Explaining what project managers do on a daily basis is not as simple as it appears. They have a variety of tasks to complete in a day, ranging from taking updates from team members to updating clients while managing their own work.
Project managers’ jobs can be exhausting, but it is also rewarding when the project is completed. They work from the beginning to the end of a project, keeping everything organized and under control. This is why project managers are considered as organizations’ backbone.
In this article, we will talk about what project managers do on a daily basis to provide clarity for those who are new to this role or are looking to switch positions or careers as project managers.
Let’s start!
The daily routine of project managers
As a project manager, it is very easy to lose track of projects, team members, or client requirements. Therefore, to keep track of everything, project managers perform the following tasks to stay organized and keep everyone in the loop for effective project delivery.
Eating the frogs:
What’s better than focusing on the crucial tasks first thing in the morning?
Eat the frog is a phrase that is used for completing important and crucial tasks at the beginning of the day and leaving the easy and less important tasks for the rest of the day.
The whole purpose behind eating the frog is to utilize energy wisely and achieve more, especially when project managers have several important things to accomplish in a day.
Keep taking breaks:
Another important aspect of remote work is taking breaks. It refreshes and helps you gain the energy to start working again. Overwhelming yourself without taking breaks can affect your mental health and work efficiency.
Therefore, prepare a schedule before starting your day and keep short and long breaks in between to increase your productivity and improve work quality. Once you start following this practice, you’ll be amazed by the results and will notice the change yourself.
Conducting team meetings:
Project managers make sure that they and their team start the day with effectiveness. Therefore, they keep their team well-informed about their roles and responsibilities by conducting regular team meetings.
Furthermore, they divide tasks equally among team members and take updates regularly.
Managers also conduct one-on-one conversations with their team members to hear and solve the problems they are facing. This helps the team members to stay motivated, focused, and productive.
Managing projects and people:
Project managers are in charge of multiple projects at a time. Hence, it is important to check the progress of each task and assess if it can be completed within the given time and resources.
Besides managing projects and teams, managers also interact with various other people, such as clients and stakeholders. They also take part in interviews for hiring new members.
After the pandemic, many employees are working from remote locations. Therefore, managers also stay in touch with them along with clients. Conferences are part of the daily activities of project managers.
Additionally, they keep track of deadlines, emails, phone calls, and discussions for future actions, quality control audits, and much more.
Connecting with clients and stakeholders:
Every few days or weeks, project managers update the clients and stakeholders about their project’s progress. They give them detailed information on how far the project has come from the last update and their future plans.
Sometimes, stakeholders and clients also recommend a few changes which need to be heard by project managers to inform their team about the same.
Planning out activities for the next day:
Project managers always work on managing their schedules and planning their day ahead for covering important activities, such as team building, scrum meetings, client meetings, and much more.
They are basically booked for the entire week, which necessitates advance planning to ensure that nothing is missed and they can start their day without cluttered calendars or missed tasks.
Relaxing:
After completing all of the essential tasks of the day, project managers can finally relax and participate in activities like eating a meal, talking to friends or family, and reading the news, among others.
In between, project managers also take breaks from time to time to recharge themselves and return to work with the same focus they had at the start of the day.
Do responsibilities varies across all project management areas?
Project management is scattered across all fields, with roles and responsibilities varying by industry and area. Telecommunications project managers, consultant project managers, engineering project managers, IT project managers, and mobile app project managers are just a few examples.
All of these industries have different daily tasks, but effective communication and the ability to multitask are the common skills required by project managers to manage their tasks and teams, effectively.
Conclusion
A project manager’s job can be exhausting, but it all depends on how you manage things like employees, time, clients, daily tasks, and so on.
Pre-planning everything by writing down all of the tasks for the day and working on them in order of urgency and importance, can really help you.
Furthermore, scheduling and managing your time effectively can help you stay on track and manage your time more effectively.
Prioritizing tasks can also benefit both your team and the project. Additionally, maintaining an effective work-life balance can help you remain productive and motivated to do more.
KonarkPro is a useful tool for project managers to keep track of their schedules. It can assist them in becoming more efficient and productive to effectively manage their time and team.