Project Management

Participant said:
You're quite happy with post#4 then? I don't see a book mentioned there.

The thread scope creep gestapo are out in force it seems.
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The tone of your post was what grated me and prompted my response. I'm quite defensive over a job I enjoy so much you see

I get the impression PMs are considered the devil across the vast majority of IT, seems a shame. Perhaps it is the individuals that are just poor at their jobs?

Either that, or where I work is an exception. Despite Project/Programme related problems, there are no interpersonal issues between myself or any of the Engineering teams I work alongside.
 
I honestly couldn't think of a book to recommend. It's something I fell in to after working as an engineer for two years from uni.
It was really just a case of hit the ground running and sink or swim.
Best bit of advice I could offer is to learn how to read and truly understand schedules. Having a good plan to work from will make your life so much easier you won't end up with any greys!
 
Windle said:
IT project management or real project management?
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I'll quite happily take the former which will net you an average salary of around £50k + fantastic benefits. Move up to a more senior level and you're looking at upwards of £70k. I'm not even going to waffle on about programme management either.

So yeah, I don't mind the fake kind of project management :)
 
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Remember, as soon as you become a Project Manager, you must immediately lose the ability to find your backside with both hands, a mirror and a map.

The inability to get sexual release from an establishment containing a number of women of negotiable affection is also a highly regarded qualification.
 
Prince 2 won't teach you how to become a project manager. It might provide you with some principles on how to shape a project and provide governance.


That said, if they're happy to send you on the course (though might seem early), go ahead and do it but they do assume PM knowledge. Again, they will teach you how to get the certificate and not really the key to PM work.

Foundation is quite pointless holding but required, with Practitioner adding more value
 
tlrBeta said:
Prince 2 won't teach you how to become a project manager. It might provide you with some principles on how to shape a project and provide governance.


That said, if they're happy to send you on the course (though might seem early), go ahead and do it but they do assume PM knowledge. Again, they will teach you how to get the certificate and not really the key to PM work.

Foundation is quite pointless holding but required, with Practitioner adding more value
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So what course teaches you to be a project manager?

dowie said:
OK...

the best project managers I've worked with have been women who have basically treated it like an admin role rather than acting like they're in a management role
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This.

Facilitator = good project manager
Manager = bad project manager
 
Alex_6n2 said:
I get the impression PMs are considered the devil across the vast majority of IT, seems a shame. Perhaps it is the individuals that are just poor at their jobs?
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Far from it.

It's my job/role to know exactly who is doing what, when and where. We then report on that information to management/customers. If there are any issues stoping a work package/task then the PM needs to know ASAFP.

Unfortunatly most people I work with dont understand that and seem to brush aside PM's...thus im having to ask them even more to find out what is going on. In a business which is process driven with a lot of anonymous team mailbox's, it makes it very hard to do my job sometimes.

If you work in a small team and face to face, it makes it much easier and more rewarding.
 
Good project managers can help the people in IT who are actually doing the work to do a better job. A bad project manager can create a lot of unnecessary work for people in IT. Its probably the same in any industry that uses project managers but I hate a project manager that is trying too hard to do a good job and show his worth that he creates more work for me for the sake of his own interests. From my experiences though I work ok with project managers, I think a lot of the time I would prefer a project manager, especially on projects that involved 100s or 1000s of users.
 
kiteloopy said:
If you work in a small team and face to face, it makes it much easier and more rewarding.
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As an aerospace PM I work with a minimum of 80 people indirectly, most of whom are either in America or in Derby, spanning skill sets from material buyers right through to thermals and fluids engineers.

I still manage to find it rewarding

Not easy though, especially given the large budgets and safety requirements that could see someone (pilot) killed if things are not done properly

But I enjoy that challenge, so maybe I'm weird :D
 
get some experience working on projects in some other capacity and then move into it internally perhaps - i.e. Business Analyst, Consultant or QA Analyst role
 
Above is good advice,

Whilst doing that, get close to the PM and understand the day to day role. Express your interest and hopefully they will be able to offer guidance and coaching.
 
I'd recommend having a look at the dummies guide to Prince2. As silly as that sounds the book covers the basics very well and should stand you in good stead for the course. However try and get some exposure and experience too before the course if possible as this will help give you some practical examples to relate to.
 
Robdav said:
I'd recommend having a look at the dummies guide to Prince2. As silly as that sounds the book covers the basics very well and should stand you in good stead for the course. However try and get some exposure and experience too before the course if possible as this will help give you some practical examples to relate to.
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Already have a PRINCE2 Foundation.

Trying to get a job in the area however isn't easy. It very much seems to be you sidestep into PM from something else within a firm.
 
You may find some firms recruiting junior project managers (perhaps consultancies etc..), perhaps some grad schemes etc.. where you can move directly into it. You might also find some sort of junior/admin role in the program management office of some firm that would provide interaction with project managers etc.. sort of thing where you report to the exec running that office and basically do their admin/reports.

But put yourself in their shoes - it is pretty risky to give a PM role to someone looking for a career change who is an unknown quantity and hasn't got any track record of working on projects. A **** PM would could cost a firm a lot of money and having a certificate for some course anyone could study for and pass in a couple of days isn't likely to be sufficient in itself - it demonstrates interest/intent but you should probably get some actual experience working on projects in the field you want to be a project manager in.
 
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