There is no single path into project management, but there is also no rulebook. If you are observant, determined and enthusiastic, you will find there are free opportunities to learn, to develop new skills and build up your experience. This will not require any money. And you can start now.

Know your risks from your elbow

Get savvy. This is about building your knowledge of project jargon yes, but more importantly what these things mean and why they matter. Developing knowledge will help to build your confidence and credibility.

Prince2 is fast becoming the method of choice for how projects are delivered in the UK, so start with the latest manual. Borrow it from a colleague or your local library.

Know your people

There is a wealth of information on the Internet.  Prince2 resources, blogs by project experts, forums and interest groups all have a strong web presence. Do your research: subscribe to newsletters, ask questions and leave comments on blogs. You will find out about conferences, industry meet-ups and key commentators (get their books second-hand or at the library).

Find out how projects are delivered where you work. Your organisation may have information on the intranet, document repository or library. If you have a project office at work, go see them.

Be a project manager. Right now.

You need to apply what you are learning in a practical sense so find a project and manage it.

Your first project doesn’t have to be work based; it could be a house move, a holiday, or your cousin’s best friend’s daughter’s birthday party. Volunteer. Create a plan. Is there a logical set of manageable chunks you can break the work into? What do you need to do and by when? Who do you need to keep informed? Do you need help? What skills do you need and when will they be required?  Think about what could go wrong. What will you do to make sure it doesn’t go wrong? How will you know when it has gone wrong? Learn lessons. Ask for feedback.

You don’t need an Official Title to be a project manager, just start being one. Meetings are a great opportunity to do this. Take notes, email minutes within an hour of the meeting ending. Taking notes gives you the right to ask the questions that matter: ‘Who owns this? When will it be done?’ Follow up with people. Take responsibility. Put your hand up for project work. Project Managers are doers. So do the things that need to be done.

Think about how you can make your organization or your team great. Ask for ideas. Most people have them, but they often don’t know how to present them, or they don’t have the time or the inclination (or time) to action them. The easiest things to change are forms, processes, and ways of working: things that have always been done that way because they have.

Talk to people on a one-to-one basis, test out the best ideas, and build consensus. This is called (by management consultants in smart suits) ‘getting buy-in’. Deliver. You will build a reputation as a doer.

Find your Yoda

Mentoring is a fantastic way to learn and grow. Ask around. Find someone in your organisation delivering projects well. Take them out for a coffee (no one can resist coffee). Ask them about their path to projects, what can they tell you about project delivery in your organisation. If it feels right, explain that you are looking for a mentor; someone you can meet with on a semi-regular basis to ask questions and learn from. Agree how this would work for both of you, perhaps trial the process for a few months.

There are mentoring organisations connected to industry organisations, universities and online. Often they are free. Research. Advertise.

You are a project manager. Own it

Project Management is often about leading by influence and not direction. It’s about helping people deliver by working together, showing initiative and making the most of the resources you have available. You can help make this happen without any title at all.

Start small, do the work, learn lessons, and ask for feedback.