What do Project Managers do all day?!?
Almost every day in the life of a project manager is different. Every day can be a new adventure. However, there are some themes that emerge from the unpredictability.
I generated a histogram chart to explain what occupies my time during one week for a non-project manager audience. (See below)
Let’s look at the tasks that consumed my early career (blue). As a young PM, my time was dominated by maintaining project schedules, checking in with the team and subcontractors for project status, communications/calls and monitoring budgets.
Tasks that I currently focus on as a Sr. Program Manager (green) include relationship building, stakeholder management, HR/team development, and communications/calls.
Do you notice shift from tracking and monitoring to more of the “people side” of management?
- What other insights do you draw from the chart?
- What tasks would you add that are missing?
- Where would you encourage more focus that is underrepresented?
Bruce Gay, PMP 
[…] People, processes, and projects: A breakdown of project manager responsibilities. In this infographic, Bruce Gay highlights the many duties of a project manager and shows what occupies his time over the course of one week. He also draws attention to how his focus has shifted from his early career to now (as a senior program manager), which is helpful if you’re a project leader looking to transition in your role. […]
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[…] People, processes, and projects: A breakdown of project manager responsibilities. In this infographic, Bruce Gay highlights the many duties of a project manager and shows what occupies his time over the course of one week. He also draws attention to how his focus has shifted from his early career to now (as a senior program manager), which is helpful if you’re a project leader looking to transition in your role. […]
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