It’s not easy to be a project manager.
Although project management is now easier than ever, it has become more difficult to be a project manager. Why is this? Although software automates a lot of the work for project managers, the way they use that time and the concrete value they provide has become questionable. Many people believe project managers do nothing but boss people around and waste their time. They’re not far off, however. Project Management Frameworks and Methodologies
This article is only a small portion of the story about project management. We cover it in great detail in our flagship ebook. We appreciate you subscribing. All newsletter subscribers can download this (and many other ActiveCollab Project Management Guides). Download the Ebook We are unable to subscribe you at the moment. Please double-check your email address. If issue still persist, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] Try Again How Joe the developer perceives the role
Ask any typical team member, “What is the actual job of a project manager?” They won’t be able tell you. They are familiar with the basic definition of project manager: A project manager coordinates people, communicates goals, allocates resources, monitors process, and so on. What does this really mean? Joe the developer doesn’t think project managers do anything. That’s all. They believe that a project manager’s job would be to: Organise meetings (that waste time).
Ask for status reports (which are a waste of time)
Panic over budget and deadlines (which is a waste of time)
Communicate with clients (which could waste time if needs change).
Technology is the best option (counterproductive if they don’t have a tech background).
Current work (counterproductive if they are unable to explain the reasons behind decisions)
To ensure that a person works (counterproductive), stand over your shoulders
Reward people based upon arbitrary numbers (counter-productive)
Critique other people’s work (useful, if the feedback is valid)
Tasks can be created and assigned (useful).
Spend the rest of your time between YouTube and spreadsheets (don’t waste anyone’s time).
A project manager is a person who doesn’t waste time. They just sit in their corner and create to-dos. The project manager is a key to the productivity of developers and designers, who are the ones who create things.
This is not anecdotal evidence. It is well documented that project managers are perceived as professional time-wasters. Pixar’s Toy Story was a shining success. Pixar founders were unable to convince project managers to stay on and work on another film. Why? They described their job as a nightmare. They were often disrespected, marginalized and treated as second-class citizens. Management asked artists and technical staff whether they believed that. They also felt that project managers were preventing good work by micromanaging and controlling the process. This was a team that produced one of the most innovative and successful animated movies of the last decade. The team delivered a product within a tight deadline and budget. They also made one of the most memorable movies of all time and had to devise a new workflow. 3D animation was an entirely new field, and there was no standard workflow. Pixar’s management tried everything to remedy the situation. It took them time to recognize the problem, and they continue to work on it to prevent it from happening again. Other organizations don’t either.
