Not Another Project Manager

Not Another Project Manager

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Chris Laney | boostDFM

When I started at DFM nearly two years ago, I thought I knew what my position was about. I assumed based on my past experience, that I would go into the community and help market DFM and be in charge of all sales inquires. While that’s still a piece of my job, what I fell in love with was project management.

The great thing about DFM and its relationship with their employees is that we are allowed to figure out what we want to do in our constantly changing environment. While all of our team members have the understanding that we must work together to complete the needed task on a project, we are always looking for opportunities to personally discover what we love to do.

Within the first few months I discovered a hole in what we did at DFM: we didn’t really have a clear method on project management. I quickly discovered that I love managing projects, making clients happy, dreaming up possibilities with clients, and ultimately providing them with a great experience from start to finish. I have enjoyed project management so much that I’ve been taking classes in Project Management, Applied Project Management, and Supply Chain Management. I am about to take my Project Management Professional Certification in the next few weeks.

To me, project management is so much more than your ability to make a client happy. I have worked with project managers in the past that would bend over backwards for a client, but at the end of the day were not providing expert solutions to the problem. Project Management is a partnership between the client and the vendor. There should be a rapport, and there should be trust in each other’s decisions. If the project manager says no, then there is likely a good reason for it.

DFM is an interactive media development company. I am constantly learning about my developers’ and designers’ jobs so I can better serve my clients. This way, I can clearly explain the reasoning why or why not a client’s request will be feasible.

Over the past few months, I have been able to research best practices for companies our size to provide clients with a great experience. These practices are constantly evolving, just as technology is. At DFM, our philosophy is different than others in our industry. We build products with the understanding that this is not just a project and a paycheck; it is a true partnership to help enhance the technology of local businesses. We take pride in providing unique solutions to problems. I find that being a project manager bridges the gap from dreaming to reality.

Even though I have fallen in love with the ability to manage projects, I still wear many hats. I also manage the sales portion of our company, public relations, communications and marketing, and help with internal business methodologies. I don’t think this will change. As with many small businesses, managing different parts of the business is a project in itself. I enjoy being someone that can be relied on for many different aspects of the business.