Want to get into project management?

Meet Abby and Jason from 2PM, they are both project managers with plenty of experience to draw on.

2PM is a project management consultancy based in Hobart. “Basically what we do is provide clients with solutions to problems. So we might be called in when there’s a project or an initiative or a change being rolled out within an organisation and they need additional support to help manage that change.”

That change might be anything ICT related, from getting a new website to replacing a phone system, and the important thing for Abby and Jason is that it is done the best possible way, so it doesn’t end up costing the organisation money. It’s highly important to have the right people working on the job – whether that’s a project manager, change manager or business analyst. “People that can come in and really understand the problem and understand the goal of the change and then work with the organisation to achieve it.”

According to Jason, this means that a lot of his role is about coordination. “A lot of what we do is about collaboration, coordination and control – and those are the main themes of what we do from day to day. This means working out who we need to speak to, who’s the most important to be contacting about an issue, what resources need to be where and when, and making sure things will be delivered when we say they’re going to be delivered.”

Abby adds, “Once we have put a plan in place I work very very closely with the team to ensure that we are delivering to that plan. I identify any risks associated with meeting the the plan and resolve any issues which have a potential impact. I also make sure that we have the right people in place at the right time to execute that plan and I also oversee the project budget.”

Both Abby and Jason would agree that the main skill that makes a successful project manager is the ability to oversee a lot of details – from people, technical scope and budget. And that the results can be very rewarding.

“You need attention to detail you need to be able to control things, and you need to be able to lead people. You also need to be able to assess risks, you need to be able to understand the big picture and what’s important so … being able to make big decisions, quick decisions and to address issues that arise,” Jason says.

Abby agrees. “No day is the same, every day has different challenges. Coming up with a plan for the business and the organisation to best manage that change can be a little bit overwhelming but it’s also very challenging and that’s the bit that I love about my job.”

If this is a job you could love too, you can start now! Take a look at our info on becoming a project manager.