upon initial planning of a project; progressive elaboration allows for increased detail, accuracy of estimates, and accommodating for changing constraints.  

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: Portfolios, Yet Another P

Another one?! One more P remains to round out the important P’s of project management, projects, programs, and portfolios.

As defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a portfolio is a collection of programs, projects and/or operations managed as a group. Key characteristics from the definition of a program: programs, projects and/or operations and group management.

A program is a group of related projects managed centrally, a project is a temporary activity that produces unique results, and an operation is ongoing non-project work. A portfolio manages all of these different pieces as a group to achieve strategic objectives. Managing these different items collectively allows prioritization and allocation of resources to best meet the objectives of an organization. While a program focuses on related projects and managing resources to best meet the program objective, portfolios are even broader focusing on meeting the needs of the company above the needs of specific programs, projects or operations. Resources would be reallocated based on priority i.e. if the organization’s objective was to increase customer service, then resources may be focused on improving or expanding operations instead on projects or programs.

Think of a smartphone as a portfolio. Keeping in contact would be part of the key operations, calling, texting, messaging. An application downloaded could be thought of as a project i.e. a game that you wanted to play through and beat or a health tracker that you were using to reach a specific fitness level. Similar applications or functionality would be a program. The smartphone manages this whole collection as a group and there are limits to the resources (space, minutes, messages, data, etc.) leading to prioritization choices.

Portfolios can be applied to departments within an organization as well. Let’s take a financial management department as an example. The overall department would be the overarching portfolio with a variety of groups within the department performing operations i.e. accounting, budgeting, forecasting, etc. In addition there are probably several ongoing projects i.e. software implementations, process improvement initiatives, and expansion planning. Many of these projects can be grouped into programs i.e. all procurement related projects (implementation of an eProcurement solution, redesign of the vendor management process, creation of a procedures manual) could be categorized within the Procurement program. As the needs of the department shift, some items may become higher priority over others and result in portfolio management reallocation of resources to support this initiative i.e. eProcurement solution must be implemented by end of month while other projects or operations are not pushing deadlines leading Financial Management to shift resources from other projects, programs, operations to support the eProcurement solution project.

Effective project, program, and portfolio management is key to an organizations success. Regardless of whether a person is officially titled as a P_____ Manager or not, every member of the workforce is part of some project, program, or portfolio. Knowing the ongoing projects, programs and portfolios can connect the dots in understanding an organization’s objectives, and make you a more effective contributor to these objectives (which has the happy byproduct of increased possibility of being identified by your management as a star performer leading to positive career trajectory)!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: Programs, the Other P

Project management is not the only buzzword out there. There is also program management. Management of this, management of that, what does this p word mean anyways?!

Program

As defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. Key characteristics from the definition of a program: related projects,coordinated management, opportunities beyond a single project.

Think of a project and think about one or a few steps above to the bigger picture. The project is trying to achieve a unique product, service or result. But why? How does the project fit into the bigger picture? A project is a piece of the puzzle to accomplishing the business objective. Programs consist of several related projects that are working towards the same business objective. These related projects are managed by a central resource focusing on thecoordination of these projects on effect on strategy, direction, and business objective.Coordinating management of related projects allows for greater control and benefits not available to a single project i.e. economies of scale (similarities of projects within a portfolio that can be leveraged for increased efficiency), conformance to business objective, etc.

Think of each project as the content i.e. a chapter, while a program is the context i.e. the book. The cost and benefit of each project is measured to determine the impact to the overall program. Looking at the impact to the overall program rather than the individual success of one project means that within a program a project could fail, but the program as a whole could still be successful. Some examples of programs are below.

• Shopping Center: establishing each store could be individual projects, the establishment of the shopping center would be the program. Each store’s setup and opening would need to be coordinated to meet the shopping center opening. Stores would be chosen aiming to bring the highest amount of consumer traffic to the center to ensure a successful shopping center. Some stores may not meet the opening date or may go out of the business but the shopping center may still be successful.

• Talent Acquisition: there may be several ongoing efforts that would each be a project (recruitment strategy development, applicant tracking system implementation, onboarding process redesign, turnover & retention analysis, etc.), but the program would be the overall goal of talent acquisition. Across these various projects, similar expertise could be leveraged. Each of these projects could benefit the program, and the impact to the program may determine resource allocation.
• End User Services Upgrade: organizations frequently go through major initiatives to improve end user experience. The initiative i.e. End User Services Upgrade would be the program with several projects falling within the scope of the program i.e. computing equipment replacement, network upgrade, help & service desk establishment, security enhancements, etc. Coordinating these projects centrally could result in cost savings from negotiated contracts from a single vendor to provide multiple services, direction to each project in understanding its impact on the organization, removal of obstacles to the success of each project and the program, etc.

Projects and programs come in all shapes and sizes. Just remember when your organization has several ongoing related projects, grouping these projects with program management could provide great benefits!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Project Management 101: What is a Project?

Job responsibilities have shifted from standard processes to project-oriented work increasing the emphasis on project management. More and more job descriptions require or prefer experience in project management. Project management is obviously important, but what is a project anyways? As defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a project is a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result.

Two key characteristics form the definition of a project: temporary and unique. A project is temporary, this means that there is a defined end date and start date. A project produces something unique, the purpose of the project is to develop something that does not currently exist. When you are trying to determine if a task is a project next time, ask yourself, “Is this task temporary?” “Is the outcome of task completion something unique?” If the answer to both questions is yes, you have a project on your hands! Remember projects can come in all shapes and sizes, from building a hospital to writing an article.

Now, let’s test your knowledge on identifying projects! Determine whether each of the situations below is a project (answers at the end of the post).

1. Fulfilling a new traveler request at an operations center
2. Designing a report to track metrics for management
3. Factory production of a car
4. Developing new functionality in an information dashboard
5. Preparing standard reports to management
6. Establishing an operations center

Answer time!

1. Fulfilling requests would be part of routine operations and does not produce a unique result, No
2. Designing the report would create a unique product for tracking and is temporary starting with the design and ending with the completed report, Yes
3. Factory production of pretty much anything is routine work and does not produce unique products, No
4. Developing new functionality creates unique functionality not previously available. If the development is part of the standard maintenance process then this task is routine not temporary (not a project), but if the development is not part of standard maintenance then this task is temporary (a project), It Depends
5. Standard is a key descriptor, anything standard is not unique unless you are creating that initial standard, No
6. Establishing an operations center as a specific instance (unique, temporary) to meet a need (a project), but if establishing operations center is part of your standard scope of work i.e. establishing customer support call centers around the world then this would not produce unique results and this work is routine, It Depends

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Why You Should Welcome the F Word, Failure

Failure, I said it, pardon my French. Failure is avoided as much by professionals as by mothers trying to censor the other F word from their toddlers. Why is everyone so afraid of failure? Well, everyone wants to be successful and as defined by Google, failure is the lack of success. Instead of being the lack of success, failure can be the catalyst to success and provide the benefits below.

• Rest: Failure is draining. Take a set period of time (a couple hours to a couple weeks depending on the situation) to take a break from the situation and recharge. During this period actively banish failure-related thoughts and negative feelings from your mind.
• Learn from the Mistakes: Review the situation to determine possible causes for the failure. Once causes are identified, focus on actions to prevent these risks in future situations. Shift the effort away from berating yourself over the past and concentrate on future prevention. Lessons learned documentation in project management is a prime example.
• Self-Evaluate: People are busier than ever with increased mobility and connectivity allowing competing demands (school, work, family, etc.) to reach you 24/7. You rarely get a break for introspection. What motivates you? Why do you do the things you do? What are the sources of (dis)satisfaction in your life? Use the situation to think about the path your life is taking and supporting reasons; it may be time for a change.
• Value Success, Deal with Failure: Experiencing failure helps you deal effectively with future failure. Failure can be shocking to those only experiencing success. A friend recently was in a downward spiral of depression due to a work project being axed. Having little to no previous experience with failure she did not know how to deal with the situation and felt lost, unsure, and unconfident. Her learning curve in managing failure was significantly steeper than others with previous experience, and it took several months for her confidence to return.
• Grow Long Term: Life is full of success and failure; each shapes your life and helps you grow. Living a balanced life is important and for balance to exist there must be both failure and success. Being forward thinking in your approach to failure will promote development both in the present and the future.

These benefits do not mean you should actively pursue failure, but when you experience failure (we all do!) regard it as a positive opportunity instead of a negative consequence. Of course you may need a happy hour outing with coworkers or couch potato time to get over the initial disappointment, but afterwards take advantage of the situation and focus on reaping the benefits of failure. After not being  selected for a position I was upset, but after initial moping (lots of fried foods and sweets) I realized I was missing key qualifications and went back to school for my MBA. Following my MBA, I was well positioned and promoted when the opportunity occurred in my department.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Planes, Trains, and Travel Essentials

I live a fabulous life, jet setting to an exotic location every other week to explore new wonders. I wish! I do travel from time to time for business and fun experiencing trial by fire to learn there are key items that would benefit any trip: plane, train, or automobile (or bike or foot or boat...).

Plastic Bags: Do not throw away the bags you get from the grocery store or while shopping! I repeat, do not toss these bags away! As a budget conscious citizen (a deal hunter trained by my mom), instead of throwing away bags I keep these in a box in my pantry. These bags separate dirty clothes, shoes, or other items that may spill from everything else.

Surge Protector/Extension Cord: Why are outlets in inconvenient places 90% of the time?! Who can reach behind the bed or wants to use a plug on the opposite side of the room? Leave the frustration to less savvy travelers and bring a surge protector and/or an extension cord. No more choosing between a light in the room or a charged phone!

Reward Accounts: Before you even start any sort of travel, sign up for the reward programs for any airlines or hotels that you plan to use. Points quickly accumulate, especially if you travel for work. These points can be traded in for lots including future flights and stays. To sign up, go to each company’s website, almost all have free reward programs.

Destination Information: Pretty obvious, how will you know if you don’t have the information for the destination: contact name, phone, address, etc. Bring a hard copy just in case your phone or laptop runs out of battery.

Comfy Shoes: You will be walking and nothing is worse than walking on blisters. While you’re packing your comfy shoes, go ahead and throw in a couple of bandaids just in case.

Extra Socks/Undies: Just bring extra…

Accessible Charger: You do not want to dig through your suitcase when you need a charger, just keep one handy either in your purse or backpack for when you need it.

Payment Methods: It’s a good idea to contact your bank or credit card company if you are traveling and plan on using your debit/credit card frequently. Otherwise your card may be locked and payment inaccessible for loss prevention to prevent against identity theft. Also bring some just in case cash for sketchy places where you may not be comfortable using your card.

Rough Itinerary: You don’t have to plan out each minute of your day, but having a list of places you would like to go or things you would enjoy including the name, location, cost and hours of availability will save a ton of time and headache. Instead of spending an hour deciding what to do, you can check your list and slot things based on convenience.

Suitcase with spinners!: Once I began traveling more frequently for work, I hated dragging my two-wheeled suitcase. It was hard to maneuver and would bang into corners. While grumpily pulling my bag, I saw my first suitcase with spinners…Pure magic! 4 wheels that turn in any direction and are easily maneuverable. I was instantly determined to procure one of these magical pieces and now happily count myself as one of the owners of a suitcase with spinners.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

Office Wardrobe Essentials for Women

Appropriate office attire is a constantly evolving target varying significantly by company culture. Knowing what to wear at the office can become harder to figure out than a Chinese puzzle (even I’m not really sure what this is, I just hear people talk about how hard Chinese puzzles are all the time). Below is a guide of basic items that women can stock their closet with regardless of which organization or what fashion trends they are part of.

• Blazer: Blazers are just awesome. I went from owning one suit-like jacket to having a whole row of blazers after only a few years into my professional career. Blazers instantly amp up your professional presence when thrown over an appropriate outfit or snazz up your casual gear. Often I pair casual dresses with a blazer and end up business casual.
• Comfortable Heels: Heels suck, especially if you’re a flip flop kind of girl like me. Heels do help with your office presence due to the added height subtly directing more attention towards you. That’s why it’s important to get at least one pair of comfortable heels. Shop for neutral colors (black, tan, beige, taupe, navy, brown) with a heel height of 1.5”-3.5.”
• Bag/Purse: A bag or purse large enough to hold a portfolio or laptop is a necessity. Whether going to an interview, work, or networking event, having something large enough to hold your items is helpful and keeps your hands free to hold a coffee while opening the door. I tote around a backpack with a wallet clutch to use when going out for lunch.
• Stockings/Pantyhose/Tights: Whether or not this is part of normal office attire depends on where you work. More conservative cultures may still require wearing some of these stretchy things. Even if your company doesn’t require or prefer stockings, some neutral colored stockings come in handy especially when it’s cold outside.
• The Basics: Keep at least one of each and slowly add as you have time and money: dress, slacks, shirt, button-down, a-line skirt. Remember this is a professional environment so stay away from clothes that are too tight, short, or low-cut. Stick to solid colors (stay away from neon…) or classic patterns (hounds tooth, polka dots, flowers, not animal usually). Also do a walking and sit test of your outfits. Clothes have an odd tendency to pinch and fold when you’re not standing in front of a mirror smoothing out the bunching.
• Coworker Appropriate Casual Wear: At some point of your career you will need to spend time with coworkers outside the office: happy hour, employee event, conference networking. You may not be ‘on the clock’ anymore, but maintaining a semi-professional presence is important. Have clothes on hand that are not quite as stuffy as office wear, but not as casual as when going out with friends or couch potatoing at home. Think nice dress or jeans and a shirt.
• Hair tie: Short hair, long hair, mid-length hair. Sometimes you just want to get your hair out of your face or you need a last minute rubber band like device to wrap around the highlighters at your desk. I keep a few in my wallet.
• Watch/time keeping device: Be on time or early. Don’t keep people too long. Short and sweet, have a watch or other time keeping device.
• Jewelry: I am by no means a girly girl (well, I guess a lot more now than I was), but jewelry is an easy way to accentuate your outfit at the office without buying a new wardrobe. I use jewelry to add color to my otherwise black, black, and more black outfits. Keep the pieces simple and classy.
• Blazer +1 (to leave at the office or in the car in case of emergency): Blazers! You’re probably thinking, but you listed that earlier! Yes, I sure did. This should show you how essential these things are to your wardrobe. Keep an extra blazer at the office or in the car or both, you never know when you suddenly have to meet with the executives or when you will spill tomato basil soup all over you.

Collect these pieces as a normal part of your life, a blazer here, a blazer there, a blazer everywhere…just kidding…but opting for one of these pieces instead of the new shoes you were about to buy will pay off. Trying to buy all of these items just before you need the items will be costly and stressful. Take your time, look for sales. Personally, I opt for when stores have semi-annual clearance and take an additional 30-70% off of clearance items.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.

10 Things You Need for Your First Day at Work

Congratulations! 

You sailed past the torrential waves of applicants and interviews to finally land your new job. Smooth sailing from here, right? Not quite…the initial impression you make with your team will have a far reaching and long lasting impact on your career at your new organization. Begin mapping out a successful career by preparing the following to navigate unexpected first day obstacles to a great first day start of a promising career.

•   Pen + Paper (preferably a notepad or portfolio with a pen clip): Odds are your work area will be stocked with basic office supplies, but most likely you will speak with several people before getting to your new space. Day 1 is a lot to take in, make it easier to remember by taking notes. 
• Cash: I know we live in an electronic world of credit/debit cards, mobile payments, even virtual currency! Cash?! Some companies have cafes that allow you to pay with your badge, but your badge is probably not active yet and the cafes may not accept these ‘new-fangled’ payment methods. Wait, isn’t my team or manager supposed to take me out to lunch? Not always, plus schedules are busy. Don’t rely on the expected and just bring a twenty just in case (emergency snacks!).
• Government-issued ID: You’re new; few people know who you are. Plus, there may be some remaining new hire needed and you don’t have your badge yet. Bring along the ID.
• Appropriate apparel: Remember, keep it professional. Call ahead and speak with the recruiter/hiring manager, ask them what you need to bring, what you need to wear, and when and where you need to arrive.
• Contact information of your manager: Get this before the unexpected happens. You never know if you’ll end up stuck in traffic for 3 hours (yes, me), sprain your ankle (yes, me), or lock yourself accidentally in the office stairwell (actually, not me). Trust me, it’s better to let your manager know instead of him or her wondering what happened to you.
• Contact information of the recruiter: Nothing is worse than finally getting to the building and realizing you don’t actually know where to go or who you are supposed to speak to. No worries, give your recruiter or the person that contacted you during the hiring process a call and ask.
• Breath freshener: Trust me, always have this on hand.
• Comfy shoes: You may be spending your entire first day on your feet: walking, touring the facilities, meeting your coworkers. Instead of awkwardly shifting feet every few seconds or longingly staring at chairs and benches, how about just wearing some comfortable shoes (office appropriate of course)?
• Timeliness: I’m sure you’ve heard this. Being on time is late. You probably get frustrated when your flight is delayed or someone is late to dinner; don’t be the delayed flight or late person at dinner. If you arrive early and others are there, it’s a chance to develop relationships. If it’s just you, then you have a little bit of breathing room to relax and prepare for the meeting.
• Excitement and enthusiasm: Your position is only available because there’s a need for you. Your team is most likely excited about you joining to help out the team, but even if they aren’t, excitement and enthusiasm for the work and your coworkers goes a long way.

These things may seem tiny and inconsequential, but first impressions are always sculpted by the subtle details. I remember one coworker sharing he knew I would be great to work with based on our first meeting due to my organization and enthusiasm (apparently I arrived at the meeting a couple minutes early with a pen and paper and seemed interested in the meeting topics – score for a favorable first impression!).

At the very least, now you have a quick checklist to run through when getting ready for your big day!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the blogger and are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.