What is the role of a project manager in a company
A project manager is a specialist who manages projects in a company. His task is to bring the project to success on time, using all the resources: money, team, and technology. For example, a company wants to create a mobile app or build a house, the project manager is the person who will listen to the wishes of the customer and pass them to the team, will control all the stages of construction and report to the customer on the result.
A good project manager works with risks, which means he always thinks a little ahead.
Project management is the work of planning and organizing resources to achieve a goal. For example, publishing a book, organizing a wedding, remodeling an office. The project manager makes sure that the team and the customer reach the goal without blowing the deadline and blowing the budget.
What a project manager should pay attention to
The project manager is involved in all phases:
- communicates with the customer;
- gathers the requirements for the project;
- agrees on and manages the budget;
- splits the project into smaller tasks;
- sets tasks for performers, monitors time and resources;
- identifies and manages risks;
- supervises the work;
- maintains project documentation;
- accepts the result of the work;
- presents the project to the customer.
A critical property of a project is time constraint. Here, as in a play, there must be a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the beginning the costs and the team are small, in the middle they become larger, in the end the costs and the number of people in the team tend to decrease. The life cycle of a project consists of several stages:
- Initiation. A business problem is defined. They outline it in broad strokes, answering the questions “why?”, “who will benefit?”, “is it feasible or not?”. They do this to see if it’s worth taking on the business.
- Planning. A process that does not interrupt throughout the project. It is necessary to discuss the terms of reference with the customer, set goals, draw a road map of the project, determine KPIs, budgets, dates and deadlines, and assign roles in the team.
- Execution. The team constructs deliverables and offers them to the customer.
- Monitoring. Goes hand in hand with execution. Project manager controls deadlines, budget, team workload and goal setting, i.e. checking if the activities that divert from the ultimate goal are not taking place.
- Completion. Usually, they make a presentation to the customer, debrief the team and, as in the case of IT projects, give support.
Let’s use an example. An online casino comes to an IT company with a task to make a mobile application. Here are the examples of the manager’s actions:
- Talks with the customer and finds out what their requirements are for the app and what it should have. Does it need a map and navigator, a spin cost calculator, a bonus system, search for the right game or provider, chat for the client, a personal account of the client with a loyalty program, acceptance of payments from the card.
- Plans and determines how much money is needed, what timeframe to do the project, what resources are needed.
- Assembles a team.
- Breaks down the project into smaller tasks to make it easier to do and assign to different specialists.
- Sets deadlines, budgets and team members or hires freelancers for the tasks.
- Ensures that all tasks are completed, keeps in constant contact with the team and the client, reconciles designers and developers, resolves problems and conflicts.
- Shows the finished application to the client. Handles objections, collects feedback and comments if needed to redo.
What skills a project manager needs
A project manager’s tasks can vary from company to company: in IT you need to understand how to do development, in digital you need to know how to launch advertising campaigns, in construction you need to know how to build houses, in casino you need to know the rules and strategies of the game. Ideally, if the manager grew up in a company from a technical specialist and knows its processes from inside.
Soft skills. The project manager is valued for independence, determination, readiness to make a decision and take responsibility.
A project manager communicates a lot with the team and customers, communication skills and interest in people are important for him. Soft skills cannot be learned – only developed through training and practice.
It is important to be stress-resistant in the profession. Even when all the deadlines are burning in the team, and the customer is waving angrily with a broom, the project manager should remain calm in order to think of ways to get out of the situation and bring the project to an end.
Hard skills. Speak fluent English, understand the development cycle, manage projects and the team, and write documents and reports. If a manager works with developers, he doesn’t have to know how to develop software, but to speak the same language with them, he needs to know at least the minimum.
How to become a project manager
Newcomers to the profession have two paths: self-training and internships, or transitioning from a technical position at your current job.
Most cases of a manager’s career advancement start at his or her current place of employment. For example, in development or testing, the future project manager grows into a seniors level specialist, and then decides where to grow. It is easiest for former developers or testers: they know the process from within, all that remains is to tighten their agile skills. For managers, it is the opposite: they know how to lead projects and manage risks, but do not understand the specifics of working in IT.
To become a project manager, you have to take on more organizational work. For example, to bring the existing processes in the company into order or control the timing of all the tasks.
Project management is about:
- constant stress;
- the ability, and most importantly, the desire to negotiate;
- the ability to take hard decisions calmly;
- persistence: to make mistakes and try again.