Project Manager onboarding plan
Project managers usually inherit work in progress. Onboarding should give them the state of each project, the delivery method and who decides what, before they take over.
What good onboarding achieves
Deliver projects on scope, time and budget using the company's delivery method, with clear stakeholder communication.
Week one example
- Day 1: Project tool access; meet manager and team.
- Day 2: Delivery method, templates and reporting expectations.
- Day 3: Status of each project to be handed over.
- Day 4: Meet key stakeholders and sponsors.
- Day 5: Join project rituals; draft a takeover plan.
30/60/90 progression
- Day 30: Has taken over projects with an agreed status baseline.
- Day 60: Runs projects and reporting independently.
- Day 90: Delivers a milestone and improves one part of the delivery process.
People to meet (examples)
- PMO or delivery lead
- Project sponsors
- Team leads
- Finance contact for budgets
Systems to learn (examples)
- Project management tool
- Time tracking
- Reporting templates
- Document storage
Manager checkpoints
- Week 1: takeover plan
- Day 30: status baselines
- Day 60: first owned report
- Day 90: milestone review
Common mistakes
- Handing over projects with no written status
- Unclear decision rights for scope changes
- Not meeting sponsors
- Changing method mid-project
Checklist
- Project tool access
- Method and templates reviewed
- Project statuses handed over
- Sponsors met
- Risks and issues reviewed
- Budget status reviewed
- Reporting cadence agreed
- Takeover plan approved