As a grants, proposal and project management professional, I see commonalities within my different workstreams. Why should we categorize different aspects of our lives when they all seek to help and inform the other? We live in a world of constant communication and activity, so everything is fluid and changing, as are our roles at work.
In keeping with this approach, I would like to illustrate how project management goes beyond the Project Management Professional (PMP) model to which many of us often aspire. We are resourceful, thoughtful, and capable multi-taskers throughout the day. This is clearly evidenced by some common tasks that we perform. These situations below are aligned with the Project Management Institute’s required skills for successful project management and attainment of the PMP certification.
You might be a great project manager if:
- You manage to several projects at one time using white boards/electronic tools/Evernote/ calendars. Skill: Time Management
- You serve as a chair of a volunteer group or on the board of directors; thus you work and negotiate with multiple personalities. Skill: Communications Management
- You sometimes turn down the opportunity to seek a grant because the risk is greater than the reward. Skill: Risk Management
- You conduct a performance evaluation on an employee or subcontractor. Skill: Human Resource Management
- You coordinate a large-scale project, and requires patience, scheduling coordination and alignment of skills. Skill: Integration Management
- Prior to taking on a new assignment or task you review the scale and size of the project at hand. Skill: Scope Management
- You have to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine an outside vendor to use for your web design. Skill: Cost Management
- You oversee the web designer’s work and adhere to the contract. Skill: Procurement Management
- You develop a plan to determine if a new program offering or product is actually serving its intended purpose. Skill: Quality Management
- You decide to turn down a wealthy donor’s $500,000 check because the donor works for a company whose work is in direct opposition of your nonprofit mission. Skill: Professional and Social Responsibility
While this may be an oversimplification, it does showcase how we all do extensive amounts of work and aren’t always given titles or credentials to showcase our skills. What do you do as a professional that makes you a project manager?
