Project Management

The role of project manager is a lot different from the role played when you are part of the team. There are a lot of important skills to pick up in this role, and I wanted to write this blog to help give some advice to anyone wondering how this will go during their time at the data school. I do want to note that everyone's experience will vary depending on the project, however there are still a few key things to note.

  • COMMUNICATION - The main part you will play as the project manager involves a mix of communication, and defining the scope and direction for the end of the week. Communication is super important in this role, and will involve taking charge of interactions with the client through the week. This was key for our project, as it involved a lot of bespoke systems and difficult terminology that needed understanding at the beginning of the week. For my part this involved a lot of back and forth emailing with the client, and setting up meetings for the team to discuss and problems. I would recommend setting up meetings through the week to show your current progress as this will also help to manage client expectations of your progress, and avoids any shocks at the end of the week when presenting your final work.
  • SCOPING THE PROJECT - As the project manager, you will be responsible for determining the scope and coverage of your work through the week. This can be intimidating, especially when working with complex data, but remember to take a step back and work out what exactly the client is looking for. Write down a few key points or questions, and then start asking how your work can answer them. Sometimes these will prove too difficult or unfeasible with the time given, so don't be afraid to rescope the project and communicate this with the client.
  • TIME MANAGEMENT - This is one of the trickier parts to work out as you will need to let everyone dive into the data and start to exploring before being able to get a solid schedule built out. Creating catch-up meetings at the end of the day will help show how the project is coming together. Make sure you have a rough outline of where you want to be during the week, and be wary of getting data late in the week. Sometimes it is best to give the clients a cut off time with new data, as it can lead to un-necessary stress and affect the quality of the end piece.
  • PRESENTATION- The presentation of your work is just as important as the work itself. Don't overlook this part as it is important to maintain professionalism in front of the client. Spend as much time as you can rehearsing this and checking for any technical difficulties (check your tooltips are showing!). As project manager you will be introducing the team so make sure to touch up on your presentation skills as you will help determine the first impressions. Feed back into how the work answers the clients questions, and note what went success with the project. Finally, remember to note down your feedback on what worked and what didn't so that you can learn as a group going forward.

Client projects can be stressful times after the Monday kick off call, but remember that as project manager you can use this opportunity to touch up on your soft skills. You will also be able to see how the project is coming together better than anyone else in the team, so remember to stay calm and offer support. The Monday can be stressful, but it will work out for that Friday presentation.

Author:
James Driver
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