Key points in project manager communication
Who is the project manager? This question is asked by all young professionals and those who are just about to infiltrate the field of web management.
The questions “Who is the project manager?”, “What are the responsibilities of the project manager?” And “What should the project manager know?” Can be answered endlessly, as each company has its own laws and internal work postulates.
In my own article, I propose to consider only a thousandth of the total amount of information that the project manager of any web studio in the country should know. What is written here is not a dogma, it is just my experience, coupled with knowledge.
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Let's discuss what the main principles of the project manager should be laid in the communicative area of ​​responsibility within the team and in front of yourself ...
Part 1. Working with your specialist colleagues.
Respect is the key to a successful project. Respect each specialist team, be as tactful and polite as possible.
The project manager should always be aware of how busy the project employee is. And the developer must understand this - in order to notify the manager if he needs to switch to another task (for example, set by the head of his department). You cannot track every step of your colleagues (you are not a machine), and then an understanding comes to your rescue - a specialist informs you when your work schedule changes. But you still have to control it, follow the deadlines for the tasks (after all, when the deadline fails, and the specialist throws up his hands, you should justify yourself to the customer).
In general, dates are a very complex concept in the field of web development, and they are different for everyone. At least in three variations:
All dates need to be remembered, for each plan, based on the current workload. Speak to the specialist in terms that are comfortable for you, and to the clients - those that are comfortable for the whole project team’s work process (taking into account possible corrections).
The deadline for the project should be clearly marked and unbreakable. If you need a specialist, you should be ready to stay at work (as the completion and successful completion of the project is the general interest of the company, not just yours). If the specialist doesn’t care and he blames everyone around, arguing that the time was incorrectly taken into account, it’s probably not your team’s employee (special cases of project complications or incorrect timing of the sales department are considered separately).
The decision of the project manager is the decision of the company, it is a high responsibility. Hence, in working with specialists of the development team, their own nuances follow - all decisions taken must be structured and logical, not contradict each other. The entire project team must understand: decisions made by the manager are not disputed for implementation. They must be implemented.
The main task of the project manager is competent time management (if it exists in the company) and accurate setting of tasks for employees (any inaccuracy in the task will lead to consequences for which only you are responsible). You should always remember to control and monitor the results at least once every 3-4 hours, otherwise the timing and quality of work may suffer.
Speaking of quality, any mistakes made by an expert should be negotiated with him. There is no such thing that only the performer is to blame for everything, all situations should be disassembled and analyzed. And, making conclusions, do not allow this in the future.
Communication of the customer with a specialist is strictly prohibited - their direct contact in 90% of cases will lead to negative results. Contact must occur exclusively through the project manager. And you should not transfer to the specialists the negative thoughts of the customer, if any. Perhaps in the morning he just got up on the wrong foot, forgive him for this and continue his work.
Part 2. Work on yourself
The process of self-organization for the project manager is very important - as soon as you learn to manage your responsibilities, everything else will work.
Start your work day with planning. I arrive at work half an hour before it starts, only a little before the others, but this time allows me to plan my day, to determine the most and less priority tasks. Keep yourself within the framework, try to achieve not only the daily planning, but also carry it out within each of the tasks, allocate and limit time.
Paint the most complex tasks for yourself in order to take a look at them from the outside (perhaps a new solution will appear which you didn’t expect).
Another step is to manage the tasks (for projects and personal tasks for a day, a month, and so on). Fix all large tasks in task managers - they will become your indispensable helpers. Which one to use is up to you.
When working on a specific project, try to paint all the information separately - both the overall picture and particulars will be clear, you will be able to detect controversial points. Data obtained by telephone, record and coordinate with the customer by mail. And before submitting the material to the developers, try to think about every comment.
Make decisions quickly (the most faithful of them are those that were not thought out for hours, but were meaningfully accepted in a short time). It will save time and improve the result.
I would also like to say about the problems that exist in any projects (the project is impossible without problems — either you did not pay attention to it, or the customer did not look at the results at all). Always try to anticipate possible risks even before the start. Then you can warn them at the very beginning (through negotiations with the customer) or think over the strategy of work as they arise. And when the problem still appears on the threshold of your project, do not look for blame - it is easiest. Try to find a team solution that allows you to radically change the situation. Every specialist has the right to make mistakes, and everyone should know that he can voice it. Because it is waiting for not reprimand, but collective support.
The questions “Who is the project manager?”, “What are the responsibilities of the project manager?” And “What should the project manager know?” Can be answered endlessly, as each company has its own laws and internal work postulates.
In my own article, I propose to consider only a thousandth of the total amount of information that the project manager of any web studio in the country should know. What is written here is not a dogma, it is just my experience, coupled with knowledge.
')
Let's discuss what the main principles of the project manager should be laid in the communicative area of ​​responsibility within the team and in front of yourself ...
Part 1. Working with your specialist colleagues.
Respect is the key to a successful project. Respect each specialist team, be as tactful and polite as possible.
The project manager should always be aware of how busy the project employee is. And the developer must understand this - in order to notify the manager if he needs to switch to another task (for example, set by the head of his department). You cannot track every step of your colleagues (you are not a machine), and then an understanding comes to your rescue - a specialist informs you when your work schedule changes. But you still have to control it, follow the deadlines for the tasks (after all, when the deadline fails, and the specialist throws up his hands, you should justify yourself to the customer).
In general, dates are a very complex concept in the field of web development, and they are different for everyone. At least in three variations:
- contract term for customer
- the term for the developer (it is different from the term of the contract)
- deadline for yourself to be able to build an employee work schedule on all current projects
All dates need to be remembered, for each plan, based on the current workload. Speak to the specialist in terms that are comfortable for you, and to the clients - those that are comfortable for the whole project team’s work process (taking into account possible corrections).
The deadline for the project should be clearly marked and unbreakable. If you need a specialist, you should be ready to stay at work (as the completion and successful completion of the project is the general interest of the company, not just yours). If the specialist doesn’t care and he blames everyone around, arguing that the time was incorrectly taken into account, it’s probably not your team’s employee (special cases of project complications or incorrect timing of the sales department are considered separately).
The decision of the project manager is the decision of the company, it is a high responsibility. Hence, in working with specialists of the development team, their own nuances follow - all decisions taken must be structured and logical, not contradict each other. The entire project team must understand: decisions made by the manager are not disputed for implementation. They must be implemented.
The main task of the project manager is competent time management (if it exists in the company) and accurate setting of tasks for employees (any inaccuracy in the task will lead to consequences for which only you are responsible). You should always remember to control and monitor the results at least once every 3-4 hours, otherwise the timing and quality of work may suffer.
Speaking of quality, any mistakes made by an expert should be negotiated with him. There is no such thing that only the performer is to blame for everything, all situations should be disassembled and analyzed. And, making conclusions, do not allow this in the future.
Communication of the customer with a specialist is strictly prohibited - their direct contact in 90% of cases will lead to negative results. Contact must occur exclusively through the project manager. And you should not transfer to the specialists the negative thoughts of the customer, if any. Perhaps in the morning he just got up on the wrong foot, forgive him for this and continue his work.
Part 2. Work on yourself
The process of self-organization for the project manager is very important - as soon as you learn to manage your responsibilities, everything else will work.
Start your work day with planning. I arrive at work half an hour before it starts, only a little before the others, but this time allows me to plan my day, to determine the most and less priority tasks. Keep yourself within the framework, try to achieve not only the daily planning, but also carry it out within each of the tasks, allocate and limit time.
Paint the most complex tasks for yourself in order to take a look at them from the outside (perhaps a new solution will appear which you didn’t expect).
Another step is to manage the tasks (for projects and personal tasks for a day, a month, and so on). Fix all large tasks in task managers - they will become your indispensable helpers. Which one to use is up to you.
When working on a specific project, try to paint all the information separately - both the overall picture and particulars will be clear, you will be able to detect controversial points. Data obtained by telephone, record and coordinate with the customer by mail. And before submitting the material to the developers, try to think about every comment.
Make decisions quickly (the most faithful of them are those that were not thought out for hours, but were meaningfully accepted in a short time). It will save time and improve the result.
I would also like to say about the problems that exist in any projects (the project is impossible without problems — either you did not pay attention to it, or the customer did not look at the results at all). Always try to anticipate possible risks even before the start. Then you can warn them at the very beginning (through negotiations with the customer) or think over the strategy of work as they arise. And when the problem still appears on the threshold of your project, do not look for blame - it is easiest. Try to find a team solution that allows you to radically change the situation. Every specialist has the right to make mistakes, and everyone should know that he can voice it. Because it is waiting for not reprimand, but collective support.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/326536/
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