Project Management Week 1

Project management is a field of work that intrigues me and is something that I can see myself doing one day. Before week one of the course, I had a limited understanding of the project management position. I viewed the position as a general manger who needed to have a high understanding of the project being worked on. After the discussions and readings, I was enlightened to the fact that it’s more important the project manger has great communication with all involved with the project and is a problem solver. Also, that it’s very rare a project manager will have indebted knowledge of the core features within the project. A project managers job is to make sure a plan is established and carried out throughout the creation of the project. Understanding and managing financial responsibilities, social awareness, scheduled requirements as well as employee rights while completing the project, are some of the key aspects of a project manager.

One of the discussions this week, featured a case study between two candidates for a project manager position. Bill was well informed on the project and showed the ability to work well with others, but insisted on being hands on with the project’s inner workings. Andy was a proven problem solver and showed the ability to multitask understanding a little information about a lot of areas, but had limited information on the core elements of the project. I thought Andy was the best candidate for the job because he preferred to be hands off and observe the project from a far, understanding ways in which to improve all the facets of the project. A project manger too wrapped up in the inner workings of a project, may neglect the other areas of the project.