SPEAKER: Project management is critical to the success
of projects both big and small.
So let's break it down into the what, the why, and the how.
So what is project management?
Why is project management an important part
of an organization?
And how is it vital to a project's success?
As I mentioned, project management
is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques
to meet the project requirements and achieve the desired
outcome.
Project management is valuable to businesses
because it helps ensure that a project delivers the expected
outcomes, both on time and within budget.
To demonstrate what I mean, I'll take you through a real life
example of project management.
Imagine a school district signs a deal
with a telehealth company to make sure students
don't have to miss school for simple health issues
like fevers or headaches.
The deal will be completed by the end of the school year.
The students can now interact with the doctor
through a tablet, smartphone, or computer
while they're at school.
Implementing this technology into the school's procedures
is the project.
It's got a clear outcome and start and end date.
So how is that project managed?
Well, this project has several tasks
and each one has to be carefully planned out and tracked,
or managed, in order for the project to be completed.
For example, to start you can organize training sessions
for faculty to get them better acquainted
with the technology, policies, and procedures.
You can budget for tablets, computers,
and other vital equipment to facilitate
the virtual checkups.
And you can maintain strong communication
with doctors, the telehealth company, and school staff
members, and so much more.
To successfully launch the product in the schools,
all of those things need to get done,
and that is project management.
Seems pretty important to an organization's success, right?
More and more, companies are starting
to understand how project management can save them
lots of money and time.
Poor project management can lead to trillions
of wasted dollars every year for organizations around the world.
More specifically, poor project management
can lead to 48% of projects missing delivery dates,
43% missing budget targets, and 31% failing to meet
an organization's goals.
As a company that serves so many different purposes
and communities, it's no surprise
that project management is a huge part of Google.
But here, many of our project managers
are described as program managers
because they manage multiple projects for specific products,
teams, or programs.
There's thousands of people here with the job
of keeping projects and programs running smoothly,
people like me.
I'm a responsible innovation program manager.
My team is responsible for ensuring
that the technology we produce, the research we pursue,
and the publications we put out are all
done with Google's artificial intelligence principles
in mind.
I review the processes for each of these types of technologies
and I give ideas for how to continue innovating responsibly
to meet our organizational goals.
So my job adds value to Google through the core aspects
of project management we've mentioned,
planning and organizing, managing tasks, and budgeting
and controlling costs.
Hopefully you have a better sense
of what a project is, what project management is,
and why project management is an important part
of every company, and how it's vital to a project's success.
Next up, we'll learn more about what a project manager does.
Project managers usually follow a process
that involves planning and organizing,
managing tasks, budgeting, and controlling costs
and other factors.
Everything they do helps make sure the project can
be completed on time and on budget.
In broad terms, a project manager
also needs to make sure that the project outcome is
bringing value to the company.
A project manager can add value in many different ways,
whether that's creating a new service for customers
or modifying an old service so it's more tailored
to the customer's needs.
No matter what the task is, a successful project
will always add value.
And it's the project manager's job
to make sure that project is both valuable and successful.
You may be asking yourself, well, if I'm a project manager,
how do I add value to an organization every day?
What does the day-to-day life of a project manager look like?
Well, a project manager's responsibilities
can vary depending on the project, the industry,
and the company they're working in.
Are you constructing a new building?
Are you project managing a renewable energy product
in a startup?
Or are you setting up your own event management company?
Your tasks will be different in each scenario,
but here's a general overview of what
a typical day might look like.
A project manager's daily responsibilities
always include some version of the following,
planning and organizing.
An example of that might be gathering requirements
from teammates or customers.
This means figuring out what exactly your project
is trying to accomplish.
You might have a kickoff meeting or send a survey.
From here, you may also work on creating project plans.
Creating project plans is a key part of project management.
It helps set the tone of the project, keeps everyone on pace
and aligned, and helps move tasks along.
Which leads me to my second point, managing tasks.
Once the project is underway, the project manager
helps manage tasks for the team members
and communicates key milestones to the larger
team or customers.
This helps keep team members and customers updated on how
the project is progressing.
The third piece is budgeting and controlling costs
and other factors.
Managing the budget and controlling costs
is a common responsibility that project managers
have to understand to keep the project
on track and within budget.
This is a full time job because the plan
you've created and managed may change, causing
unexpected costs to come up.
And that's just to name a few.
I could go on for days, but the most important thing
to know about the day-to-day of a project manager is this,
you'll use different tools, techniques, and methodologies
every single day.
There's never a dull moment.
Personally, my favorite part about being a project manager
is that I get to watch the project's growth from start
to finish.
It's really special to create something from nothing,
working from the ground up.
It's a really satisfying feeling.
[MUSIC PLAYING]