A day in the life of an Project Manager

The job of Project Manager in an IT company is a dynamic and multifaceted task, requiring both hard technical skills and soft interpersonal skills. The daily life of this position is full of challenges, tasks to be completed and interactions with the team and stakeholders. Below is a typical day in the life of a Project Manager, which is sure to be of interest to anyone thinking about a career in project management in the IT industry.

Daily tasks of a Project Manager

1. Morning overview and day planning for the IT Project Manager

It is best to start the day by reviewing the calendar and making a list of tasks. It is important to check what meetings are scheduled, what deadlines are approaching and which tasks are priorities. A brief review of emails allows you to see if there are any new urgent matters that need attention. Scheduling the day is especially important, especially when the manager is responsible for more projects. It is also crucial to write down the tasks that need to be completed, this allows you to manage your time well and not postpone tasks for later days.

‍
Before key meetings, it is a good practice to allow time for preparation - sometimes there is a week, two or a month between meetings with, for example, a client - in this case it is worth refreshing the topics covered in previous meetings. It is a good idea to prepare yourself presentations, open the necessary files, so that during the meeting you do not waste time looking for the right link. It is the Project Manager's responsibility to make sure that breaks are left between meetings and subsequent tasks, which can be a backup in case the meetings get long. When the calendar lacks breaks, all it takes is for one meeting to get extended, and each subsequent meeting will be delayed until the end of the day.

2. Daily meeting as a key to success

An integral part of working in Agile, among other things, is the daily team meeting. This is a short, usually about 15-minute session in which each team member discusses what they worked on the previous day, what they plan to do today, and whether they encountered any obstacles. Such a ritual helps keep the team abreast of work progress and quickly identify any problems. The meeting allows the Project Manager to assess the progress of the work, identify how the team is doing on priority tasks and approach solutions to problems encountered. The meeting allows all team members to be aware of where the project stands and what separates the team from the goal.

‍
Transparency is key to effective collaboration, as everyone is aware of what is happening in the project, what the priorities are, and what challenges may affect the timely completion of tasks. With transparency, team members can better plan their tasks and understand how their work fits into the broader project context. Lack of transparency can lead to misunderstandings, inefficiency and lack of commitment. For example, if the team is unaware of delays in the delivery of key components, they may continue to work on dependent tasks, resulting in wasted time and resources.

Regular meetings can have a motivating effect on the team. It is a moment when everyone can feel the support of colleagues and the appreciation of their work. For example, during a daily meeting, each team member has the opportunity to share their progress and challenges encountered. When other team members offer help or share their experiences, a sense of community and mutual support is built.

‍
In contrast, a lack of regular meetings or insufficient transparency on the part of the Project Manager can lead to a number of problems. Team members can feel isolated and uncertain about the progress of the project, which in turn can lower their motivation and productivity. This can also lead to duplication of work, miscommunication and unforeseen delays, which negatively affects the overall success of the project.

3. Coordination of IT projects with stakeholders

Later in the day, it's time for meetings with project stakeholders. This could be a conversation with the client to discuss progress, gather requirements or present sprint results. Such meetings are key to maintaining clear and open communication with the client, which allows you to adjust the project to their needs and expectations on an ongoing basis. It also helps build trust and satisfaction, as the client sees in real time that the project is being implemented according to plan and requirements. In order to coordinate IT proejcts well, it is important for the client to have a full view of what has already been accomplished, as well as what still remains to be done. Regular meetings allow early detection of possible problems or discrepancies between the client's expectations and the reality of the project, so that they can be resolved quickly.

‍
This part of the day also includes other meetings, such as with marketing, sales or external suppliers who are involved in the project. It is also the Project Manager's responsibility to meet with the board of directors. Regular reporting of the project's progress to the board and finance department is essential to ensure that the project is on budget and on schedule. These meetings are an opportunity to present key performance indicators (KPIs), discuss possible financial risks, and negotiate additional resources if necessary.

4. Risk and problem management in IT projects

A huge challenge for a Project Manager is risk management, as it allows to proactively address potential risks and minimize their impact on the project. Some key points supporting risk management in IT projects:

• Prepare a list of potential risks and work with them on an ongoing basis. Having such a list, you can estimate the probability of problems. This allows you to quickly prevent risks and prepare contingency plans.
• Organizing periodic workshops and meetings with the team. This allows you to identify potential project risks. Risks can include various aspects, such as technology, resources, schedule, quality or regulatory compliance.
• Include the perspectives of different team members, which helps detect risks that may not be obvious at first glance. Project managers managing IT projects are able to anticipate possible risks, and apply preventive plans that minimize IT project risks.
• Evaluate risks in terms of their likelihood of occurrence and potential impact on the project. In this way, a risk matrix can be created that classifies risks based on these two criteria. This allows you to effectively prioritize risks and focus on those that can have the greatest negative impact on the project.
• Regularly update the lists and matrices taking into account new information and changing circumstances.

5. Monitoring progress and reporting

One of the most important responsibilities of a Project Manager is to monitor project progress and report results to stakeholders. Effective monitoring allows you to keep track of task completion, identify any delays and take corrective action. To achieve this, a variety of tools and metrics can be used to help manage the project accurately and transparently.

‍
Project management tools such as Jira, Trello, Asana and Microsoft Project allow you to track task progress and milestones. These tools allow you to effectively plan, monitor progress and manage your team. These tools enable you to:

• Create and assign tasks: Each task is described in detail, assigned to appropriate team members and prioritized.
• Progress tracking: Task status updates are live, allowing you to monitor progress in real time.
• Backlog management: A list of pending tasks is stored in the backlog, enabling efficient sprint planning and prioritization of work.

To accurately monitor the project's progress, you can use various metrics and indicators, such as:

• Velocity: Measures the speed at which a team completes tasks. Velocity is especially useful in Agile, where it allows you to predict future team performance and plan future sprints.
• Burn-down Chart: Graphically shows how much work is left to complete a sprint or project. The Burn-down Chart allows you to quickly identify any delays and the need for changes.
• Budget Progress Indicator: Monitoring expenditures against the planned budget is key to keeping the project within the specified financial resources. Regular budget analysis allows you to control costs and avoid overruns.

6. Development and motivation of the IT team

An integral part of a Project Manager's job is to take care of the development and motivation of the team. To keep the team motivated, appreciated and fully informed about how their work is perceived, you can organize feedback sessions, offer training and workshops in line with the employee's development direction This will help the team develop skills and keep motivation high, as well as build a strong and competent team. As a result, the project is carried out effectively, and the team feels appreciated and committed to achieving common goals.

7. Sprint planning and retrospectives

The Project Manager's daily tasks include planning upcoming sprints and organizing retrospectives and demo meetings.
Sprint planning is a process that helps the team determine what tasks will be completed in the upcoming period (depending on the project, usually one to four weeks). Joint planning with the team allows for clear prioritization, efficient allocation of resources and setting realistic goals. If you want to read more about sprint planning, I refer you to another blog post related to this very topic: effective planning

Retrospectives are a key part of the continuous improvement process in Agile. They allow the team to reflect on the past sprint, identify successes, problems and areas for improvement, and make improvements that will help in future sprints. To organize a good and interesting retrospective, you need to prepare for it, find the right method to make the meeting interesting and gather maximum information about the past sprint. More about retrospectives

8. Summary of the day and preparation for the next

When managing IT projects, it's a good idea to end the day with a review of completed tasks, making sure that all priority issues have been taken care of. At the end of the day, you can review what was accomplished, what needs further work and what needs to be planned for tomorrow. It is necessary to write down all the issues that arose during the day, so that in the next day you can plan to complete them.

‍
The work of a Project Manager in IT especially when developing custom software is challenging, but also rewarding. Each day brings new tasks and opportunities for growth, and the key to success lies in good organization, communication skills and the ability to solve problems quickly. With commitment and cooperation with the team, completing IT projects becomes an exciting adventure.