Megan Thompson, Senior Executive Assistant to the CTO at a Series A B2B AI startup, was tasked by her supervisor to manage the critical “Cloud Integration Initiative” alongside her regular duties.
Initially daunted by the $2.5 million project scope, Megan leveraged her expertise in collaboration software to orchestrate bi-weekly cross-functional meetings, track seven concurrent deadlines, and maintain alignment among a diverse team of 25 members across engineering, product, and marketing departments.
While continuing to manage her day-to-day responsibilities, including complex travel arrangements and investor relations, Megan successfully steered the project to completion right on schedule.
Executive Assistants like Megan are far more than calendar managers or gatekeepers—they are the unsung heroes of project management, ensuring operational excellence behind the scenes.
Consider your own role. You likely utilize key project management models and methodologies daily, from creating roadmaps and Gantt charts for events to conducting stakeholder analyses and managing risk registers. You serve as the connective tissue between departments, allocate resources efficiently, and directly contribute to increased productivity.
Aren’t these core project manager skills?
If, like Megan, you find yourself overwhelmed by the expanding scope of your responsibilities, rest assured that you’re not alone. This guide will equip you with proven strategies to integrate project management into your EA role seamlessly.
Project Management Strategies for Executive Assistants
- The Role of Executive Assistants in Project Management
- The Phases of Project Management for Executive Assistants
- Transitioning from Executive Assistant to Project Manager
- Tools for Executive Assistants in Project Management
- Challenges and Tips for Executive Assistants in Project Management
- Mastering Project Management for Executive Assistants with ClickUp
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Role of Executive Assistants in Project Management
The Harvard Business Review refers to EAs who work for C-suite executives as “the right arms to leaders, the backbone to companies, and the face of the company culture. They are the eyes, ears, and the glue of the organization.”
EAs are responsible for ensuring company operations run like clockwork. From booking regular team lunches to handling complex one-off projects such as launching a new product line, they do it all to make everyone’s lives easier. They are the necessary link between strategic intent and practical project execution.
Why executive assistants are considered project management experts
The unmatched organization, time management, problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and knowledge of project management principles make EAs top-tier project managers. Here’s why executive assistants fit well in the project management role:
- Exceptional organizational skills: Organization is the backbone of project coordination, and EAs excel at it. For example, managing convoluted schedules, prioritizing urgent and impactful tasks, and ensuring all cogs in the organization’s machinery run as anticipated are some of the core organizational skills that every executive assistant possess
- Multitasking abilities: Managing a host of operations at once is inevitable for a project manager, and EAs are adept at juggling between tasks. For example, one minute, you could be preparing for an upcoming board presentation, and the next minute, you’re coordinating the availability of your managing partner
- Managing resources: Looking after logistics is another responsibility of an executive assistant, which overlaps with that of a project manager. For example, EAs manage organizational resources, including project budgets, technologies, tools, personnel, external vendors, documentation, or travel arrangements
Essential skills for executive assistants in managing projects
EAs need diverse skills for effective project management. Here are some of the essential ones:
- Problem-solving: EAs must be equipped to identify and resolve problems quickly. They need to be able to think on their feet and come up with fixes for from last-minute speaker cancellations to unforeseen delays that escalate project costs and timelines
- Time management: EAs must ensure that critical project deadlines are met, even as day-to-day coordination, including scheduling meetings, setting deadlines, and ensuring everyone is aware of the deadlines, takes up most of their day
- Strategic thinking: Organizing the team tasks in sync with the overall strategic objectives is also one of the core skills EAs require. For example, an EA will align a corporate conference with company project management goals by inviting industry leaders, focusing on emerging trends, targeting key stakeholders, and ensuring strategic theme alignment to boost market positioning
Day-to-day execution of project management phases by executive assistants
There are five different phases in a project management lifecycle: planning, initiation, execution, performance tracking, and review. By the nature of their jobs, an executive assistant is present to lend a helping hand at every stage of a crucial project.
Here’s a peep into the day of an executive assistant managing these phases:
- Morning: Review task progress and update the project management tool. Schedule and attend a meeting with the project team to discuss any issues and plan ahead
- Midday: Connect and coordinate with external vendors to ensure the project is on track
- Afternoon: Identify issues and communicate them to the team, as well as prepare a stakeholder meeting to review the project progress and milestones
- End of day: Review and update project timelines based on the day’s progress
While these are everyday duties, it’s a good idea to understand the phases of project management more deeply to understand the new roles and responsibilities that await you.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Phases of Project Management for Executive Assistants
Here’s what you can expect from each phase of successful project management as an EA:
1. Planning
The planning phase entails developing a project timeline. A foolproof project plan considers resource requirements and establishes how and when communication will be made with the stakeholders.
For example, an EA plans a new software rollout by allocating a budget, coordinating training sessions, scheduling system updates, managing vendor contracts, and ensuring stakeholder communication for a smooth and effective implementation.
2. Initiation
When you have a complete picture of the project goals and objectives, your next task is to break the entire project down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Now is the time to set deadlines and create different project milestones.
This breakdown keeps everyone on your team aware of their responsibilities and timelines and helps you manage your list of tasks.
For example, focus on setting important milestones such as completing requirements analysis, finishing user training, and conducting successful test runs to ensure the project stays on track.
3. Execution
The execution phase starts when the team officially enters work mode and clearly understands its roles, responsibilities, and timelines.
During this phase, an EA’s only responsibility is ensuring the team has all the necessary resources.
For example, on the rollout day, the EA manages the transition and provides real-time support and troubleshooting to ensure a smooth deployment with minimal disruption.
4. Monitoring and performance tracking
Tracking progress, reporting performance, and managing changes are crucial to ensure everything goes as planned.
For example, the EA notices significant functionality issues in the new software through weekly user feedback and performance reports during the rollout. Realizing the urgency, the EA organizes an emergency meeting with the development team, prioritizes the critical bug fixes, and schedules additional testing sessions.
This prompt action resolves the issues before the full launch, ensuring the project stays on track and meets user expectations.
5. Review
The final stage of the process is to review, learn from, and apply what you learned from the project to the future. Reflecting can help you choose a better course of action for your next project and understand your team’s strengths and limitations.
According to PMI’s most recent Talent Gap report, around 2.3 million people will be needed each year to fill project management-related positions expected to open until 2030.
This makes project management a promising career, so let’s determine what educational qualifications can make this happen.
Summarize this article for me pleaseTransitioning from Executive Assistant to Project Manager
Even though the skills of the two roles overlap, training, education, and certification can help you achieve your goals faster and transition more smoothly.
Example: Michael was an executive assistant at a marketing firm, where he managed executive schedules, coordinated marketing campaigns, handled vendor relations, and oversaw event planning. He wanted to transition to a project manager in marketing.
He completed a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification to attain formal project management knowledge. With this new certification and his experience as an executive assistant in marketing, he got hired as the marketing manager in the same company.
A Fishbowl user shared their experience transitioning from an EA to a compliance manager role. They highlighted the exceptional qualities EAs possess that are valuable in project management, such as taking note of the many projects handled and asking to be part of project management courses to become more market-ready.
Another user mentioned having two years of experience as a program coordinator, which helped them transition from an EA.
Let’s explore how you can make your transition smooth.
Necessary training and education
Formal training and education can make it easier to handle real-life project situations. Here are your options:
Project management certifications
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- Agile certifications
Project management courses and degrees
- Short-term online project management courses with universities or business schools
- Advanced programs such as Master’s in Project Management (MPM) or MBA with a specialization in project management
On-the-job training and experience
- Shadowing and mentorship to learn project management skills
- Small projects as volunteers to get hands-on experience (great way to build soft skills)
Technical tools
- Knowledge of project management tools such as ClickUp
Recommended certifications
Here’s a list of a few courses, degrees, and tools that can help you get started:
- PMP and CAPM from Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Short-term courses from online platforms such as LinkedIn Learning
- Executive education programs in project management offered by institutions like Harvard and Stanford
- Learning the intricacies of using ClickUp as a Project Management Tool and exploring features through the ClickUp University
Summarize this article for me pleaseTools for Executive Assistants in Project Management
As an executive assistant, what do you look for in an executive assistant tool besides task, time, document, project, and expense management features? ClickUp has you covered!
ClickUp is the ‘Everything app, for work.’ It brings a simple and well-managed solution to enterprise project management concerns in one place to save time and get more done.
The software lets you organize, schedule, delegate, execute, and track your tasks. Its built-in communication tools improve team collaboration. Plus, its customizable reports and dashboards are excellent for reviewing and understanding individual and collective performance to do better in the future.
Step-by-step guide on how executive assistants can use ClickUp
Here’s how most executive assistants can use ClickUp step-by-step to accomplish their roles and responsibilities:
- Sign up: Sign up for ClickUp and create a Workspace for your team
- Folders and lists: Within your Workspace, you may create spaces for each department you’re dealing with. Within Spaces, you can create Folders for each project or initiative. Now, within that Folder, make a List of all the Tasks necessary to achieve it
- Create Tasks and Subtasks: Within each list, add Tasks and break them down into Subtasks wherever required. For example, one of your Tasks can be to book a venue for an event, under which the Subtasks will be researching venues and contacting vendors
- Add tags and Custom Fields: Create ClickUp Tags such as ‘Urgent’ or ‘Client involvement’ to categorize and filter Tasks. You can also add a Custom Field that contains more details about the Tas, such as its budget or priority level
- Assign Tasks: Assign Tasks and Subtasks to your team and set up due dates right within ClickUp
- Tracking and reporting: Use ClickUp’s Project Time Tracking feature to track the time spent on each task and generate reports to analyze the progress of the team
- Review and adjust: Review the progress of the project through 15+ custom views, such as ClickUp’s Gantt Chart View or the Board View
ClickUp isn’t solely useful for executive assistant roles and responsibilities; it can also assist with more advanced project management. Let’s look at its key benefits as a project management software.
Key features and benefits of using ClickUp for project management
ClickUp brings your team closer through connected workflows and keeps you on top of the deadlines with its views and notifications. What’s more? It provides a fully customizable project management solution for every team—from marketing and sales to HR and ops.
Monitor project KPIs easily
For starters, you need a complete picture of your project. ClickUp Dashboards provide an at-a-glance view of key project metrics and progress. Use them to:
- Track project performance and identify areas for improvement
- Keep teams organized and on task throughout the project timeline
- Enable stakeholders to access important project data quickly
- Visualize project progress through customizable charts and graphs
- Centralize communication and issue resolution for the project via chat features
Simplify task management
Create ClickUp Tasks and Subtasks to break your project into manageable smaller units. This tool lets you create different task types, customize task status, set priority levels, get more context with custom fields, and even interlink Tasks.
Delegate busy work to AI and automations
Further, project management and AI are an extraordinary combination.
ClickUp Brain lets you fast-forward all your project management operations by automatically generating subtasks based on task descriptions, sharing daily and weekly standup updates async, and summarizing comment threads. It’s like having an invisible copilot who will take the busy work off your plate, an assistant’s assistant if you will.
You can use it with ClickUp Docs to generate a project report, draft executive summaries, expand on key suggestions, and even brainstorm ideas for simplifying and fast-tracking your work.
To save time and reduce human error, ClickUp Automations enables you to automate repetitive tasks like assigning tasks, sending notifications, and updating statuses. The ability to easily build and customize automations empowers project managers to optimize their processes and focus on higher-value work.
Track progress effortlessly
ClickUp lets you easily prioritize and plan, giving you visibility into all your projects and tasks with different views. It offers 15+ fully customizable ClickUp Views to help you manage everything your way. There are basic views such as list, board, and calendar and more advanced views such as Gantt chart, table, timeline, workload, box, activity, and mind map.
Besides tracking progress through views, use ClickUp Goals to manage all your goals in one place. You can simultaneously set up task targets, number targets, progress roll-ups, true/false targets, and budget targets.
The best part? ClickUp doesn’t work in silo, which means you and your team can integrate ClickUp with 1000+ tools, such as Slack, GitHub, HubSpot, Harvest, Google Drive, and Dropbox, to ensure a smoother workflow.
Templatize workflows
Don’t have the time to set up a control center for your entire project manually?
Hit the ground running with the ClickUp Project Management Template, which supports your project operations from inception to completion.
Here’s how this template can assist you:
- Create, assign, and track different tasks within a project to keep everyone on the same page
- Customize the template based on your workflows and requirements depending on the type of project at hand
- Analyze task progress at a glance with various views and goal-tracking
- Apply tags and filters to organize and segregate tasks based on the list of priorities
Organizations worldwide have found ClickUp to be the most effective way to organize their projects and accomplish their ambitious goals.
When asked how ClickUp helps accomplish goals, the People Piece company remarks:
Summarize this article for me pleaseChallenges and Tips for Executive Assistants in Project Management
While the two job roles overlap, EAs face certain project management challenges that are crucial to understand.
Here are the most common ones:
Balancing multiple responsibilities
EAs who work in project management often have to juggle administrative responsibilities and project management tasks. As a result, managing their time and balancing responsibilities can be challenging.
Tip: Set up regular check-ins, update systems, and use frameworks like the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize tasks to keep yourself from feeling overwhelmed.
Handling stress and conflict
Dealing with tight deadlines, high expectations, and unpredictable situations can be difficult at once. It can cause anxiety and sometimes even lead to conflicts.
Tip: Take breaks, practice mindfulness use relaxation techniques, and work with transparency to minimize the chances of stress and conflict.
Managing change
Adjusting and re-adjusting project plans can be challenging, especially when multiple stakeholders are involved. These last-minute readjustments can significantly increase the duties of EAs.
Tip: Always keep a contingency plan in store to implement a structured plan and manage change effectively.
Finally, let’s look at a few strategies for managing the two roles simultaneously and attaining success as a project manager.
Strategies to overcome challenges as an executive assistant
- Think ahead: Always have a backup plan so you can handle the project effortlessly despite the challenges
- Collaborate with others: Don’t try to do it all—leverage your team’s strength and delegate responsibilities to make the project a success
- Make use of technology: Rely on technology to automate and accelerate mundane tasks and make your processes more efficient
Also, always remember that skills such as quick problem-solving, reading comprehension, and clear communication can help you excel as an EA transitioning into the role of a project manager.
It’s also important to accurately interpret project documents and plans so you can make better decisions and execute projects successfully.
Summarize this article for me pleaseMastering Project Management for Executive Assistants with ClickUp
A three-way approach of education (for developing both hard and soft skills), hands-on experience, and job experience as an executive assistant makes stepping into the shoes of a project manager easy.
ClickUp’s project management templates and administrative professional management solutions simplify your role in both categories. Its ability to build connected workflows, increase transparency in goal accomplishments, and simplify allocations renders it an invaluable project management solution.
Sign up for ClickUp today and join a community of thriving project managers.
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