The first blog post of a new blog. As I sit pondering what to write I'm struck by the similarities to the start of a new project.
A blank sheet, some crudely formed ideas in need of refinement and a desire to get going.
I sometimes think of the start of a new project as a puzzle shrouded in mist. The pieces are all in there somewhere but someone has to dive in and start working out what will need to go where. And we're almost never left in peace to perform this task. Harried by our own line managers for timescales, plans, risks and what resources we need, we begin to make sense of the confusion. All the while we are pressured by everyone to deliver as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of resource. To start coding as soon as possible, but having done a thorough analysis. To run lean, but cope with issues without extending our delivery date. To provide estimates that are both 'quick and dirty' and also perfectly accurate.
In short, we take a set of people with competing desires and differing standards and we try to provide a single vision to aim for. We set realistic expectations, even though that almost always means someone is unhappy from the start.
It's not a role that suits everyone, just as not every personality suits the role. Those who think they can get by on brute force and ignorance are quickly exposed, although some persevere to be almost universally hated by any team unlucky enough to suffer them (possibly the subject of a future post).
Enough for now, a PM's work is never done.
A blank sheet, some crudely formed ideas in need of refinement and a desire to get going.
I sometimes think of the start of a new project as a puzzle shrouded in mist. The pieces are all in there somewhere but someone has to dive in and start working out what will need to go where. And we're almost never left in peace to perform this task. Harried by our own line managers for timescales, plans, risks and what resources we need, we begin to make sense of the confusion. All the while we are pressured by everyone to deliver as much as possible, in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of resource. To start coding as soon as possible, but having done a thorough analysis. To run lean, but cope with issues without extending our delivery date. To provide estimates that are both 'quick and dirty' and also perfectly accurate.
In short, we take a set of people with competing desires and differing standards and we try to provide a single vision to aim for. We set realistic expectations, even though that almost always means someone is unhappy from the start.
It's not a role that suits everyone, just as not every personality suits the role. Those who think they can get by on brute force and ignorance are quickly exposed, although some persevere to be almost universally hated by any team unlucky enough to suffer them (possibly the subject of a future post).
Enough for now, a PM's work is never done.
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