Roles and Responsibilities of Project Managers in Agency

Project Managers

Each project has its typical phases, and every agency tries to get through them as smoothly as possible. It's the project manager's responsibility to control the whole project process and make sure they stay within budget, scope, and deadline while keeping a high level of quality. Teamwork and task management are at the center of their solar system, communication is their forte, and organization is what they live and breathe for.

Tools

Project managers need all the help they can get to successfully pull all the  strings and complete a project within deadline and budget. In the early days, various blackboards were used, paired with methods that stemmed from factory practice. One of these methodologies is the Gantt chart which is still primarily used in production. In the 1950s, project management became recognized as a discipline, and new methods and tools were invented, such as CPM and PERT.  The early 2000s birthed another chart: Kanban.

The process of searching for the right tool can be tiresome but also rewarding. The tricky part is convincing the entire team to use the app regularly and adequately. PMs often choose one tool and then have to give it up because  their team doesn't know how to operate it or it's not user-friendly. It's a  process that requires patience, daily encouragement, and control.

When picking a project management tool, PMs scrutinize three factors: features, price, and ease of use. Essential features could include integrated time tracking, assigning tasks, to-do lists, invoicing, etc. It all depends on what the company focuses on.

As technology progressed, so did the instruments project managers had at their disposal. The past 15 years saw the invention and rise of powerful project management tools, and today they are indispensable. PMs usually adopt the project management tool already in use within the company. If they're lucky enough, they get to choose the tool they prefer.

Some projects are charged by the hour, making time tracking important, while others have a fixed price, and the amount of billable hours isn't that crucial. There are clients who insist on regular detailed reports, so project managers must also find a good reporting system.

We mentioned the Gantt chart and Kanban board earlier as one of the earliest forms of project management tools. Today's apps usually integrate them, so PMs can choose how they visualize and organize the projects they're managing.

Your First Job as a Project Manager

Most people start working as project managers by accident. They usually work in their specialized field, their ability to manage people and projects shines through, and they get promoted internally to a position that deals with project management by all accounts. Such positions could be named head of marketing, management consultant, sometimes even the role of an account executive could be mixed with a project manager. So, if you're already working in a company that deals with projects, no matter how big or small, you could work your way up to the desired role. If you're a natural leader and organizer, it won't take long before others notice your skills. Try to take on smaller projects, assist your managers, and if you gain their trust, you might land a project to manage yourself. Get that done properly, and you might get the opportunity to ask to be a project manager permanently.

Becoming a PM right after finishing your studies isn't as easy as you might think at first. You may know all the theories in the world, but practice is crucial in this business because project management involves people. This is why it's helpful to look for an internship while you're still studying. You could see the process closely and learn a lot about human behavior. If the company sees you as a good fit, you might even land an entry-level job as an assistant manager.

Starting out a career as a project manager without any previous experience in any field isn't just difficult because no serious company would hire such a profile, but it's also not recommendable for an inexperienced person to take on the responsibility of managing a project.