What I Like About Project Management

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Recently I was asked in an interview what it is I like about project management. My answer then was hastily put together on the spur of the moment, but it got me thinking. What do I like about being a project manager?

I became a project manager rather unexpectedly. At a startup I had a role that added up to being a web producer. That led to a role where I formally had the title of web producer, at Conde Nast. There, a new manager organized us as a PMO, pushing and persuading team members to improve their skillset as project managers. I was given some small projects to run, and soon enough I was promoted to associate project manager. This wasn't a career path that I expected, but it's one I truly appreciate.

Since those early days there have been many interesting, challenging experiences along the way, all highlighting to me the aspects of project management that I enjoy.

Collaboration and teamwork is top of my list. On one occasion I was assigned to a team that was newly formed and unsure of itself. I led them through an Agile transformation, and they adopted scrum as their methodology. Through successive sprints I watched them go from uncertain to highly performing, eventually almost perfectly matching their capacity to velocity. Watching this team bond through work and ceremonies (especially retrospectives), I felt a deep satisfaction. This has been the case with other teams through the years, where effective teamwork was achieved. It is, I believe, my favorite part of being a project manager. So I guess I'm a bit team-centric in my approach.

There are other parts of being a project manager that I enjoy, like problem solving. I hate puzzles but love a real problem. I think on some level with puzzles I feel that I'm being tricked. When faced with a genuine problem, though, I derive enjoyment from untangling the knot. Taking the ambiguity of a new project and leading it to clarity and ultimately execution is a great experience. There's a joy in bringing order out of chaos, like when I led the disaster recovery preparation effort at one company. I had teams across the company and in different departments that needed to do their disaster recovery drills. Some had a plan that was up to date, many had out of date plans that needed to be corrected for current circumstances, and perhaps the majority (as frightening as that is to say) had no plan at all. This was one of the bigger knots I've had to untangle.

I would be really missing something if I didn't mention how much I like a successful launch. When a plan and a team come together to deliver something, whether it be a website, Smart TV applications, or a data center migration, seeing it through to the end is gratifying. In many companies I don't feel this wins are celebrated sufficiently. Often it's a note thanking everyone for their effort, if that much, and that's it. Every launch brings something new...ideally an improvement! That should be acknowledged.

Finally, I learn so much with each company where I work, with each project, and with each team. Different personalities, tools, regulatory environments all make for a worthwhile learning experience. New tools I get to take along with me to the next project or role. 

Never when I was younger — even into my twenties — did I think that I would become a project manager, and certainly not that I would find the work so interesting.  

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