What actually is a Project Manager?

[whatisupwiththis]

My job title is Project Manager. But I think that's an actual profession with qualifications and stuff, and I'm not one of these? I'm a manager, so I manage a team. And my team does an ongoing project for a client, an outsourced task to do with pensions. I've tried to find out what a project manager actually is though and the job descriptions as well as descriptions of project management qualifications just sound like a load of buzz words and I haven't got a clue what the job or qualification would involve. What is it please, with concrete examples?

Curiosity, that's all. I wanted to know whether or not I'm a project manager given that's what my title is. I think probably not, based on these replies.

so will you ask for a job title change?!

if projects are finite how are you in continuous employment with one company? Are we talking about specific sectors that always have finite projects on the go on a rolling basis such as building?
Good question. Yes, although many PMs are contractors, but even then often tend to work in specific sectors. At the moment I’m in large scale public sector projects, so these often run over a couple of years. At the end of the project I’ll get moved to a new one.
Think of a government policy, for example a commitment to put x number of new ultrasound machines in x number of hospitals.
The government minister knows what she wants to achieve, the ultrasound manufacturers know how to make the machines, the sonographers know how to work them, the hospital can recruit the extra technicians needed etc but someone needs to pull it all together to make it happen within the allocated budget and the timeframe required.

No need, really

Thank you very much

I'm not a project manager but generally manage projects alongside my operational role. I work in the public sector. These may include things like capital projects, refurbishments, reallocation of space, and also projects like roll-out of a new service, or achievement of accreditation for a site or service under a particular scheme. I'm not sure you are a project manager either. How do you know when your project is 'done'?

It's never "done" it's just ongoing work for a client so I suppose it's only a project in the sense that my company calls it one

I’ve never really worked with project managers, either the companies I’ve worked with have been so huge it’s been done at a much higher level and filtered down through several layers before getting to us (service department) with maybe own internal improvements but not requiring a specific manager) or so small that we all just work as a team to get things done. So it’s always been a mystery to me and this thread is quite helpful.

I worked for a Financial Service company so for me the projects were delivery of software changes to policy admin systems, process changes, marketing campaigns and training of admin teams.

In your job, an example might be commissioning a software upgrade to address identified business issues eg customer dissatisfaction, or security inadequate for FSA requirements. As project manager, you would make the business case for the new software, secure sponsorship for the project from a senior colleague, put together the project plan and budget, identify stakeholders and write the communications plan, track the project, deal with exceptions eg timetable slippage, and write the end-of project report summarising how the project had delivered against the project objectives. Alongside this, you would continue with business as usual - managing your team, checking tasks were being done to the correct standard etc.

So I’m in the emergency service sector. We have a whole team of PMs. They oversee projects such as new equipment, new computer software installations, new buildings etc. if you don’t know what a project manager is, then you’re not a proper one. Ours all have PM qualifications.

If it doesn’t have an opening or launch or go-live or completion date then it isn’t a project.
projects are new product launches, new marketing campaigns, websites, events, buildings and many other things.
but if you work operationally on stuff that never ends then you’re not really a pm.

If you are having say a house renovated. The project Manager gets quotes chooses tradesmen and monitors the work. Sometimes they have their own team of workers.

Watch a YouTube video it will help you.

Go on the APM website or ask ChatGPT. This is a really weird thread.

I’m a PM and I seem to spend a lot of time reminding (nagging) people to do their work 🙄

I’m a project manager. Well actually I’m a programme manager now which means I oversee a programme of projects that are governed by my wider programme.

For example

Managing a large transformation programme which includes a number of transformative projects such as a new computer system, implementing a new way of working, investigating and implementing improved business practices

A project always has a beginning, middle and end, and is different to business-as-usual. Usually the project delivers a “thing” to hand off to business-as-usual (eg I deliver a new IT system to support business-as-usual, and it needs to be tested and accepted by the business).

Because projects are time limited, yes sometimes we are on fixed contracts, but sometimes we work for organisations that undergo constant transformation so might be permanent, delivering varied projects.

Classic qualifications are PRINCE2, Managing Successful Programmes - there are more specific ones for different types of project delivery mechanisms e.g. Agile

Wrangler of sharepoint, teams channels, spreadsheets, Gantt charts, dashboards, slack and God of all PowerPoints.

The key thing about a project is that it has a start and end point - it’s not a load of forever ongoing tasks, which it sounds like your team manage?

So a project would have a definitive start point and a definitive end point and concrete “deliverables” (I.e. stuff it has to deliver).

A deliverable should be something reasonably concrete like a new pension admin system, or an upgrade/change in the admin system or might be a set of new pension admin procedures to take account of XYZ regulatory change for example.

It sounds to me like you're an Account Manager or a Relationship Manager, OP.

I'm a digital project manager and manage things like software update roll outs, issuing of new laptops or other digital tech. Sometimes it's launching digital aspects for a new team or migration of data when closing down a service.

Basically the PM roll is to ensure there is a project brief, project plan, risk and issue log, change log and other documentation. Then its monitoring actions required and ensuring jobs are completed on time, most of the time it's chasing people for updates on their assigned actions. I've done a lot of project management courses over the years

A Project Manager under the professional description is responsible for one or more projects which could be small or large, short or long term.

A project should be a specific change, otherwise it is business as usual, therefore should have defined start and end states.
The Project Manager must be empowered to make decisions as defined for the project

https://www.apm.org.uk/jobs-and-careers/career-path/what-does-a-project-manager-do/

A Project Managers role does not necessarily end when a project ends. They could be responsible for multiple projects at once and / or get project after project

They should handover the completed project to someone else as it completes - if it is the development of a new process or software then the project should end when it is delivered getting handed over to the department that will manage and use it (though there should be a post delivery level of support to ensure that it is adopted and running as intended)

It could be that the Project Manager title remains after it has been put into business as usual. Eg x person manages the project development and then changes role without changing title to just run the delivered change
It could also be misused to be the “projects team manager” where you are the management grade managing the PMs

In the world of Project Management there are distinct roles and responsibilities, but a small project can have multiple roles conducted by single individuals, and this easily leads into the business as usual department ‘running’ then adopting their projects
If contractors run the project then role titles are easily placed on the in house staff who would be stakeholders in the formal definitions

A project is a large-scale task or change to be delivered within a specific period of time to a budget. A Project Manager is the person who makes that happen.

Most of the Project Managers I’ve ever worked with have a Prince2 or similar qualification.

I’m not a PM, but would ordinarily be the Project Sponsor of projects like a new systems implementation, office move, annual audit etc etc.

The success of any project largely depends on how good the PM is, i.e. how good they are at making things happen.

I would generally arrange a contract PM in my current workplace, however in the past I have worked at organisations who are so huge that there is a fully employed programme team complete with PM’s, Business Analysts and Programme Managers, as the organisation is in a long cycle of change, meaning that there are always many projects running concurrently.

Get a PRINCE2 manual (second-hand or online). It's extremely buzzwordy but very structured. A bit like a recipe book - some people follow to the letter, others get the idea and do their own thing, some bin the book and experiment. Maybe look around LinkedIn, APM etc.

I was a PM for a bit. It’s a lot of paperwork and being held accountable when other people haven’t done the stuff they were supposed to.