You're bound to work on projects with other account or project managers. Might be on the client's end, within your own agency or partner agencies. It's good - you totally get each other and both love to-do lists and crystal clear comms. But sometimes it can be messy having too many Type A personalities in one room, each vying for control. So this post looks at strategies to manage project managers as a project or account manager yourself. Shall we say manage one more time? Manage.
Too much of a good thing is bad
A test of a successful project often comes back to the AM or PM keeping everyone marching to tune. Meeting scope, timeframes and budgets.
So having multiple AMs or PMs on an account should be sweet right? Plenty of experts who live and breath projects everyday. Nope. It's like having multiple conductors for an orchestra...who do you follow, where do you look. The music would be horrendous and the audience (aka client) isn't impressed.
What we're trying to say is too much of a good thing leads to:
Ambiguity in roles and outcomes
Defused responsibility
Multiple systems and management processes
Misaligned priorities
Time inefficiencies for everyone involved
Too much chatter not enough work
So it's kinda important to understand and manage fellow AMs and PMs.
Is there a head honcho
First up, you'd want to get a feel for who is the 'lead' project manager - if at all. Is there a primary contact that serves as the rock for this work. Or is the onus of responsibility shared across a few of you?
If your agency is leading the project then you want to make your position as lead AM/PM known from the get-go. Come into the kickoff with your plan of attack and step into the leadership role with full force!
If the role of lead PM is slightly ambiguous then be prepared to step into that role. There should be someone steering the ship even if there are a few co-captains contributing to the ride. Nothing worse then a project floundering because no sole person took ownership initially.
Best of all, it reflects pretty highly on you and your agency if you step up to that leadership plate naturally. Plus you can control the project narrative which will make your teams lives a hell of a lot easier. Win-win! Though of course only take this on if your project budget allows for it. You are here to make money for your agency at the end of the day.
Keep things black and white
What do we AMs and PMs love amongst all else? Clear expectations. Who's doing what, when is it happening and what dependancies stand in the way. Start things off by mapping out each managers responsibility for the project through delegation (if you're the definite head honcho) or collaborating (if you're co-captaining the responsibility).
It should fall fairly naturally based on each project managers skill-set, background and contribution to the project + of course their time (budget) allocated to the project.
Set the process norms
You know your process. The way you like comms to be shared, to-do lists organised, dependancies listed. Ahhh but so does the other account or project managers on this work.
Sounds like a no-brainer, but define the right process for this project - what comms tools, where docs are uploaded, how to share ideas, scheduling meetings etc.
Don't just tell them - explain why it's important. I mean, your fellow AMs and PMs should know anyway, but reinforce the benefits that are achieved by everyone following the one process. Time efficiencies, clear comms, consolidated info, all that jazz.
And keep directing the team back to this process if need be. Remind them. Copy and paste comms from email to your PM tool if you have to! It's your way or the high way (not really, but you get the gist).
Empower others
As AMs and PMs we like to feel empowered and valuable. We want to know our role but also how it impacts the project outcome, bottom line, other people. So ensure every member knows their level of authority and autonomy - aka what calls can they make themselves versus what requires approval. Empower them to take the lead when it calls for it. It shows trust and leads to a more collaborative and solid team effort.
No-brainer - keep comms open
This feels redundant, but we'll say it anyway. Keep those lines of communication fully open. Have weekly or fortnightly WIPs so each AM or PM can share their progress throughout the week. Set clear goals and timelines for delivery on what needs to happen the following week.
Then put it in writing for everyone to review.
Dealing with conflict
There could be conflict. Perhaps not in the typical sense of person-to-person conflict, but conflicts in the schedule and resourcing.
In theory your regular WIPs should highlight these conflicts and allow you time to manage them accordingly. Ultimately you're all drumming to the same beat, working towards the same goal. So your decision to resolve these conflicts should be backed by that goal - whether it be related to scope, budget or timelines. Strong justification in your decision to make a call can't be argued when it's for the greater good (aka nailing your project!).
Managing other account or project managers isn't tricky. You all speak a common language, the account and project management tongue. Plus you each live in each other shoes and can understand the ins and outs of what they are facing. Using that collective understanding to work collaboratively, empathetically and seamlessly.