In 2015 I welcomed the birth of my second daughter. To this point like most of us, I had the "desire" for the all too elusive "work like balance" - with my daughter’s birth coupled with my first daughter starting school, this pushed me with the strong desire to pursue a ‘true’ work-life balance and make it a reality.
In considering the ‘what’ of my plan, Project Management had been a consistent role and called upon skill for a number of years through my tracking as a Principal Consultant. With my subsequent move to pre-sales, where the constant pressure of orchestrating lengthy tender responses saw these skills of prime use and I had become a very effective person in structuring and managing time. I loved all aspects of PM'ing from the technical challenges to the people management and I knew that this was to be the launchpad. I wanted to be a "part-time PM".
My natural anxiety went something like "but who would want a part-time PM ?"...Don't they have to be always on? Always available? It was in reflecting upon my own backstory that made me actually realise that, in fact, I'd never been a full-time PM. The reality of the consulting market is that at any one time there are only a handful of really large projects going on in your vicinity. Most of the big projects were handled in-house and by the larger consulting firms. For most of the small to medium consulting houses, the projects were of a similar nature i.e. small to medium, thus in my time as a Principal Consultant, I was at any time engaged in some capacity managing or at least monitoring several projects at once. This was normally at the request of the client, who having worked with me to get the project up, also saw value in keeping me through the project delivery to whatever additional levels I could offer.
At any one time I was watching over and providing some level of management and governance over 2 - 4 projects. Those who have worked with me and whom made note of my ability to manage multiple things at once - are a beneficiary of this background. I also realised, that not only had I been a part-time PM, but that in fact I loved it, and hence I set out to make it happen wherever I could, and started-up in April 2016.
So what is it like having a Part-Time PM?
Simply, it's just like having a full- time PM for fewer hours in the week. I ensure that I adhere to what I see (and agree with the client) is the minimum of service level required to keep the project ticking. In no particular order of importance this includes; running daily stand-ups with project teams (whether on site or remote) so I can know what is going on one day to the next. Reporting to key stakeholders - I provide reports back on a weekly basis, and I work as a continual leader and mentor to my team - whilst being a supplier to my stakeholders.
Being clear and open as to what is not possible in a part-time PM engagement, is a critical factor in making sure that both parties are happy. Understanding that the PM is not there all the time (although email, skype and mobile phones pretty much make it so), being clear on what can and can't be done in the agreed "time", ensuring that the right level of diligence and time is put into the upfront engagement - are some examples of the agreements that will need to be made.
With these factors in mind, sometimes this style of engagement will not suffice. For instance:
Projects/environments where the PM is "always available", or
Projects larger than a few hundred thousand (as a ballpark), or
Projects with a less mature team needing constant monitoring, or
Business Critical projects in terms of time where immediate redirection of projects may be required.
So what have I learnt and continue to keep in mind as I seek to keep on this path?
Often the fact that the PM is not there all the time, does have a number of very positive effects in that they are forced to "fend for themselves" knowing that they can't just rely on the PM to fix their problem. It creates a positive trait of resourcefulness & resilience within the team.
Having an external influence can provide an independent view and opinion in dealing with team conflict
Projects can, will & do - absorb 100% when they "can". In most of my projects, I would easily be able to find things to do either through people offloading work, or with me looking to provide service - but I can always get the job done in a "budgeted" time frame. Imposing a hard limit on costs and managing and prioritizing around this works both for me and the business both budget and efficiency wise
I will always seek out someone in my team(s) I can look to as my trustee in my absence. Often the business is surprised as who will rise to the occasion, and you may have just identified your next "rising star", and encourage retention within a team when the latent ‘rising star’ is utilised.
I have worked as a PM both direct for companies, or as a subcontractor for consulting companies looking for an "overflow" capacity.
In working as a sub-contractor, I am happy and able to become a virtual extension to your business as "fly the corporate" flag as required, although in the age of the web & LinkedIn I am of the belief that this rarely matters, companies are merely impressed when you get the right person in to do the job.
One of the greatest flexibilities I have as a part-time PM is talking to people about their projects and being able to match my skills with the project so that we can make the perfect match. As such, I am always looking to connect with people and see where we can work together, so please reach out and continue to show that Part-Time Project Management is "the real deal".
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