Week 7: Deadlines and Lead Times
Written September 6, 2020
Published December 21, 2020
Making sure that all teams have everything they need to complete their tasks is part of the PM role. And for this week, we were able to tick off everything in the list of all the assets and collaterals needed for all project timelines. Since starting my internship, I have realized that it takes a while to request things from people, and that there will be delays in submissions especially since everyone is working on multiple projects for various clients, too. I have learned that constant follow-ups are important in this role.
As an intern, I have learned how best to approach people whenever I am about to ask them to do something for me. Of course, courtesy is important, but I found that sending requests and follow-ups early in the morning gives a higher chance for my request to make it to their priorities for that day. After they had acknowledged my request, I ask them if they need anything else to complete the task, and move to touching on the other requests I have made to get the timeline moving. I also resort to sending individual messages to people for requests, and sending task and timeline updates on the email thread for more transparency.
To keep everyone aligned on project progress, I make sure to send updated versions to everyone involved regularly. As I am an intern, I make sure to send it to the team first for confirmation before sending it to our clients. Most of the clients I worked with expressed appreciation for regular updates without having to ask for it, and it makes me happy that they acknowledge the efforts I made.
At the end of the day, no team is perfect. But a little patience, transparency and mutual respect are factors for a group to function like a well-oiled machine. Some tasks may be challenging and projects may take long periods of time to complete, but a manager who goes out of their own way to make individual team members appreciated lightens the overall burden of work.
