Five Questions about Project Management with Sheila Frost

“Project management” sounds self-explanatory — it’s about managing a project. Yet, managing a project can be complex. There are many moving parts, and if you’re not monitoring every component, the project could fail.

Humans have understood this for centuries, dating back to ancient Egypt. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1950s that organizations began applying systematic project management tools and techniques to projects. By the 1960s, not one but two professional project management organizations had been founded.

To understand more about project management and its impact on organizations, I interviewed Sheila Frost, a project manager with over a decade of experience. In the following five questions, she explains what inspired her to become a project manager, what she loves about it, and what she sees for the future of the industry.

What made you become a project manager?

When I was 11, I created my own business. I managed the finances and plans. I knew I was a planner and could manage money. Eventually, I started working as a business analyst, which took me into project management. No one was overseeing projects where I was working, so I wound up doing it. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do.

What are your favorite aspects of project management?

Mainly dealing with people. I love figuring out how people work and how to use their strengths. I also enjoy the mentoring and managing people, assessing forecasts and issues and figuring out how to make it all happen. The rewarding factor when a project has been completed is definitely something, not just for me but for the whole team.

What are the things you wish people knew about project management?

Theory is one thing, but it’s important to make sense of objectives. Having the right people makes a huge difference. Use your emotional intelligence (EI) rather than your IQ. Project management is more than having a plan. You need to think outside of the box.

And no one fits into a box, either. You have to have EI. To grow your EI skills, you need mentoring, and you need to learn from practice. If you’re working on a lot of projects, observe successful project management best practices.

Entrepreneurs make excellent project managers. At the beginning, they’re involved in every aspect of their business, so they gain deep insights into project management.

Another thing to remember is that a goal can have many solutions. It’s about knowing what fits in the time, space, and budget. It’s a puzzle. You have to bring everyone together because it’s a team effort. Bringing everyone together helps everyone understand the expectations. You can’t leave anyone out. When you bring everyone together, it’s easier to assess what the budget is, what the deadline is, and what everyone can do with their capabilities given the time and budget.

When it comes to solutions, the most expensive solution might not be the right one. As a project manager, I want to know what all the solutions could be and assess them.

It’s also important to be proactive. If you know something is a red flag, don’t hide it. Address it now. I like to deal with issues then and there.

You have to keep up with the times, too. What worked five years ago won’t work today. Technology has changed. Society has changed. We have to work smarter and be empathetic at the same time.

What predictions do you have for the next two to five years in this field?

In the past, we had very rigid processes. Then, scrum and agile methodologies came along. Project managers needed those certifications, or at least needed to understand the methodologies. However, I would say that certifications aren’t the most important thing anymore. Work experience is key.

I also predict that project managers will have to be more creative and less rigid in coming years. Some things you can’t change, like budgets. You can be creative in other ways, though. You might find that when you’re trying to come up with a solution, a better solution exists than what you originally thought. You might have to go back to square one, but for better justification.

Some things won’t change. Communication will always be important. Set expectations that if something in the project changes, you need to discuss it. Be aware that goals can change, too.

Could AI or full automation do all the requirements gathering, inputting the plans, do real-time changes, consider complexity, and manage multiple projects in a program? Maybe?!

What advice would you give someone who’s considering entering the field of project management?

You have to learn and practice, even if you’re not in the world of project management yet. Practice with your own projects so you can experience what it’s like to be a project manager. Look at your budget, your timeline, and figure out the components of the project. For example, if you’re renovating your house, look at what’s being renovated, what your budget is, and what the timeline is. Contract roles are a good way to get your foot in the door of the project management field.

Another piece of advice is that you should understand the industry you want to work in. Learn the industry in-depth. Connect to people in the industry (such as project managers) to understand what a typical project looks like. If you don’t have an industry in mind, pick a random industry and figure out what project management looks like in that field.

It’s also about the department you’ll be working in. What does the department produce or deliver?

You also have to understand your product. What does it do? Who’s your audience? What’s your price or cost? What are the marketing efforts to promote that product? Are there any lifecycles to follow? You have to think like an entrepreneur.

Project managers have transferrable skills and can run any project, but it helps to have that in-depth knowledge. Make sure that the industry is a good fit for you. Banks can be fast paced. So are start-ups, but in a different way.

Something else you should know is that when it comes to planning a project, you can write a plan on a napkin — not that I would advise it — but there are project management tools that can help guide you and produce more presentable information. If you know what the project components are, who’s getting it done, what the timeline is, and you’re tracking and monitoring it, that’s all that matters. You need to know what your dependencies are, and what should be happening when. There are a lot of tasks that can be done at the same time. Use common sense, be practical, and communicate! That’s all related to EI.

Yes, you have to pick the right tools to facilitate project management, but they don’t have to be complicated or expensive. There’s no one right tool out there.

Finally, proactive and organized planning, firm monitoring, timely and authentic communications, motivated leadership, creative sixth-sense decision-making and relationship building with all stakeholders is the key to a successful project or program.

You can follow Sheila on LinkedIn.