Earlier in this course, we introduced you to the
world of project management. We discussed how project
management spans industries and
companies of all kinds, from large corporations
to small businesses. Now let's define what a
project manager is and describe how they add value to their teams and organizations. Let's start with the definition. Project managers
shepherd projects from start to finish and serve
as guides for their team, using their impeccable
organizational and interpersonal skills
every step of the way. As you learned earlier, project managers usually follow a process that involves
planning and organizing, managing tasks, budgeting,
and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the
approved timeframe. We'll dig deeper
into these topics throughout this program. What you need to know
right now is that project managers play a crucial role in
their organizations. Project managers add value to their teams and organizations in key ways that
include prioritization, delegation, and
effective communication. So let's break these down. First, we'll discuss
prioritization. Project managers add value to their teams and
organizations through effective prioritization of tasks required to complete a project. They're experts at helping
team members identify and break down large tasks
into smaller steps. There'll be times when
a project manager may not know which
task to prioritize. To determine which
ones are the most critical to the success
of the project, they'll connect with
their teams and with stakeholders to gather
information and make a plan. Stakeholders are people
who are interested in and affected by the project's
completion and success, like the leader of
an organization. You've probably
used prioritization to complete work in the past. In any kind of project, personal or professional, there are tasks with different
levels of priority. For example, let's imagine
that you've decided to rent a house and plan
to repaint the rooms. You've picked out your paint and you're eager to get started. While it may be tempting to
start painting right away, you'll need to prioritize
tasks like laying out drop cloths to protect
the floors and furniture, applying blue tape to the
rooms' edges, and much more. Those preliminary steps are critical and need to
come before painting. Other related steps, like choosing new face plates for your light
switches, can come later in the process or be switched out of the project entirely if you
run out of time or money. When you choose to take care of these preliminary steps before wedging open the paint can, you're prioritizing the tasks
or steps of your project. You're also increasing the
likelihood that you'll be satisfied with your
newly-painted rooms. This process is similar
for professional projects. When you effectively
prioritize important tasks, you set up your team and yourself for a better
project outcome. Now, let's discuss delegation. Project managers use delegation to add value to their teams and organizations by matching tasks to individuals who can
best complete the work. Let's return to our house painting example
for a second here. Painting multiple rooms can
be a time-consuming project, so it's possible that you might enlist a few friends to
help you get it done. Maybe one friend has professional
painting experience. Now, with that in mind, you might ask her to handle the more challenging
aspects of the project, like painting the ceiling
or the detailed molding. You might also
schedule her to paint the molding before another
friend paints the walls. So by delegating this task
to the person with the right skills to complete the work and ordering
the task appropriately, you're applying knowledge of your team's strengths to the
planning of your project. That makes sense, right? Finally, let's talk about effective
communication. Project managers deliver value through effective
communication, both with their team and
with key stakeholders. This refers to being transparent, which means being up
front with plans and ideas and making information
readily available. Project managers keep in regular contact with their
team about the progress of the work and help identify areas where a teammate
may need support. In our house painting example, this might involve checking in with your friends periodically to ask if they have enough paint or supplies left to
complete their tasks. Checking in regularly means
you'll know if you need to buy more paint before
the can is empty, which ensures that the
project stays on track. In addition to keeping
up with teammates, project managers keep in regular contact with people
outside of the team, like company leaders who are invested in the project outcomes. For example, you might reach
out to your landlord to get permission to paint and to share the days you'll be
working on this project. Though your landlord isn't directly involved in
the project's execution, the outcomes will
affect her property and so it's important
to keep her informed. Without your project
management skills, you might run out of paint
halfway through the project, your walls might
get painted without drop cloths to
protect the floors, and your landlord could be caught off guard
about your plans. So it's a good thing you're
here to keep the project running smoothly and efficiently. Great. Now you should
be able to define what a project manager is and explain how they
use prioritization, delegation, and
effective communication to deliver value to
their organizations. Coming up, you'll hear
about the career path of a real life project
manager at Google. Their journey to me is fascinating and we can't
wait to share it with you.