Project Manager Experiences - Intro to Project Management

RE: Project Manager Experiences

nm523@njit.edu — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 22:11:32 +0000

There are many qualities required for a good project manager, but I think it all boils down to the level of emotional intelligence that the manager can display. There are 5 key components of emotional intelligence, that if mastered, result in an effective project manager and people leader: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. If a project manager if able to understand their own role, regulate their own emotions, motivate their team members while still being able to immerse themselves in others' points of view, and express their goals/feelings in a way that builds rather than destroys relationships, then that person will certainly be a successful project manager. I have been on several projects where the project manager may have the ability to communicate goals and objectives, but lacked the ability to motivate me and other team members. On the flip side, I have also had project managers who understood how to provide the bigger picture of the project objective and make each team member feel valued and emphasized their contributions. This project manager understood that the greater the emotional intelligence of the project manager, the more effective they are, and actively displayed that. They humanized their interaction with the team, it was not always about the project, but about the people working on the project and that made all the difference.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

mcr29 — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 00:55:04 +0000

I have been working under my first project manager for about three years now. My manager almost acts like more of a friend to me than a manager. He is very hands off and trusts me to get a lot of my work done, but I feel like that is because I have showed him that I don't need someone constantly over my shoulder. He doesn't check on my progress constantly and if I ask him to review something or for his input he will take time out of his schedule to help me. I absolutely love working for him and have learned a lot in my 3 years of work. That being said, I sometimes feel like I am too friendly with my manager and sometimes I am just expected to work overtime and do more than everyone else. I feel like there diffidently needs to be a balance with your manager, but I could not ask for a better manager at my first job.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

jwashin3 — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 04:45:52 +0000

My preference would be a project manager who was a stickler for following and implementing projects according to PMI guidelines. I figure that I can just roll with what ever personality that they have. In my work experience, the organization's culture dominated the approaches to project management, so much so that PMI parameters were ignored or omitted. The multiple layers of research projects lend themselves well to the PMI model, but my project managers in the academic setting were so easily distracted by competing prospective projects, so we didn't always arrive at a deliverable or end-product, which violates the spirit of project management. PMI provides a framework for prioritizing our project focus, but when the goal is to make a big splash with the President/CEO or be the model organization for the institutional strategic plan the waters get muddied. Part of the reason I'm beginning to favor private industry over the academic environment is that I believe more consistently executed project management true to the PMI model will be implemented.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

prateekch18 — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 02:40:38 +0000

I have worked with 2 kinds of project managers during my tenure in IT industry. The first manager was very laid back and he did not used to bother much but was very open for any ideas and inputs which i really liked. He did not care if we come on time or even if we are bit late, he was only concerned with the output and the deadlines and this is the kind of manager i would like to work with. The 2nd manager was not at all professional, he did not use to listen to any of our views at all, we could not have a proper two way conversation with him, it was always him speaking, but he was knowledgeable and had a lot of insights.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

andria93 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 22:29:31 +0000

I've worked with two different companies as an engineer for the past 5 years, each has a different structural organization. For the first company, I like the team structural and how the PMs interact with the whole team even brainstorm with CO-Op for new ideas and project. I like the way they use to manage the project effectively in a timely manner on different projects at the same time. However on the other hand with my current company, They have a different structure which I think they are mixing between product and project manager. this role conflict case some issues managing the project. I think they should be separated into two teams. I think the conflict is between management the project and promoting the product. Also, there is no clear update on each project once my part is done. People have a different personality which also is reflected in how work is done, but I think there is a stander that people should follow.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

ajm73 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 21:47:00 +0000

Where I currently work, I actually have my direct manager, and his manager who also manages the entire team that I am on. Both of my managers have the approach of "whatever works for you" in that as long as you can get your work done in a way that is quality and on a reasonable timeline, then they are fine. They aren't too particular about the details of how I execute my duties, save for a couple of them that absolutely need to be done a certain way without exception so as to conform to company policies. However, my team manager (who manages my direct manager) operates from a much higher level view than my direct manager. My direct manager will help me directly with tasks if I have trouble or will work with me to identify a plan in order to move around roadblocks at a detail level, while my team manager, due to the wide range of responsibility and subordinates he has, will not do the same. He may create plans like my direct manager, but only at a high level, directing me to the right people that can get me where I need to go. So as it stands, I quite prefer this style of management, in regards to the "whatever works" attitude. It creates a lot of flexibility for myself. In addition, not having a laid out plan in front of me has challenged me to forge my own methods and paths instead of relying on a given way, which has often lead to process improvements and positive consequences for the whole team.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

gf47 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 21:19:53 +0000

I have worked with 2 different project managers. My first project manager was very laid back manager and he didn't teach me anything or even check my work. However, when it's the due date of a project, he wants everything to be perfect and start to pick on you. I really hate that work environment, I felt it was so stressful and sometimes unfair. My second project manager is actually the best. He is so motivated, he always checks on your work and gives feedback. He is assertive, but in away that makes you actually wants to work. Also. he is a hard worker and teaches me a lot. I actually likes my second manager because he teaches and motivates me so much and I believe project managers should be that way.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

ala26 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 20:28:44 +0000

I worked under two different project managers in the past year. The first project manager I worked for was very assertive and wanted the work done earlier than the deadline. She would constantly check my work and give me feedback. The other project manager I worked for was more laid back and the complete opposite of the first one. He did not check on my work often. He expected us to know what we were doing and just required for us to hand it in by the deadline. I preferred working for the first project manager. I liked how she was on top of our work. I also believe everyone makes mistakes no matter how knowledgeable they are in their work thats why it's always good if someone else double checks. I like working under pressure and being challenged to finish a task before the deadline.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

cjm64 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:45:53 +0000

Due to the nature of my co-op I have worked with a number of project managers. They have all had different styles, some good and some bad. The worst I have worked with was purely focused on output and would not help in getting there. They would send emails demanding where parts of the project were without asking how she could help to get whatever part done. I would describe here as too hands off. A different one I worked with was the opposite, far too hands on. They would send almost daily emails asking how they could help me, but basically they wanted to job mine and everyone else's do my jobs. This made it quite hard to work because we were given very little room to breathe and actually work. And he would reject certain parts if they weren't done his way regardless of if they were correct. The last one, and the best one I have worked with was a perfect balance. They let us work and trusted us to get the job done, but if someone got bogged down or needed help form someone higher up they were always willing to lend a hand to make sure the project was moving along. They know that we were engineers and we would get it done. I think this is a great balance because it allows all involved to do what they are good and and get the project moving forward.

RE: Project Manager Experiences

sin3 — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 16:17:45 +0000

Having worked with four different managers, I have noticed that there are a variety of different styles that are effective and not effective. I believe the most effective managers are the ones that acknowledge your work and help you out if need be. Additionally, if I had never done a task before, they would show me how to do the task themselves first, then assign me the task. This really enabled me to get the job done properly on the first time. My experience with the managers who assigned me a task without clear directions ended up in me not completing it properly, thus delaying the project. By taking the time to show me how to do a task, I knew what was expected of me. Additionally, the most effective managers were the ones that enabled my creativity, similar to what @mem42 had mentioned. Allowing me the option to use my creativity to solve a solution made me appreciate my manager as I was able to include my own ideas into the project, which ultimately felt more rewarding at the completion of the project.