Project Management: The Art of Making Things Happen (With People)
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On a project early on, I genuinely believed that being a good project manager meant mastering the processes. Get the plan right. Build the perfect schedule. Track every dependency. I spent hours on Gantt charts and risk registers, convinced that was the work.
Then I watched a project with flawless plans completely fall apart because I hadn't paid attention to the team dynamics. The processes were perfect. The people weren't aligned. That's when it hit me: all the templates in the world won't save you if you can't bring people together.
Project management is people management.
Steven Bartlett puts it plainly: "Everything the organisation produces, good or bad, originates from the minds of the members of your group of people." That's the reality. Your deliverables don't come from spreadsheets. They come from people.
Your job isn't to be every instrument in the orchestra. It's to be the conductor who brings everyone's expertise together. And that means more than just coordination. It means:
- Leading teams through uncertainty when plans fall apart
- Building trust when stakeholders pull in different directions
- Managing conflicts without losing momentum
- Understanding what your team needs (not just what the schedule says)
- Holding space when pressure hits and everything feels impossible
Yes, you're managing time, cost, quality, and scope. But here's what the textbooks don't tell you: people navigate those constraints. When a stakeholder demands faster delivery, you're not just adjusting a Gantt chart. You're managing expectations, negotiating trade-offs, and supporting a team under pressure.
The plans matter. The processes help. But your success as a PM comes down to one thing: your ability to understand, support, and align the people doing the work.
Next time you check in with your team: Ask them what's keeping them awake on the project and where they see opportunities. The people doing the work know where the real risks and wins are.
What's your biggest people challenge right now? Hit reply. I read them all and often feature reader insights in future newsletters.
Want to go deeper?
I've written a full deep-dive on what people management actually looks like in practice, or try the Mindcast for hands-on scenarios where you navigate real PM people challenges.
A Quick Word: Why I Waited Nine Years
In 2016, I wrote a detailed manual to help me pass the APMP exam. After passing it, I shelved the manual. For years.
I'd been procrastinating about sharing what I'd learned and what it means in the real world. The gap between theory and practice has always been there, and I wish I'd taken action earlier. But I kept overthinking that first step.
So in 2025, I decided to run before I can walk. Instead of perfecting the first step, I'm taking as many as I can. Letting creativity dictate direction, then pausing to see where I've landed. If you've been waiting to start something, this is your sign: just start.
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Take care and speak soon,
Bilal Jamil