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Dik Hz posted:Passed the PMP this afternoon. Congrats! I’d pretty much say that your feedback mirrors mine. Irony now is that I’m seeing a lot of PM jobs that don’t even ask for a PMP cert even though they clearly should. Regardless, I still apply but just bump up what I think the salary should be a little bit to try and compensate 🤷🏾♂️
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Jul 3, 2020 03:58
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I'm an IT Engineer slowly finding myself heading towards PM world. I report to a Head of IT and we got an IT Director maybe 18-24 months ago. IT Director was a senior project manager for the wider business before coming to us - and because of that, he is "formalising" the way we work to follow the wider businesses PM processes, because that's how he has always done things. Head of IT does not care for this much and finds it a chore. I think using the PM process is quite logical and it also means the IT Director takes an interest and signs things off so it's an effective way of getting things done. So IT Director says to me can I be PM bitch on behalf of HoIT (because he doesnt do what he is supposed to) At first I thought this was going to be a fairly admin kinda task, but never the less a way to get my foot in the door... I'm going to be blunt about HoIT to make a point, he basically rides the wave of me and my 4 counter parts doing the work and sitting pretty saying "yeah I'm sure that's being done" and lucky for him, it usually is. The good news for us both is I can carve a niche for myself by talking to my colleagues and doing all the PM work. Its thin ice because I am not my colleagues boss and I have to tell our boss if stuff needs attention, but I'm fine balancing that sort of stuff. I can report in to HoIT and Director and say "look at all this stuff" and we all have clear assurance of what good and bad in our little world. Ultimately my aim is to move into the wider business as a PM, so given that I also have to report all this stuff to the program manager who would be the hiring manager, hopefully I can impres enough to get a move Its noted that experience is needed for a PMP cert so I think I'll read up there and make sure my current work applies, I think it should. No questions at the moment - I just like to post in threads like this as a sort of journal so I can look in 3 months time and go I've progressed from A to B (or not) and reflect, I find that helpful.
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Jul 5, 2020 23:15
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angry armadillo posted:Its thin ice because I am not my colleagues boss and I have to tell our boss if stuff needs attention, This is how most people get in to PM roles in my limited experience. You tend to get the responsibility without the title first.
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Jul 6, 2020 00:08
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CarForumPoster posted:This is how most people get in to PM roles in my limited experience. You tend to get the responsibility without the title first.
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Jul 6, 2020 23:45
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I got my existing role in the same way - I was an engineer at one site, we won a contract to run another site, I volunteered to mobilize the contract, didn't ask for temporary pay uplift or anything formal, just happy for the opportunity to prove myself at a higher level and now I am the manager so I got something out of it by doing it that way - loads of people said 'you should be getting paid more for running a mobilisation' but I think the proof is in the pudding and I'm ok with that. I have just received an email from our Programme Director complimenting my Project Charter - it's the first one I've done total on my own so I am very chuffed to receive his compliments... step one of the plan is working 
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Jul 8, 2020 15:43
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I'm a PM, with a small team, without the title (yet). I'm cleared to have said title in my email signature etc but it's not updated in our HR systems etc yet. This admittedly is more to do with general neglect of IT titles and such over the last few years by a previous management team, and to be frank, I'd have liked the new one to have somehow sorted this out faster, but I'm glad it's happening at all. I've also not had the salary bump but I have had support for training and conference attendance (oh wait...) Anyway, I actually got to write my own job description, which worked well as I have a mixed Technical and PM role (although I try to keep the two seperate). That was pretty valuable. However, it should be noted that over most of the period this was carried out, I've grown in PM experience.
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Jul 8, 2020 17:55
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I am 1.5 classes away from getting my Master's degree (paid through my company). Did I just waste my time?
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Aug 8, 2020 03:25
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Knight2m posted:I am 1.5 classes away from getting my Master's degree (paid through my company). Did I just waste my time? What’s the degree in?
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Aug 8, 2020 03:32
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Knight2m posted:I am 1.5 classes away from getting my Master's degree (paid through my company). Did I just waste my time? Paid for by your company? No you did not waste your time.
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Aug 8, 2020 04:24
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CarForumPoster posted:What’s the degree in? PM. I haven't done much of it professionally in my job history, but I just stared a new role as an ops manager with a staff, and my director has plans to implement some process improvements, so I'm hoping to flex this new muscle a bit. Prior to this position (which I've had for all of one week) I had hopes of just working projects, with the direct reports, but my team is pretty small.
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Aug 8, 2020 05:53
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Dik Hz posted:This has been my experience. same as well
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Aug 8, 2020 14:13
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Hey BFC goons, I'm currently a project manager for an MSP (Information Technology outsourcing company basically) and I'm about to start searching for a new job. The question I'm trying to answer is, is project management even the field I want to be in, or should I look at other career paths. The reason I'm not sure is because my current position's responsibilities have changed drastically from what they were when I was hired. Originally my tasks were to manage the administrative overhead associated with our projects. This was stuff such as doing all the opening data entry in our PM software, scheduling meetings to get projects started, or cadence calls as they were ongoing, monitoring the budget and schedule throughout, running our daily scrum meetings and then any paperwork and administrative tasks as the project closed. That is a very big-picture overview of the job responsibilities initially. I also worked alongside a team lead, who had a thorough understanding of the actual technical work being done, did the project scoping and estimating, and also managed the employees on the team. I would help develop and monitor team KPI's, but when it came time to manage the team members, 1 on 1s, etc, that fell to the team lead. Then that team lead left, and all of the team personnel management tasks have fallen to me, and I am not happy with that work. I'm a numbers and data person, but I'm not a disciplinarian, nor am I a particularly great motivator. I'm happy to track metrics to show everyone how much work needs doing, and what our deadlines are, but I don't like having to coach the individuals, do 1 on 1s, hire/fire, or other tasks associated with personnel management. So my question is, if I like the administrative work, data analytics, and meeting scheduling/coordination parts of my role as a project manager, but do not have the desire to be a leader of employees, is project management the right field for me?
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Aug 26, 2020 00:03
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Korwen posted:So my question is, if I like the administrative work, data analytics, and meeting scheduling/coordination parts of my role as a project manager, but do not have the desire to be a leader of employees, is project management the right field for me?
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Aug 26, 2020 00:16
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You sound just like a PM to me.
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Aug 26, 2020 00:20
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Korwen posted:Hey BFC goons, I'm currently a project manager for an MSP (Information Technology outsourcing company basically) and I'm about to start searching for a new job. Just make sure that you get a good sense in your interviews of what the companies themselves believe their project managers are supposed to be. Best possible situation is always gonna be to find a company that agrees with your definition, regardless of what you feel that definition is.
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Aug 26, 2020 16:42
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What you describe my company calls "Project Engineers," while the leader/face/ultimately responsible party of the program is the "Project Manager". Like the above though, the titles vary between companies so make sure you are upfront about what you want. Our Project Engineers are employees with no reports, while the Project Managers are management and have direct reports, either their Project Engineers or other mangers of smaller projects if they run an umbrella.
Xenoborg fucked around with this message at 18:39 on Aug 26, 2020 |
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Aug 26, 2020 18:35
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Pryce posted:Just make sure that you get a good sense in your interviews of what the companies themselves believe their project managers are supposed to be. Best possible situation is always gonna be to find a company that agrees with your definition, regardless of what you feel that definition is. I think this is an important distinction to make. My last 2 places I were closer to this/what Xenoborg described.
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Aug 31, 2020 23:44
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A question about the PMP application process. My supervisors and managers at work are a mixed bag. Often we'll work under a different supervisor, rather than our direct manager, for some time. Other times, we'll be left to our own initiative and just report back to stakeholders and keep our direct manager informed, sometimes we'll do that but with a supervisor. Now, when it comes to filling in the application and defending it should it ever be audited, I'm getting mixed answers from the PMI on who I can use for that: * The PMP Handbook (most practical guide to the application process) says " your supervisor(s) or manager(s) from the project(s) recorded in the experience verification section of the application". * However, an audit requirements page says "A manager, supervisor, or colleague who has firsthand knowledge of the experience on your application isrequired to review and then complete the Project Management Experience Audit Report." The latter is easier to obtain because I still work with people I've had on projects, whereas managers in the last few years get shuffled around. My question is how much I should be ready for in case an audit does come, and if so, are there any tips for whom I should pre-ask to be a reference if needed.
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Jan 28, 2021 00:46
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Rooted Vegetable posted:A question about the PMP application process. My supervisors and managers at work are a mixed bag. Often we'll work under a different supervisor, rather than our direct manager, for some time. Other times, we'll be left to our own initiative and just report back to stakeholders and keep our direct manager informed, sometimes we'll do that but with a supervisor.
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Jan 28, 2021 03:11
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Ok perfect. Further question: my work tends to have multiple smaller projects taking place over many months due to availability of people. It can artificially lengthen a short project to a year even though the active time was a few months. I also have plenty of overlap, but is this a problem? Furthermore, I was two-hatting for a while (Technical resource and PM). Also not a big deal? I've got projects going back to 2017 on my history.
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Jan 28, 2021 16:31
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Rooted Vegetable posted:Ok perfect. They just want your money. As long as some one will vouch for you don't really give it much thought.
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Jan 28, 2021 16:47
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Rooted Vegetable posted:Ok perfect. spwrozek knows what's up.
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Jan 28, 2021 18:09
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Why are 95% of PMs just warm bodies that make my life miserable?
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Mar 4, 2021 21:14
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spwrozek posted:Why are 95% of PMs just warm bodies that make my life miserable? In my experience good PM'ing is an art not a science. The industry and certs treat it as a very complicated if/then statement and it really isn't. Most PMs aren't actually good at the art of it. The other big thing is in a lot of places the PMs are so hamstrung by processes/procedure and poo poo management above them they can't do the things they want to/know are the better option. A good PM exists to make your job easier and clear obstacles out of your way as well as interface with everybody outside the main project team with your interests in mind. That only works with competent resources, however, and a few bad apples that require a lot of PM handholding and micromanagement tend to turn a PM into just that and make everyone's life miserable.
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Mar 4, 2021 22:24
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D-Pad posted:In my experience good PM'ing is an art not a science. The industry and certs treat it as a very complicated if/then statement and it really isn't. Most PMs aren't actually good at the art of it. Oh I know all that. I am mostly just bitching. It is always engineering management (me) resolving all the issues our PMs love to make.
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Mar 4, 2021 22:45
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Any PM's with an opinion on the new google proffesional certificate? https://www.coursera.org/profession...zRoCdLcQAvD_BwE
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Mar 18, 2021 17:38
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Firstly, PMP application is accepted and I just need to schedule the exam. I'm studying my PMP Preparation Course Book now. Kind of a lot to take in... As is the PMBOK... As are my extensive notes. Kind of seems like PMTraining.com (who I'm doing practice exams with) would like you to know the Agile Practice Guide too. In terms of remembering all of this during the stress of job, kid and covid, any hints? Adjacent question, did anyone use Anki for making flashcards and if so, any quick guides on making effective cards?
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Apr 1, 2021 01:54
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Rooted Vegetable posted:Firstly, PMP application is accepted and I just need to schedule the exam. The best advice for the test is the correct answer is not what any sane reasonable person would actually do, the correct answer is what the PMBOK says to do.
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Apr 1, 2021 05:06
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D-Pad posted:The best advice for the test is the correct answer is not what any sane reasonable person would actually do, the correct answer is what the PMBOK says to do. Sound advice that is consistent with my instructor. However, cramming all those answers into my head is the issue... Especially when I've got to do the sane answers day to day
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Apr 1, 2021 05:24
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The test format has changed recently, so previous experience might not translate.Dik Hz posted:Passed the PMP this afternoon. My test prep course simultaneously gave me the tools necessary to pass the exam and completely failed to prepare me for what the test would actually be like. My advice for test takers would be to scrutinize every question for which phase you're in, identify which process is appropriate, assume you have more power than God, assume you have no decision-making authority whatsoever, and pick the most proactive answer that aligns with the process you've identified.
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Apr 2, 2021 12:22
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Fromy experience with the current practice questions, that's still valid.
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Apr 2, 2021 16:36
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I recently got a promotion into a kind of engineering management position. I'm taking some things off of my boss's plate but I want to do them differently. I don't have the software on hand to do what I want, though. Basically one of my roles is going to be managing the workload of a couple of guys. I want a program that can just track a block of work and an estimated completion date. If I have a block of work (say, 40 hours of work) and two guys that will be putting 30 hours a week into it, I want to be able to have a start date on this and an estimated completion date. Critical to this is being able to move stuff around, in front of other blocks of work, marking stuff as complete sooner than anticipated (or that it's taking longer) and knowing how that affects not only that project but anything behind it. There has to be something out there. I'm not familiar with Microsoft Planner but I think I have access to it, but if there's something free-r and better I'm all ears. I can do it in excel if I have to. Right now my boss just pulls estimated completion dates out of his rear end (and refuses to believe that estimating engineering hours is possible) but I think it's not only possible but easy for what we do.
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May 18, 2021 16:58
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You want scheduling software so Microsoft Project or Primavera 6. Those both may be too costly and overpowered for what you are looking to do. You can set to-do tasks in Teams but a bit harder to move those around or resource load them with people and hours.
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May 18, 2021 17:42
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You want MS Project and you can get a key for it for like $20 through a goon: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3898368&perpage=40&noseen=1 I grabbed it along with Office and Win 10 when so built my recent PC.
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May 18, 2021 17:50
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LawfulWaffle posted:You want MS Project and you can get a key for it for like $20 through a goon: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3898368&perpage=40&noseen=1 It looks like I have Microsoft Project (through 365) but I don't have a license to do the roadmap portion. Is what I'm looking to do achievable through Project alone or would I need to get the roadmap portion of it? edit: nevermind, I don't have a license to create a project either. Gonna see if I can get one. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 18:08 on May 18, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 18:03
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Project would be a good fit for that. Planner (a seperate product) might be but I'm not sure it'll do the shuffling and percentage completeness you're looking for. It's more for pull based scheduling when I last used it.
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May 19, 2021 00:57
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My company uses float.com. I like it quite a bit and they add features often.
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May 21, 2021 12:33
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Taking the PMP exam tomorrow yayay currently not sleeping because I keep recreating fuggin page 25 in my head. You know the one. Edit: WHAT A GREAT NIGHT FOR MY DAUGHTER TO NOT SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TEN MONTHS SgtScruffy fucked around with this message at 07:32 on Jun 1, 2021 |
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Jun 1, 2021 04:43
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SgtScruffy posted:Taking the PMP exam tomorrow yayay currently not sleeping because I keep recreating fuggin page 25 in my head. You know the one. Good luck! Report back when you recover from your post-test bender. That fucker is draining.
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Jun 1, 2021 14:28
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Dik Hz posted:Good luck! Report back when you recover from your post-test bender. That fucker is draining. PASSED!!! Jesus, draining is absolutely correct. My coworker took it right before me and we're about to go get DOUBLE CELEBRATION BEERS
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Jun 1, 2021 22:09
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