I’ve known Project Managers who are just paper shufflers, finger pointers, gantt chart fillers, and milestone update naggers. They provide no value add.
A PRINCEII certification do not a Project Manager make.
Like those in the recruitment industry who get tarnished by the few unscrupulous bad apples, I feel the same when I hear jokes about useless Project Managers.
A good PM will grease the path of success and remove obstacles along the way. The work itself, the camaraderie with your team, the technical challenges should be something to look forward to, not dread.
f you’re working in a bigger company, with sizable projects that require a PM, and a team of more than 1, then there is an expectation that the Project Manager will do their job and leave you alone so that you can do yours.
That’s the expectation anyway.
I see it as my personal mission to create such an environment for my project team.
For those consultants who work in a small partner, and who’ve had to front a project by themselves – gathering requirements, managing the client and their expectation, scope changes, as well as managing conflict at times – on top of their day job designing, building, testing, training and deploying the system, I take my hat off to you.
I’ve said before – working in a smaller outfit imbues you with an all-round super power, one that will come in very valuable in any professional area you decide to move into.
I’ve worked with partners of all sizes, from a 2 man outfit to a small 7 person company, and everything in between right up to a big Tier 1 consulting partner with over 200,000 people.
Anyone who moves into a larger company from a small consulting outfit will be able to adapt very well. I believe the reverse is harder.
When you’re used to just doing one specific thing very well, being expected to do addiitonal duties like managing third party vendors or client’s changing requirement when those used to be the job of the PMs in your previous role, can be a big adjustment to make.
Not impossible, just a bit more challenging.
I’ve loved working in both small and larger firms; they all have their merits.
Do you have a favourite?
#sizedoesntmatter
#adaptability
#zenhaoprotip
#ProjectManagement
#salesforceconsultingprojects