Tag: project assistant

Job descriptions and roles in projects

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“What roles?! There are only three roles in this project: project manager, assistant and financial officer!” This was a response from a participant in a “Giving positive feedback training for managers” at the point we were discussing how to get the best from team members to achieve success. And that answer made me sad.

“She should resign from this position. She is more of the creative type”, I heard one day in respect of a team member of a diplomatic mission.

What the two above have in common? The missed opportunity to look beyond and to put to use the best of everyone for the project.

Job descriptions are necessary. No doubt. They offer clarity and a certain protection to staff. As it was the case of a driver in a project team who was asked by a consultant to deal with his expired driving license. “Sorry, Mark, it is not his job. If you need help, we can talk about it outside working hours and see if I have private connections to guide you through the right procedures”, was my response back then. It protected my colleague and offered clarity on roles in the project.

Back to roles and missed opportunities. People are different and this makes their skills and competencies complementary in a project/team. It is the project manager’s job to ensure this complementarity. To do that, he/she needs to learn what each member of the team is best at, ideally before the start of the project.

There are a variety of ways to do that. I remember a team building retreat we had at the World Bank, when each was asked to describe the skills he/she brings to the team. Through a skillful moderator we realised how many various skills we bring individually to the team and how, as a result, we make the team collectively strong and unique.

What all project managers want project assistants to know

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and are too shy or too “busy” to say it. 

This text comes with No obligation to subscribe. From either side. These are based purely on my observations and project assistants’ feedback I got over years. 

We are Sorry for being plain ignorant about what you do. The systems you process payments in, the logs you enter data in, the time it takes for the next in line to process our requests etc. We may act as we know it though. Do not hesitate to tell us about the impact (ex ante please) of these on project activities. You may get us listening if you tell us that it takes more than 24 hours to get a contract processed and approved by people beyond your control. 

We value you as gate keepers. You let what is important to get in and keep the rest respectfully out. If you have doubts about what’s important, just ask. Same is valid for info flowing off the project office. You may become privy to many internal situations, which need to remain internal. E.g. a notification about a consultant’s contract termination, interview panel debates, tender boards discussions. 

We love to delegate. Even those who deny it, agree off the record. Projects are complex beasts so knowing that we can “eat an elephant a bite at a time” is relieving. If we do not communicate the level and extent of delegation in a clear, concise and compeling way, tell us. 

We trust you and rely on you. This is why highest ethical standads of professional behaviour are expected. In case of doubts and dilemmas, just ask. Ask your project manager or Human Resources. You are part of the team so your reputation is the team’s reputation. The opposite is equally true. You are entitled to demand highest ethical standards from us. 

You are a project assistant, not a personal assistant. It is therefore ok to say No to any personal requests such as “make me coffee”, “call me a taxi to take me somewhere personal”, “order flowers for my wife/partner/girlfriend/boyfriend//mother/lover” and other alike. “Please, can you order a taxi, for us to get on time to the meeting” is a project matter. 

We may get into tough love if there is any danger or risk for the project. Try not to take it personally. It is usually short and a one time occurance, as any events in projects. If it gets into a tendency or shows signs of becoming recurring, tell us. 

We thank you for investing time and effort into your professional growth. Ask us or Human Resources about training opportunities. Ask for coaching or mentoring, if you feel that you need one. We may not be the best coaches or mentors, but we may know someone who fits the role. 

We have at least one thing in common: the word “project” in our job titles. This makes us accomplices. Whatever happens, you need to know that we got your back. Because it’s mutual.