Secrets Uncovered: My Official Day as a Project Manager

It is now 2:14 AM, and I just left the office. It was a long day to get onboard a new project.
As I sit in my car, I wonder if it will be like this all the time?
Next day, I had one more meeting. It didn’t really happen.
Next week, we had meetings after meetings five days in succession. We only managed to get eight hours of work done.
Ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a project manager?
Every industry and every company is unique.
A project’s different stages can have a different focus.
These are the typical days that a PM falls during these periods.
Project Initiation: Day of a PM
A typical day for a project manager during project planning.
What does a Project Manager do during Project Execution?
What do Project Managers do during Project Closure?
Pin it to your Project Management Board.
Here’s how I see it.
A project manager can manage a serious project for seven-eight hours if he does his job well.
The more hours a PM puts in, the less inexperienced and less diligent he is.
Multitasking can make it more difficult. But it brings you back to the main point of “doing your job well.” This includes saying “NO” when there is too much.
This is a golden rule for me. However, it happens. You have to do more to make amends.
Sixteen hours of work a day happened to me, too.
It should be something extraordinary, not the normal way of managing projects.
This article will help you learn how to manage your project effectively.
How to Survive a Project Management Crisis
Project Initiation Day One: Day of a PM
A project manager will need to be less organized during project initiation.
It is often a mixture of meetings with customers, my management, and subject-matter experts in my case.
A small or medium project can be initiated in one to seven days.
I have been involved in initiations that lasted months on a larger project.
They included many POCs (Proofs of Concept), investigation and feasibility checks, as well as high-level estimations.
I can distinguish the main themes throughout the day. They are heavily dependent on the time zone of your clients.
Meetings with Clients
Usually, we hold video conferences.
They can work for one or two hours each morning.
I try to limit it to one or two iterations. We are not planning the project. We are gathering high-level information and getting to know each other.
These meetings are used to gather the information necessary for a simple draft project charter.
You may not see a formal document for smaller projects. You may not see a formal document for smaller projects.
After the meeting with the client, I will compile the information.
Before I send it to clients, I check with SME management.
Why?
Sanity check
Our side will make it possible
Experts and resources available
Additional technical risks
I was not told about agreements with clients.
This client has special requirements
Check out my assumptions
Get their feedback and buy-in
These are not the only ones.
To be clear. I consult experts, even though I try to retain the final decision-making power.
I value their opinions. I also keep management informed and assure them that everything is under control.
You will need to acquire a team if you don’t already have one.
You may spend a lot of time during initiation negotiating internal resources (in-house).
This means that you will have to meet more with your department managers, other project managers, as well as the HR department.
Assist the Project Team during Initiation
Since many years, I have worked with Time and Materials contracts in outsource businesses. The majority of the team is on-boarded.
So I manage their preparations.