Escaping Project Management

Droog

Hello everyone,

I'm a project manager and it's the worst job I've ever had. I had time off due to burn out a while ago, came back things got better but now am working on another project which is a disaster waiting to happen and again I'm in the blame seat. I'm desperate to get out and have almost quit on a few occasions but didn't due to financial responsibilities

I always thought project management was great until I ended up doing it. It seems in my organisation a project manager is just a scape goat, I have responsibility with no authority. It really is soul destroying and many other teams have a serious lack of respect.

I'm so tempted to quit and just take any other crappy role as a stop gap, I think this is my best option for my sanity. I have lost any ambition to continue with project management but am not sure where to go next. I have a strong background in IT.

Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? Any advice would be really welcome. Most project managers I've met have been workaholics who love bossing people around and that isn't me.

dadtobe

How did you get into being a PM? There's no point doing a job that doesn't make you happy lifes too short! From the few PM's I know you do have to have a certain personality for it your comments don't come as a surprise.

What kind of IT work did you do? There's a huge market for IT Contractors at the minute, you could give a few agencies a call see what's out there!

Sanne

As part of your PM work, did you do any business analysis/writing functional specs, root cause analysts etc? If so, could a BA role suit you?

Or maybe just a different environment? I'm a PM but my role is significantly wider than bossing people around - maybe a small business would suit you better?

Maybe a hybrid role is a possibility as well, technical project manager for example as a cross between BA and PM?

Longer term, what are your goals?

getmore4less

it might be that you are not really a project manager.

if this new project is a disaster waiting to happen what steps are you taking to educate those that do make the decisions of the areas with risks.

agrinnall

It just sounds like many of the PM roles that I came across during my 27 years working in IT, if a project goes t1ts up then somebody has to take the blame, and that's usually passed down to PM level. You either need to learn how to cover your back better or find another career.

Droog

Hi thanks for the all the replies, sorry for not responding sooner.

dadtobe: I originally got into PM work as previously I have worked on a number of IT projects as a workstream lead and have enjoyed project work so thought it would be a logical career choice.

I've done telecommunications installations (VOIP), Desktop PC support (1st & 2nd line) and clinical IT system implementation and support. I tried to get back into IT support but really struggled, it seems in the local area support roles are very lowly paid.

Sanne: Yes I've done lots of this. In fact I have an interview for a BA job this week. Longer term goals, not a clue. I just want something where I can actually produce something rather than just reports and options papers.

getmore4less: I'm pretty sure I'm a project manager. I work to very strict Prince2 methodoloy and have to create the full paperwork. It's a constant grind of chasing workstreams, organising meetings, risks, issues, actions, reports. I just really don't enjoy it.

I've flagged all the risks and issues in their logs and have escalated to the exec. Nobody wants to listen though and their answer to everything is "write another document". The project is overspent, under resourced and the only person who feels accountable it me!

Something which has really turned me off about Project Management is that I haven't yet once met a PM who I thought was good and I've worked with quite a lot of them. Whilst I think it's am important role, I don't see how you can manage without any authority? Responsibility without authority isn't a good combination. Some of the suppliers I've dealt with the workstreams actually report to the PM and this works, but it isn't the case in my organisation.

Ultimately being a PM feels like an administrator and it seems evident in my organisation this is where the majority of the PM's have come from.

getmore4less

Strict methodology is often a sign a place is non functional.

The process becomes more important and bigger than the projects.

Over budget and under resourced are both signs the project was planned badly from the start often needed to get approval because the true cost would be prohibitive.

Go after those that put the business case together.