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Software Project Manager Primer
By Taran Rampersad
Contributing Writer
Article Date: 01.15.03
Sooner or later, someone steps into your office and
says, “You’re
a project manager.” It’s that quick, it’s that unannounced.
It’s as though it’s expected that, just by hearing those words,
you’ll magically know what you’re supposed to do, how you’re
supposed to do it, and when things are supposed to get done.
If you’re very lucky, you’ll increase your salary. If you’re
like most, you won’t.
What’s more, you may have inherited a project that is already
underway.
It doesn’t have to happen that way, but it does happen, and
it happens quite a bit. In the present IT and Development job
market, it’s probably going to happen more frequently. What
makes it worse is that there is no standard job description
for a Software Project Manager.
You can read as many books and articles as you wish, you can
get certified in all fashions the bottom line, though, is
succeeding as a Project Manager. It’s a lot like starting out
in the IT world the only real way to learn is by doing, asking
questions, and learning from mistakes.
Being in charge of a project can really be intimidating and
if it isn’t, then you’ve either successfully done it before,
had too much caffeine, or don’t know what you’re in for. This
article is for the people who suddenly find themselves in a
Project Management position and don’t know what they are supposed
to be doing or how to do it.
Why Me?
Typically, people who tell you that you’re a Project Manager
think that you have the capability to do it, but they haven’t
told you what is expected of you. If you have a formal software
process, you have it easier you can check the process, and
see what you need even look at past project information and
see what was done, and how.
If you take a few minutes and consider your experience, you
may be pleasantly surprised. Almost any job experience within
IT prepares you for your role as a project manager. If you’re
a System Administrator, you understand how to manage a complex
network and to troubleshoot it. If you’re a Software Developer,
you know how to write software that accomplishes certain tasks.
A project can be approached either way.
You’re doing what you’re good at. It’s just a different project.
You’re projects are now projects.
OK. Where Do I Start?
If this is a brand-new project, you have to
make sure quite a bit gets done. Typically, when a new project
manager takes over, there is a meeting. When a new project starts,
there is a meeting. When a project ends there is a meeting.
Go in prepared with at least a pen and paper; the details are
important.
Some things that are typical of starting a new project are:
-
Proposal Writing: To free up funds/resources
for your project.
-
Project Costing: How much it will cost, including
resources and time.
-
Project Planning And Scheduling: Landmarks,
milestones and such.
- Personnel
Selection/Evaluation
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These four items are important for starting up. If you’ve inherited
the project, you’ll want this information immediately so that
you can check and see where the project is, how much money you
have in the budget, what milestones have been met, and which
ones need to be met. If you don’t know how to do these things
at your company, start asking questions. You may not need to
do the proposal or project costing it may be your boss’s job,
for instance but you should be aware of the information.
Unfortunately, if you’re replacing someone who left mid-project,
that individual probably wasn’t giving his or her best to the
project - it may be either behind schedule, over budget, behind
schedule, or all of the above. Stand by for heavy rolls in high
seas! At least you now know where the project is and can therefore
have a positive effect on it. Once you have this personal
baseline, which is a snapshot of how things are going within
the project now, you can share this information with your boss,
so he or she knows what the status is.
If you don’t have a formal process to work from, take time to
sit down and think about what is expected of you. Think of the
specifics of the project, and get the perspectives of everyone
on the team both as individuals and as a group. This includes
your boss as well; though you may not realize it, he or she
is an integral part of your team. How active your boss is on
the project depends on you.
Historic project information (if available) is a treasure trove
to the beginning Project Manager. Simply reviewing past projects
is a great way to learn the ropes, because you gain the benefit
of learning from mistakes made by others and if you’re smart,
you won’t repeat them.
Where a lot of people seem to go wrong here is that they don’t
ask questions, instead thinking they can hack their way through.
Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. Either way,
asking questions of people who have handled projects at your
company or the person/people Project Management reports to
can save you a lot of time, frustration, hair and Pepto-Bismol
™ (or whatever new brand that the pharmaceutical companies have
sold you).
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