You’re a Project Manager. So What Does That Involve?

People like to talk about work, don’t they? Whether you meet someone for the first time in a bar, at a party or at the bus stop they are likely you what you do a living.

The problem is that project manager is such a vague description to most people that they don’t know what it really involves. Some of them might press you for more details but others might smile and change the subject onto the weather or the price of beans.

If you want to get across what your job is about (and why wouldn’t you?) then it is worth thinking about how you can describe it in a language which non project people can understand. Here are a few of the ways I have tried to do it in the past, although not all of them have been successful.

I Design Processes

This is a pretty safe way to describe the project manager role, even though it only tells part of the story. Everyone knows what a process is and the idea of someone designing them shouldn’t be too much for most of them to grasp. Possibly the main problem with this description of the job is that it makes it sound just a trifle dull. To me it conjures up the image of someone sitting in front of a drawing board designing flow charts all day long. We all know that the project leader does more than that but at least we get them thinking on the right track with this one. However, if you are looking to impress someone then this might not be the best approach.

I Lead a Team

Ok, so you lead a team. No one should have to ask you many questions about what this involves but what does the team actually do? Ah, they design processes. So they all sit in front of drawing boards all day long? I have found that playing up the team leading aspect  of the job makes it sound as though I am sort of supervisor who doesn’t do much more than carry out staff reviews, listen in on phone calls for training purposes and generally stick my nose into the business of my team members.  This isn’t really right either, is it? There is much more to being a project leader than managing a team. In fact, I think that it is one of the jobs in which the team leading aspect is more laid back than in other, similar management jobs. Unless you are in a job interview for a role which requires management skills experience I don’t think that this description gives a very well rounded idea of the job either.

I Make Project Plans

Plans? It’s not very specific, is it? Few people are likely to grasp the complexity and scope of the project management job if you put it like this. Designing and maintaining the project plans is a big part of the job but even if you really enjoy doing it you will probably struggle to make it sound exciting. The planning aspect is probably one you will want to avoid when trying to describe the role to people who don’t have a clue what it is all about.

I Run Projects

So what are projects then and how do you run them? This answer is likely to lead more questions, unless the person you are talking thinks that you are being deliberately vague and leaves the subject there. Not a great choice unless you want to be deliberately vague for some reason.

I Make People’s Jobs Easier   

This one might sound a bit corny but it is definitely the most accurate job description for a project manager I could come up with. When you think about it, this job is all about taking something which doesn’t work as well as it might do and making it work better. This means that people are happier and their jobs are easier. It isn’t the most comprehensive description in the world but it does give a good overview and feel for it. If anyone wants more details on what you do then this is a good starting point for explaining how you re-design processes, fix systems, come up with new forms and do whatever else it is you done so far. It is also the kind of description which should make you feel good about what you do and how it impacts positively on the lives of other people.