I wanted to share my latest blog post, about finding the ideal project manager. If you are looking for a new project manager this blog might help you find the right type of person.
huh
mind reader isn’t on the list
[quote=355870:@Norman Palardy]huh
mind reader isn’t on the list :)[/quote]
Updating the post right now.
Used to work with a really great project manager who felt one of his biggest jobs was “shit deflector”
He literally kept the VP of engineering out of our engineering teams hair micromanaging everything so we could actually get work done
@Norman Palardy - Yep! Definitely have felt like that before too. I think that falls under the “politician” bullet. ha!
I was going to ‘Enforcer’. On our team the developers say, “Of course we can make that change for you.” Our Enforcer gets to break the bad news on how much it’s going to cost to the client.
@Bob Keeney - Enforcer = Bad Guy. Definitely, have to play the bad guy/bad cop. A developer should never have to say no. That’s what we PMs are for.
Sure, but given that many of the Xojo consulting folks are solo developers that’s a tough hat to wear.
@Bob Keeney - good point on that. It might make you look a little psycho if you try to wear all the hats at once. I suggest, as a solo developer, have a way to deflect - a standard answer, like, “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s sit on a for a few days to see if it fits within our originally planned scope.” Then, you can come back later - not in the heat of the battle - and make that decision.
Who you calling a psycho?
You forget - she’s met you
Good PM’s I work with typically are:
- more proactive than reactive.
- great at communicating role assignments, adjusting assumptions.
- are great at focusing a meeting to the agenda rather than off topic for 30 minutes.
- Are great at making role call go really really fast
- Willing to admit they don’t know and answer and helps to find someone who does.
- Do NOT make the project feel like they are working towards their black belt in Six Sigma. Instead, integrate project managements strategies as not to be over bearing.
Lastly… when it comes to projects… I get it… PM job is to steer the ship… but I find that sometimes through their process of trying to become efficient that the out come is often inefficient results.
Nice post Susan. Well written.
May I respectfully comment that “you must always present options on how to solve every problem that you encounter” might be a bit of stretch?
Granted, a good Project Manager will know the technical side of their responsibilities quite well. But they also shouldn’t necessarily (or automatically) assume that they have the same knowledge level as someone who’s role is dedicated solely to software development (just as an example).
From my experience, a respected Project Manager is one that is willing to be open-minded and will listen to their team member’s perspective and/or opinion on solving certain challenging problems.
I don’t suggest getting feedback from your minions on all problems, just the ones that are obviously not trivial or could potentially have an overlapping impact on other projects or personnel.
My apologies if I have misunderstood the audience you are writing for.
I hope that helps.