Job Focus: Project Manager

Project Managers are in high demand both inside and outside of the city. The job is interesting, detailed, demanding, and rewarding – especially when that final project is delivered and sign-off is received from all satisfied stakeholders.

Project Managers  (PM’s) work on individual “projects” that can either stand alone or be part of a “Program”. Programs are groups of projects that work towards an overall outcome. For example, if a program was developed to support the building of a new hospital, there would be separate projects that have specific goals and outcomes that come together. You might have a PM assigned to the building construction and another handling the information technology (IT) deployment (telephones, networking, etc.). Another PM might be dedicated to managing the buildout of the operating and emergency rooms. A PM might be assigned multiple projects. The PM handling the network and telephones might support the deployment of security systems, like “swipe card” devices, cameras, and other equipment that might be IT based.

A project manager doesn’t have to be an expert in what the specific technology is that they are managing, but it helps . That’s where subject matter experts – engineers and other technical people – provide support to the PM.

The PM’s main interests are the project’s schedule, scope, and budget – also known as the Triple Constraint – stated differently as cost, scope, and time. We won’t go deeper into project management theory here but there’s plenty of information out there if you search for it.

The project manager is expected to be well versed in Microsoft Office ® products including a working knowledge of Microsoft Project . A project manager might have to generate meeting agendas and sign-off documents using Word, track action items and budgets in Excel, make a PowerPoint for an update meeting, and track project timelines in Project. Just an fyi, I am not being compensated by Microsoft or any distributor…

Project Managers sometimes work for an agency’s Project Management Office (PMO) if they have one or are assigned to a particular group and handle projects related to that unit.

The city holds exams for Project Manager but in many cases agencies use different titles that are in use in that agency or are more technically specific to the task at hand. A quick search of NYC Jobs and searching for Project Manager finds several openings looking for PM’s but using different civil service titles in some cases. There was one agency looking for a PM with an actual title of Project Manager, but another one had a civil service title of Community Coordinator and another had a title of IT Service Management Specialist.

This Agency is using the same Civil Service Title and Business (In-House) Title

These Agencies have two different titles – one for In-House (Business) and the other is the actual Civil Service Title

Certifications

You don’t necessarily need certification to be a project manager, but it does appear to add value. There are a number of certifications available but the one I’ve been most familiar with is the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Professional or PMP. You do need to get some projects under your belt to qualify, as well as taking and passing their exam. If you’re starting out you may want to find out about their Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). The CAPM doesn’t need as much PM experience and they will accept training in lieu of the experience. Just to be clear, I have no relationship with PMI and I can’t vouch for anything other than what I’ve seen and heard from personal experience. I am receiving no compensation from them. I, myself, have been asked if I had PMP certification as I took on additional project challenges. I don’t at this time but I do have more than enough project hours to qualify to take the exam. I would have to study up before I even attempted it. And there is a continuing education requirement to maintain certification that has to be considered too…

Do not discount the other certifications – do your homework. I suspect any certification would provide value – and that extra nudge may be all you need to beat out the competition.

Agency Hopping

Project Managers are needed in many agencies and it’s common for PM’s to move from agency to agency in order to get pay increases and promotions. It’s a skill that is needed to keep projects moving and (hopefully) keep costs in check. If you have a specific skill and want a change from the physical/technical side, looking at a change to Project Management might be a good option.

Comments and Questions are Welcomed Here.