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Project Management
- Do you like to organize and plan things?
- Are you a good communicator?
- Are you often a leader on team projects?
- Do you like to be on time?
- Are you good at managing money?
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CLICK HEREProject Management could be your future career path
Project management is the process of achieving goals that result in the completion of a project. A “project” can be a great many things. It can be the creation and delivery of a presentation, a website, a window display, or moving to a new home.
Project Management creates value for a business by delivering solutions that solve business problems, often before they even happen. Part of the value of planning a project is anticipating what can go wrong and making sure those things don’t happen- or at least are a lot less likely to happen.
Project Management is a digitally-enabled career pathway because the job relies on software to plan and deliver results. Project managers are crucial in business and technology companies and sometimes work as part of a tech team to deliver technological solutions.
Watch this 2 minute video for a quick overview of Project Management.
Want to try it out now?
You have been asked to plan a family reunion picnic or a school event, like a dance. You are in charge of making sure this happens by the selected date, which is in 2 months time. Make a list of all the things that need to get done.
Try to be very detailed and specific in your list. Include - what needs to be done by when, who will do each task, who needs to be involved, what the costs are, who needs to give permission for what,etc. Also list what could go wrong and the back up plan. Make your list using a Word or Excel/Sheets document.
Here are some of the questions you should address in your project plan:
- What are the requirements for the project? For example, do you need a DJ for the school dance, food for the reunion picnic.
- How many people will be attending the reunion/dance? This is the scope or scale of the project.
- How will you organize the work? What work should come first, second, etc.? Does everything happen sequentially or are some tasks ongoing in parallel? These are the project phases.
- What is the span of time it takes to do the work? Create due dates.
- How much is the budget for the project? Create the total amount, and then divide it by parts of the project.
Now try this with a digital Project Management tool.
Trello is a simple project board that would typically be used in a business environment. Project Managers use tools like Trello to keep track of the tasks using a project board.
Use Trello to create a project plan for the family reunion or school dance project.
- Step 1 - Create a free account on trello.com
- Step 2 - Once you have signed in you will see ‘Most Popular Templates’. Click on the ‘Project Management’ template.
- Step 3 - Click around the site - it is public. You can see how Trello recommends you use the boards and how others are using the tool.
- Step 4 - Create your own board for a project. Use the example of planning a school dance, or any project you are currently working on. Be sure to consider the project’s purpose and expected outcome, a timeline outlining what needs to be done and how long it will take. Split these tasks into small parts.. Consider how to involve other people to accomplish the goals.
Meet a few Professionals who work in the Field
Watch these videos of various Project Managers talking about their jobs.
Understand the Business
Businesses use different methods for project management.
Generally speaking, Project Managers are required to create a budget and project plan. A project is usually managed in “phases”. A simple example of project phases would be something like “Plan, Build, Run” where each phase of the project is run in sequence: first Plan, then Build and then Run the project.
A Project Manager is responsible for creating a project plan for each phase of the project as well as defining and documenting detailed tasks, assigning them to different people and tracking their progress. The Project Manager is overseeing and ensuring that each phase of a project is executed on time until the project is delivered.
It’s important to know who is paying for the project and counting on its delivery. This is often known as a project sponsor. There are also other stakeholders on the project. The roles and responsibilities of each person involved in the project are documented in a responsibility chart or a RACI chart. Defining roles and responsibilities at the beginning of a project helps insure project clarity in terms of goals and objectives, timelines and budgets. A key responsibility of a Project Manager is to communicate and manage expectations of all stakeholders.
Agile project management has become popular in recent years and is typically used when an organization is building software. A goal of Agile project management is to deliver small, incremental parts of the project quickly so results can be observed sooner. To achieve this, the project is divided into distinct periods, say 2 - 4 weeks each. Each period is called a sprint. Each sprint has a small number of deliverables according to a plan. For example, in a software development project, Sprint 1 might deliver the login page and allow users to log on and enter their home address and shopping preferences. In a subsequent sprint, developers might add a shopping cart.
During each sprint, a team works on the deliverables. Team members are often drawn from different departments that have a stake in the project including business stakeholders. For example, if the project is to build a new website then the marketing team, the engineering team, UX design team, and cybersecurity team all have to be involved. When different parts of an organization join to work on a project, the team is sometimes called a scrum team. Scrum teams normally have a daily “standup” meeting where every person on the team talks about what they are working on that day. The Project Manager who leads these meetings and is managing the agile project delivery can be called the ‘Scrum Master’.
There are several advantages to this method of project management:
- It maximizes communication between people. Sometimes communication can break down when people tackle challenges from different perspectives and different teams have different roles on a project. But if the scrum works together constantly from the beginning, communication breakdowns can be avoided.
- It allows the work to be broken down into smaller, more manageable parts. If there are problems that arise, they can be caught along the way, instead of waiting until the end and finding something that did not work out.
A Project Manager, who is the team leader, helps the team keep track of the project progress, and usually uses a digital tool to keep track of progress. Common digital project management tools are Excel, MS Project, Trello, Asana, Basecamp, Jira, Gantt Charts, Smartsheets, etc.
Every industry and every business needs project management.
Large companies have teams of project managers who work on different projects. Smaller companies may have project managers work on multiple projects at the same time.
For example, if a large company is building a new mobile app, the team might include:
- A Product Manager, to manage the development of the app
- 2 Back-End Developers, to integrate the app into the network systems
- 1 Front-End Developer, to build the software
- 1 UX Designer, to design the app so that the its user friendly
- 1 Project Manager, to coordinate the team and manage towards completing the tasks that each person is responsible for
Note: Product Managers and Project Managers are different positions, even though they sound the same and some of their functions can overlap. Project Managers are usually involved in the initial delivery or implementation of a project while Product Managers typically manage the ongoing development of a product that’s already “shipped” to the market. Product Managers develop plans and roadmaps over time and are responsible for making sure that the product meets the needs of the customer and the company. Project Managers focus on coordinating projects and processes to complete a project (which could be the development of a product or something else). Sometimes their responsibilities can overlap and they often work on the same team, even though they have separate roles.
The Job Outlook
According to the US Department of Labor, the job outlook for Project Managers is bright - this is a field likely to grow. Project managers can earn on average between $49k - $159k, depending on the geographic region you live in, level of skill and company.
You can explore the job outlook and salary ranges nationally at My Next Move. If you are in NYC you can see average salaries for Project Managers at BuiltInNYC.
Career Paths
There are many paths to a job as a Project Manager. This chart shows some entry roles and how to advance in the field.
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Project Management is a field where you can create your own pathway. Read how Noorbani, Amina and Chris got started.
Postsecondary training is essential to enter the field. Choices include:
- Pursue a college degree - Associate or Bachelors - and major in Digital Project Management or IT Project Management or Business Administration
- Earn reputable certifications such as:
- Project Management Professional certification (PMP)
- Program Management Professional (PgMP)
- Agile certifications like Agile Scrum Master
For more information, Project Management Institute offers a number of certifications, including PMP®: Project Management Professional.
Companies such as Google and Asana offer online certifications.
Skills to Pay the Bills
Take stock of the skills you already have to see if project management is a good path for you.
You can clearly explain things. You enjoy working in teams and motivating people. Project Managers need to use multiple ways to communicate quickly and clearly, both in person and digitally.
You are a planner. You’re good at coordinating. On a team you make sure the work gets done to a high standard. You can deal with changes and adjusting plans doesn’t worry you. You can manage risks and achieve outcomes. Project Managers make sure the project gets completed, on time, and on budget.
You will constantly be using everyday productivity tools like the Google or Microsoft suite, including email, drive, dropbox, digital calendars, Word/Docs, Excel/Sheets and Powerpoint/Slides.
You’ll also be using communication tools like Slack and video conferencing software like Zoom, Webex, Teams. It will be good to be familiar with work management tools like Trello, Asana, Jira, Smartsheet, which are pretty easy to learn on your own. You can sign up for a free trial for any of these tools and you’ll have a week to play around to see if you enjoy learning these skills.
Skills you will Learn
Postsecondary training is essential to enter a cybersecurity field.
Different project management approaches fit different situations or projects. Being familiar with them and their basic differences helps pick the best approach to a project. Some companies might stick with one approach but being versatile with many approaches is helpful. Approaches to project management include:
- Waterfall
- Agile
- SCRUM
- Lean
- Kanban
- XP (Extreme Programming)
Review a Job Description
Job Descriptions are the way a company recruits and hires talent. You can learn a lot from a Job Description about the skills and qualifications you need to prepare for the job. Even if you are not ready to apply for a job now, learning to read the Job Description can help you prepare for what you need to do after high school.
This company is hiring a Junior Project Manager. This is an entry level job. Read the job description and take note of all the skills you need to apply for the job. As you read, look for the technical skills that you will need to learn, and the human behavior skills that you are already good at.
GET PREPARED
Make Your Plan
Be ready to apply to this job in a few years by writing a paragraph of less than 250 words explaining why you want the job and why you will be a good fit for the company.
- Why you want to pursue a career in project management and specifically what aspects of this position interests you
- What skills you have that will be an asset for this kind of job
- What skills you need to learn after high school, and what certifications you intend to pursue
- What is the career path you see for yourself in the future?
Keep this paragraph as part of your career plan.
