02/21/2022
There are multiple up-and-coming professions that do not require coding skills. One of them is project management. We asked our manager Maria Korneeva several questions about her job. And here’s what she told us:
Maria!
— Yep!
Who are project managers, and what do they do?
— A project manager is a specialist who takes responsibility for the project, ensuring that it is done on time, within the budget, and with no human loss (I’m kidding).
Was your job choice spontaneous?
— Well, I wouldn’t say so, even though I’ve tried different jobs. I used to be a show-room consultant, a marketing manager, even an office manager. And then, step by step, I realized that I wanted to manage projects, so I took a relevant course and got a job in an IT company. I’ve been a project manager for three years now.
Is taking a course the only way to become a project manager?
— Actually, it’s not. You can start by being a project coordinator. They are the project manager’s right hand. After some time, you’ll get a higher position. Or you can move horizontally in your career by realizing at some point that you’re a PM, not an analyst.
Is any particular type of personality needed?
— It depends on whether you like to communicate with people or not. If your reaction to any colleagues’ misunderstanding is, ‘Eh, deal with it on your own, whatever!’, then it’s not your cup of tea. If you tell yourself, ‘Mhm, I should rephrase this idea to make it intelligible’, then you are in the right place. Being a project manager means being a filter between clients and development teams.
Does that mean you need to know different communication languages?
— Exactly, and of course, you have to be good at planning and calculating risks. Anyway, it comes with practice. When a developer tells you the task will take her/him five hours, you plan twelve. 🙂 People usually forget about testing, fixing bugs, and so on, but you have to keep it in mind. I have to mention that empathy is important, too.
What is the usual project workflow?
— You start with plan a development process with the team lead, set priorities and plan time for every feature, confirm it with the client and designers, and then start the development.
Did you have any concerns when you were starting your career journey?
— Sure, I worried about every single project. I didn’t take any sedatives, though (because I didn’t know they existed, lol). I was very nervous and had to meditate before answering a client. Now I understand that any conflict is not the end of the world but rather something that should be solved. Back then I thought I was a terrible person, and my life was over! 😄
How many projects have you managed?
— Three projects from start to finish and about ten projects that I partially managed.
Is there any project that you’ll remember?
— You never forget your first project, but if I had to name a recent project, TrueLine was quite special for me. It was my first absolutely unique social network. It’s an app for filming and photographing events. What’s so special about it is that you cannot edit the content, which means you can only share the truth. Not only can you share videos and photos, but also set tasks within it, ‘Guys, I’ve never seen the sunset on Baikal, I’ll pay you $3 if you can film it’. You can earn some money on it, too.
Were there any challenges in TrueLine development?
— Yeah, data storage was a challenge because we were planning to release it in several countries. For example, European content should be stored in Europe. We had to create a distributed system, which was very challenging but also extremely interesting at the same time.
Any advice for someone who’s working on his/her first project?
— Do not hesitate to ask questions. Your colleagues, managers, your boss — do not be ashamed of asking any of them. It will protect you from mistakes. Even if you think they are stupid. And if you’ve made a mistake, be honest and tell your team. Anything can be fixed.
