Everyone Is a Project Manager

If you’re reading this, then you’re a project manager.

Maybe you’re not certified or it’s not your official job title, but project management is everywhere. Let’s start with defining a project. “A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.” Lucy was not a project manager when she and Ethel were stuffing chocolates in their mouth, and neither were Laverne and Shirley when they put their gloves on the bottles at the Shotz Brewery assembly line. However, all of the times Jim pranked Dwight in “The Office” were temporary events with unique results, so Jim was project managing!

So how can you be a better project manager? It’s all about managing expectations…for your stakeholders, your team members and the people who will eventually be consuming your product/service/result. Set your expectations at the start of the project. These could be goals, standards or a description of how something will work. Some samples of expectations to set are:

• Project Goals
• Timeline
• Stakeholders
• Communication Plan
• Milestones
• Budget

Setting these expectations at the start will allow you and others to see what the end result should be, and allow you to measure your progress along the way. 

The first step is to identify the stakeholders. Oftentimes it’s yourself, which is fine because you know what you like. But it could be your parents, friends, kids, coworkers, clients, or even God! In a software engineering project, the stakeholders could be project managers, product owners, executives, customers, or end-users…anyone with a vested interest in or influenced by the project. My first project was with a customer 3,000 miles away, which made connecting with the stakeholders difficult. However with efficient meetings and open ears, I was able to establish great working relationships with them which made working together enjoyable and the project more successful.

Managing a project often includes managing a budget. Especially when you’re planning a wedding, staying within a budget is key to keeping the most important stakeholder, your significant other, happy. In the business world, staying within budget will increase your chances of landing another project with your customer. 

One of the most important parts of a project is communication. You’ll want to set those expectations at the start as well. Say you’re building a house, you might want a weekly update from the builder, or have the cell phone number of the general contractor. In your software engineering project, you’ll be creating a communication plan which outlines the who, what, when, where and how for all communications. Everyone on your team will always know. Once the communication lines are established, it’s imperative that when obstacles arise, the stakeholders are made aware and provided with options to move forward.

Additionally, every project has risks you’ll want to manage. While some risks are out of your control (rain on your wedding day), you will surely have identified these risks and come up with a risk mitigation plan should said event happen. In the IT space, these risks could have huge impacts on budgets and timelines. Highlighting these risks will allow the team to be prepared for them, minimizing their impact on the project. 

Whatever the project you choose to undertake, you’ll undoubtedly learn something from it to carry forward to your next project. If you’ve decided you love the structure and organization that project management requires, there is an entire organization dedicated to improving your project management skills, learning new skills or even getting a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification to show others you formally know what you’re doing! Check it out. If you’re not ready for the PMP certification, I recommend getting your Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification as you will learn the basics and structure of agile software development projects. It’s easily obtainable in a weekend and you’re guaranteed to pass the test. Learn more.