Five Things I Learned As a Project Manager

During your time at the Data School each data schooler must project manage at least one project during the 4 month training. When I first found out about this I was one terrified and two had no idea how spending time as a PM would help my work as an analyst. The idea still terrifies me BUT after completing my time as PM I can't deny the benefits it has provided to me as a data analyst. Below you'll find some of the things I have learned and hope to carry with me on future projects.

  1. Being a project manager isn't easy and you have to learn to keep you pulse on your team and your clients. As an analyst, it is super easy to get buried down in your own work but there is so much power in being aware of what everyone is working on. By being aware of what is expected/going on with other analyst you may be able to save yourself a lot of time. Maybe someone is missing the same data as you and there is a need to mock up data. What is more efficient: creating one mock dataset you both could use or creating two that won't match at the end of your project? Hint: It's the first option.
  2. Having a team you trust is everything. As a project manager, you are juggling so many different tasks and being able to focus on those first in order to make sure you’re putting your team in the best position possible is everything. However, you can only do that with a solid team. I hope to continue to bring this into my work as an analyst because it allows for honest conversations about your work.
  3. You can’t get it all done. Carefully plan out what you know you can do and what you can’t and share it with your client. By doing this you begin to limit your scope and manage client expectations. As, an analyst before this experience I would say YES to everything... that just isn't possible nor is it sustainable. It's important to always have a plan and set limits for yourself to make sure you are able to deliver what you have said.
  4. Sometimes things won’t go as planned … always have a back up. Being able to pivot is what gives you the space to keep the project going even when things aren’t going your way. It’s important to meet your clients where they are at. This is something I hope to practice further with client projects. It’s very easy to forget that a client isn’t as versed in tools as your team. Learning to bridge that gap is a powerful thing. This was a huge revelation to me as an analyst because we are always told to explain something to someone that doesn't work with our tools, but when put on the spot it is easy to brush over that. It taught me that you should always have more than one way of explaining things.
  5. Keep organized. It's easier said than done but being a project manager requires an extreme amount of organization. By the end of my time as PM I had around 3 different tracking sheets along with multiple files on where things were kept and how the folders were maintained. All of this organization showed me the importance of keeping workflows tidy and calculations well annotated. At the end of the day something you work on with a company will most likely be touched by someone else at some point, the handover becomes significantly easier with proper organization and documentation.
Author:
Tabitha Diaz
Powered by The Information Lab
1st Floor, 25 Watling Street, London, EC4M 9BR
Subscribe
to our Newsletter
Get the lastest news about The Data School and application tips
Subscribe now
© 2025 The Information Lab