A better title might actually be, “Do you know when you are dealing with a project manager?”
Project managers are going to ask a lot of questions. If you’ve worked with a seasoned project manager, I’m sure you’ve heard some, or maybe even all, of these questions:
- Who are the stakeholders?
- What is the expected due date?
- Is there a budget?
- Who controls the budget?
- Who controls the acceptance of the final product?
- Who is your single point of contact?
- Have you read my project plan?
- What’s the scope?
- Where is the creative brief?
- Where is the site map?
- Is this approved to move forward?
- Why weren’t you in my weekly status meeting?
- If it didn’t pass QA then how can you expect it to go live?
- If you make additions and changes now, why do you feel the release date shouldn’t change?
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Q: What’s one of the wisest questions you can ask companies you work with?
A: How experienced is your project management team?
For every project brought into the work-flow, project managers are asked to create solid schedules that project the milestones.
No problem! “Love it!” (Hear the hint of singing in my voice as I say those words.)
In my 14 years as a project manager, I’ve learned the risks and timing involved in building a schedule for a variety of situations. Creating a schedule is the starting point or the roadmap. It gives the direction, the timing – it is the plan. From that foundation the work-flow is generated and tracked with precision and enthusiasm.
Experienced project managers know how to lay out a foundation and project the reality of the timing for everyone involved in the project. It’s taking the conjecture, assumptions and “what ifs” out of the equation and replacing it with a clear, well-thought-out, realistic plan of action. (So if you ever wanted a job that makes a difference and makes things happen – being a project manager is it!)
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It can be so hard to deal with the end, even if it is of a project.
So it has ended! The painfully long project with its highs and lows at every turn. Most would think, let’s just close the project, file it away and move on. Wrong – this is the perfect opportunity to stop and look at what happened and see what can be implemented in the next one that will allow for a better experience and improvement in quality.
The definition of post mortem is “done, occurring, or collected after death,” essentially saying that something is “over.” Naturally, when a project at work is “over,” completing a post mortem would be appropriate. They can tell you so much about the process and the impact of your project on the other stakeholders.
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There are five phases of a project – initiation, planning, execution, control and closure – and it can be like walking a tightrope to get through all of them on time and on budget.
That’s why it’s smart to identify potential “risks” that might throw your project “off balance” along the way.
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