Here at Futureheads HQ we see so much value in having a strong project management function in a digital business.
Through our daily meetings with both project managers and clients, we see first-hand the impact of both good and bad project management on the success or failure of a digital delivery.
We would advise any start up or new digital business to get your project management house in order from the outset, ensuring that PM is established as a core part of your team structure.
Why is a project manager needed from the get-go, and what skills does a project manager bring?
Like good people management, good project management can be invisible – the PM’s job is to keep everything ticking along smoothly
Context please
Contrary to some popular beliefs, the PM isn’t a paper-pusher who sits behind a GANT chart, endlessly tracking budgets and timelines.
A good PM is much more than that, and is actually a crucial communication filter at the heart of the project.
Breadth and context is their forte: the PM takes a “helicopter view” of the entire project set-up and the people involved, they understand all roles in the project team, the wishes and temperament of the client, the business metrics and deliverables.
Take the pain away
Like good people management, good project management can be invisible – the PM’s job is to keep everything ticking along smoothly.
Whilst everything appears calm and controlled to the team, the PM is constantly resolving issues, pushing along progress, cajoling and negotiating – they’re your classic swan. It’s often only when you’ve been on the receiving end of poor PM, which is highly visible to everyone, that you recognise the value of good PM.
Collaboration is king
A good PM is a crucial communication filter at the heart of the project
In the current digital era, when we are so often delivering projects in a landscape of Agile methodologies and iterative processes, and when omni-channel delivery warrants several organisations working together as a consortium, solid PM skills are even more key.
A good PM is the multi-tasking, plate-spinning collaborator you definitely want on your team in this landscape.
Communication, communication, communication
After 16 years of hiring PMs we know that a successful PM comes with a stack of soft skills as well as ruthless efficiency – they should have communication and interpersonal skills in spades.
So when recruiting a PM, keep these interpersonal skills in the forefront of your minds – ask them to talk you through some real scenarios.
How have they resolved difficult issues such as client dissatisfaction, misunderstandings about the brief, a team member having a personal crisis during the critical delivery phase?
Constant communication, empathy, collaboration, relationship building and problem solving skills are just as crucial as the ability to run that GANT chart.
At the end of the day if you don’t employ a PM, it’s likely your project will still get delivered but at the cost of a lower profit margin, a less satisfied client and a more frazzled team. And who wants that?
Futureheads’ Rachel Murray and Gill Arnold contributed to this month’s column
image credit: flickr/dierkschaefe