That’s a loaded question for sure. Here’s my take on the answer, it’s the dreaded “it depends” answer, but wait there’s more….I promise!
In my personal experience the difficulty of being a project manager isn’t so much that the work is difficult, but the responsibility of having no authority can be stressful. Here’s an analogy that will make you laugh or become offended. “It’s like Obama in his first term. He had a lot of responsibility, but couldn’t quite muster the authority. ” True story! Being a project manager takes real people skills and not the ones your mama taught you. Being nice isn’t the end all be all and the golden rule won’t make you the poster boy (or girl to be politically correct) of project management. While a lot of “being” a project manager is about working well with others it’s also about knowing what to do next from a process perspective.
English: Executing Process Group Processes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This is where it can be really tricky. There are really three types of processes. Their are industry/technology processes, organizational processes and then there are project management processes. Without a doubt you should know the PM processes because that is going to be your “framework” for success. Understanding your industry processes for building networks, launching marketing campaigns, or implementing a bridge are very unique and if you simply don’t know your industry project management can be a real killer. Especially since project managers live and “die” by the success of their projects. The last type of process involves your organization. Each one has it own way of doing things. I’ve experienced the 6 month process intensive learning curve of global corporations and the less than 20 people based organizational processes. Both are different, but all are the same. Huh? Meaning they have their differences, but both come with a rule book. The faster you learn the rules the quicker you can win at playing the game.
Being a project manager is partially about being “technically” (know the ins and outs) competent in your field of expertise. In the larger companies you will usually have SMEs that help to form your team so technical knowledge isn’t always a must. In the smaller shops you typically gotta know your stuff. However, to everything there is a caveat. This is one the reasons why I like project management. It can be very flexible in the sense that there is something for everyone. You just gotta find whats right for you.
Project management is a field where your work is produced from the objective you are trying to accomplish or the deliverable you are trying to produce. There is very little direction given to project managers on how to get the job done. That’s where most of the responsibility comes into play, but the difficult part is getting others to do the job when EVERYONE has competing constraints. Keeping everyone focused and organized will be a big part of your ability to succeed. And doing it with multiple teams varying in size and complexity. I’ve juggled 12 teams averaging 5 to 7 team members and it can be a tough gig. Everyone is depending on you to remember everything.
success (Photo credit: the|G|™)
Finally the one way to ensure your success is to know thyself. Be honest with yourself about how you like to get things done. Play to your strengths and allow others to strengthen your weaknesses. You may not be that technical and like to do things yourself. Stop! Delegate and allow someone else to do quicker and better. You may find it paperwork a chore let someone else who is seeking experience as a project manager do the paperwork (just double check to make sure it gets done). The point is not to get everyone to do your job, but to invest in the growth of others while successfully accomplishing the project objectives and delivering excellent service to your client(s). Think you can handle the grind? Go get em tiger!
Jahquay Hyles
HowToPassThePmExam.com
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Keeping everyone focused and organized will be a big part of your ability to succeed. And doing it with multiple teams varying in size and complexity.
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