same client, new project

so i finally was able to get off the client with the bad client PM. i spent a couple of weeks off with my family, which is always appreciated. also, i had heard that the client PM had finally resigned. ;)

anyway, i'm in north carolina for the next several weeks with an old client doing a new project around identity federation.

they were a difficult client when i was here last, but that was almost a year and a half ago. they did mean well, but their execution was not the best. . .

driving up from the appalachians (where i'm staying, the client is in BFE, north carolina), i was again taken by the beauty of the drive. lots of trees and soft mountains. very nice.

we'll see how this engagement goes. nice folks and all. nice bbq as well. that is one of the good things about being on the road, you get to try many regional specialties, especially if you're foody like me.

co-dependent clients

or is it postpartum depression?

if you're an experienced, and good, consultant, you've often deal with the aftermath of an engagement. you know the drill:

1. client starts talking to you about how, "nice it is around here. nice place to raise a family.". furtively trying to gauge your reaction.

2. the client start asking about your family and how if they were you they'd want to get "off the road".

3. client flat out asks you to apply for the new job that your consulting engagement created.

you, of course, slowly back away and try to ease out of the conversation. you've run into this before. you know it's just client co-dependency rearing its ugly head. they have come to trust you and they don't want you to stop telling them what to do. you're tempted. maybe you do want to get "off the road". maybe the client is in a nice town.

but then you remember. you're a consultant. you're a sprinter not a marathoner. you fly in and solve their problems and give them guidance. you then ride off into the sunset. who was that stranger? that man just saved the town. et cetera, et cetera. you don't get into operations. you're not in it to keep the "plumbing running". you've designed and implemented. you're done.

and yet. . .

you remember. you remember the late nights and hard work. you remember the feeling of joy that comes when, some days, problems get knocked down as regularly as dominoes and your team and the client seem to be hitting on all cylinders. you want to keep that feeling of being in "the zone".

but in the end, you know it in your bones that you have to leave. there is always another problem for a different client. you love being that stranger that rides into town and gets rid of the desperadoes. so you climb on your horse (plane) and ride (fly) off into the sunset.

my thoughts on how people become project managers

this article describes a poll done by projects@work, a project management site.

mike ramm's blog entry piqued my interest and i had some thoughts on his thoughts on the poll.

Question No. 1: Did you pursue a position in project management or did you "fall into it"?
Answers:

• By choice: 30%
• By accident: 70%

mike points concludes that this shows that senior managers do not value project managers and just stick in people for the role. i look at it a bit differently. i believe that senior managers are forced to deploy senior technical people (often architects) into the PM role because good PMs are highly valued, and thus, often unavailable. given this shortage, senior managers are forced to make team leads into PMs.

Question No. 2: Did you have formal project management training before your first assignment?
Answers:

• Yes: 15%
• No: 85%

mike asserts that the poll response supports his observation that PMs are not highly valued, and thus, are not trained.

in my years in consulting i generally find that there is a strange truth to that. if you are a good PM that had been converted to a PM from a technical role, then you are generally assigned to projects (often multiple) as they become available. you are so valued (after all, you understand the technology and the PM role) that you are always utilized and are never free for formal training. does this mean that upper management does not value PMs? i assert that upper managers highly prize PMs with proven track records, regardless of training or certifications.

Question No. 3: Do you consider project management a long-term career or a "stepping-stone" in your professional aspirations?
Answers:

• Career: 60%
• Stepping-stone: 40%

mike states that this poll response shows that PMs like their jobs. my opinion is that good PMs are often given promotions and upper management opportunities that technical people are not. good PMs must manage people, budgets, and client expectations. aren't these traits that make for good upper managers?