The key role: Project Manager
Project Managers play a key role in guaranteeing a company’s longevity in the market. They grant consumers’ wishes and needs by facilitating the workflow of the teams involved in the creation of services and development of features.
A big part of managers’ jobs is to stay in constant touch with multiple company departments –such as the marketing and sales teams–, drawing and constantly adjusting a project’s strategy and road map in order to keep it aligned with the company’s business goals. Without a leader, projects can become disorganized, inconsistent and waste resources. The manager takes care of measuring productivity, setting expectations and giving each team member space to focus on their job.
As much as your team can predict consumers’ response to new features, many factors –such as competitor’s work or a scandal in the daily news– might contribute to a shift of market behavior towards your project. If you want to guarantee longevity and competitiveness, it's crucial to find managers that can stick around projects, assisting with maintenance. This way, you can rest assured that curveballs won’t deviate you from your original goal. You will reach your projections.
Projects consist of five different phases. Here is the role of management in each of them:
Establishing Requirements. In this phase, the Project Manager works with the company’s multiple teams and stakeholders to understand what the project needs to accomplish. In order to make an impact, the manager needs to know the company’s mission and vision very well. Here at Vinoly, for example, we give clients a lot of space to express their needs. This way, we can draw a roadmap that keeps the project and all of those involved aligned with the “bigger picture”.
Defining the Scope. The manager then defines what it will take –team, tasks, budget, time and documentation– to get the work done. This phase is key to the project’s efficiency and everyone’s satisfaction because it helps setting expectations for the work ahead.
Planning. They establish the workflow, delegating and organizing tasks in order to meet the budget and deadlines. A good Project Manager will map all processes, ruling out any inconsistencies that might slow down delivery and better understanding which are effective key performance indicators.
Executing. Finally, it’s time to develop the project. When commanding the team, managers can work with multiple methodologies. At Vinoly, for example, we use Agile and Scrum to make work more efficient. With the former, team members work collaboratively and deliver progressively, fostering constant communication and feedback to maintain a good workflow. With the latter, delivery is divided in “sprint cycles”, with feedback at the end of every cycle to ensure the consistency and quality of deliveries.
Measuring Progress. Good management allows development teams to be autonomous in their daily work and comfortable to propose and test new ideas under the support and supervision of their leaders. For us, one of the most important and effective things a manager can do when measuring progress is a daily check-in with their team. We see management as a long-term, close-knit relationship, and constant communication is key to consistency and a healthy work environment.
Finally, a big part of being a Project Manager is bringing positivity and determination to the table. If you want to guide a team to success, always strive to exceed your expectations at every interaction and have fun in the process. When the work gets heavy, you will be the light at the end of the tunnel.
If you are developing a new product or improving an existing one, let’s take your work to the next level! Together, we will understand your goals, allow you to see the big picture and guide your processes to extraordinary outcomes. Don’t hesitate to contact us anytime at hello@vinoly.tech for product and project management services.
