I recently took redundancy from Jigsaw and have started working at an integrated marketing agency in Nottingham. We do web and print design, SEO/PPC, video production, Flash and 3D design – the whole bundle.

The company has a “Fun Squad” who arrange things for us to do such as monthly socials, yearly trips and almost daily games and assorted silliness. It’s a fast paced industry, so it’s really good to blow off some steam with a donut eating competition or something

I am a project manager there, dealing with web and print design jobs at the moment. Some of our clients are household names and global corporations and we are working on some big stuff! I am three weeks into the new job and everyone is being really helpful and friendly. I have just about learned the systems now, and it’s great to be busy again and achieve loads during the day!

I have recently signed up for peopleperhour.com after a colleague recommended those kind of sites to me. Having had a look around, I am not sure this kind of site is good for the client or the freelancers on there.

Most of the web projects have almost no definite scope to them – for example “I want a website. Budget: Rather not say.” Websites are massively variable – from a one page amateur clip-art nightmare to something like Facebook. Adverts like this just scream “I don’t know what I want or how much I need to spend”. That is asking for trouble.

(more…)

When doing technical projects that involve lots of critical decision and prerequisites, I send out detailed Project Briefs to clients.  They often send them back, merrily signing them and saying that everything is fine.  However, I have started to realise that one of two things is happening.

1. They don’t understand the brief, but sign and return it anyway.

2. They think they have understood it but haven’t, sign and return it.

This puts me in a tricky position.  I cannot tell whether they have understood it or not unless they let something slip that betrays that fact.  When it comes down to the install not being able to proceed because of their misunderstanding, I could refer to the brief and make them correct the situation or charge them extra to remedy it for them.  That seems incredibly harsh, and feels like it could easily drive clients away.

What can be done in this situation?

The idea is that you make the company look bigger than it actually is, and go after projects that are at the upper reaches of your capabilities or beyond. This is a good idea when you want to grow your company, as it can allow you access to larger projects and more profitable markets.

Unfortunately, “Punching above your weight” can easily become “Getting knocked out” when you can’t actually deliver what you have promised. To move to the next step, a company needs razor sharp internal processes, committed, expert staff and a clear direction. It’s a big gamble, and it’s double or quits.

There appear to be two ways of doing business: Firstly, do everything right, keep within your focused area of expertise and grow steadily. Secondly, expand quickly, promise the earth and worry about whether you can deliver it afterwards. This appears to lead to poor, rushed projects that take too long and do not deliver, and a lack of confidence from the client.

Way 1 gains long term customers that trust you to tell the truth and deliver what you promise. Way 2 gets you the business in the short term, but means you don’t learn how to manage the project properly and the client will probably jump ship as soon as they can and hire someone that can do what they promise.

I have been managing projects full time for six months now, and it’s time to reflect on what I have learned.

• I got the official books, but reading them did not help much.
• The method is complex, and over the top for smaller projects.
• I did the Prince2 Foundation course, which helped immensely as I could ask questions.
• I am the only project manager at the company, so I am cutting a new path. This was, and still is, hard work
• I concentrated on the technical aspects of the method and neglected the human aspects – this alienated and upset a fair few people
• Bringing tight structure to one part of the company has had knock on effects, for better and worse. Prince2 only works if the surrounding structures are strong enough
• Being a PM is like being a manager, but without the authority and resources to make things happen. Especially when being new to a company, this led to clashes with line managers over handling a person’s workload and setting timescales
• Customers have commented on how organised and professional we seem to be now
• It has been very satisfying and has had many positive effects on me, my colleagues and the company

In summary, it has been difficult to integrate with existing people and processes, but when people see the benefits to them and their role, they have welcomed it after initial resistance. Being a new PM and bringing the method to a company is difficult, and I would push for some kind of consultancy or mentoring if I had to do the same again!