Hey guys,
I graduated from college about 2 years ago and just left a business development job for a Jr. Project Management job for a web development company. I have web development experience (freelance)-but not much PM experience.
I have been reading as much as I can regard the role and for once in my life I think I have found the perfect blend of a planning role and something pertaining to the web, but I need help on getting better.
While officially I am a Jr. Project Manager, I am not being mentored by anyone, and I am managing the project on my own. I manage project for a team of three .Net developers, two front-end/graphics guys, and a business development manager (I also pull resources from the other side of our company).
The division I am in is new, and separate from the more established one, which focuses on a specific big client that we do most of the web work for. We were set up as a backup, in case that relationship goes source (we work on small 30,000-150,000 dollar website/software application projects).
I have been left to figure out how to do the role, and I have identified that it is necessary (we were missing deadlines, going way over budget, and the team rarely remembers what tasks need to be completed from a high level, so I have started by creating spreadsheets that connect to the system we use to report hours to overall task categories (i.e. graphics, development, etc)-and the spreadsheet compares actual hours on project-specific tasks vs. budgeted low, high, midpoint. This helps me figure out what we cannot spend more time on, and I am going to use it to create a “lessons learned document that highlights what went wrong.” I also created a weekly status report that basically shows some milestones (meetings, etc), tasks that were completed that week, and tasks that need to be completed next week/tentatively-with names associated with each task.
The status report is given to my guys, and I meet with them in the morning and a few other times individually to go over what needs to be completed today/weekly.
I then typically look at the work, ask how much more time they need, and try to figure out where we are in terms of budgeted-time.
I also am meeting during my lunch with the lead developer on my team, and we are writing out the process (from sales to kickoff to finished product), and we are going to start defining roles within this detailed outline, once we create a formal process within each step. I think this will help make results a little more predictable and get people a little more on the same page. For example, I think the lead developer should review his teams code, and enforce coding standards (he does not do that now). I basically want to get to a place with this where he manages the technical standards and I manage the delivery/business requirements (budget, scope, time, etc).
The problem I am having is formal resources. While I have my spreadsheets that pull budget data, status-reports with weekly tasks, and lessons learned documentation for the end of a project, I still think I need more formal tools to get me organized and on top of projects. I have been using Microsoft project to create tasks on a high level, but I wonder if I should continue to actively use it and adjust it during an entire project span? I think I am also missing something with an overall list of tasks that need to be completed (maybe Microsoft Project is the answer for that?).
Any PM advice for me would be great. I plan on becoming PMI certified and doing everything I can to be more effective. While I like documentation that serves a purpose, I also find my style is more involved (meeting with the team, having them sign off on things, and giving advice as it pertains to scope, etc).
Thanks for any guidance. If I could walk away with some useful advice, templates, or programs to use I would be in a good place. Also let me know of any books that might be worth reading on my lunch.
I thought when I signed up for the job they would teach me how to be a project manager. It turns out I have to teach them how to manage their projects They threw me in and I am reading all I can to get better.
I have started to create weekly status reports with tasks for the team to complete (with their names next to each associated task), and I am trying to figure out how to effectively use Microsoft Project as a resource that will help me adjust as we begin to take on website projects, but I need some guidance.
I think I need to see what some key Project Management documents are, and I need any general helpful tips.
While I have a weekly status task list, I feel I need something that contains all of the tasks-since it all cannot be done in a week or two. I was thinking this is where Microsoft Project might come in?
Right now I am also sitting down with the lead developer during our lunches and writing out our entire process (from sales to kickoff to finished project)-and then we will define roles within this map.
I also think I might beg them to let me follow a project manager for the other division of our company, and they will pay for me to become PMI certified.
Let me know any tips, etc you might have. I am new to the role and love the concept. I think I can do the job well but I need some advice.