Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMPExpert Project Manager / Trustworthy Executive Assistant / Business Coach| goBRUCE Business ServicesCuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Is anyone doing Project Management as a manager of remote teams for SMB’s? It occurred to me recently, that with all the remote workers out there, that SMB’s (small/medium businesses) would be wise to hire a buffer person for their online projects, and that a PM might be ideal.
I wrote about this in a recent post on LinkedIn. Now I’m wondering if there is really much activity among Project Managers in this area—helping in a kind of Freelance Executive Assistant or PM role to manage small projects with virtual project teams—or all the PM’s out there busy with the mega projects: building bridges, skyscrapers, and the next big App? It seems like this small-time Project Management would be growing rapidly with all the Freelance workers now! Any comments or ideas would be welcome! Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Hi Bruce, Yes I had this experience. I had a transition period were I used to work on Mega Jobs then promoted / relocated and at some point I had to manage virtual teams between Dubai and Shanghai while most of my time was in Canada. It all depends on the strength and commitment of the virtual teams. Saving Changes...
Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMPExpert Project Manager / Trustworthy Executive Assistant / Business Coach| goBRUCE Business ServicesCuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Thanks Rami, It's nice to hear from someone with experience in both types of PM. I had imagined that communication, keeping everyone pointed in the same direction was the biggest challenge. But yes, if one had issues with things like skill level and commitment, trying to get something done with virtual teams might become a bit like herding cats!
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Jan 19, 2016 4:38 PM
Rami Kaibni
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You're welcome Bruce - Of course communication was the most challenging, that goes without saying but commitment and loyalty plays a pivotal role as well.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jan 19, 2016 3:44 PM
Replying to Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMP
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Thanks Rami, It's nice to hear from someone with experience in both types of PM. I had imagined that communication, keeping everyone pointed in the same direction was the biggest challenge. But yes, if one had issues with things like skill level and commitment, trying to get something done with virtual teams might become a bit like herding cats!
You're welcome Bruce - Of course communication was the most challenging, that goes without saying but commitment and loyalty plays a pivotal role as well. Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
My experience, Bruce, is that SMBs tend to not be geographically dispersed. As a result, most SMB organization projects tend to be co-located.
Now when I worked on big companies - EDS (cat herding commercial) and Hewlett-Packard - there were a lot more opportunities for project managers to manage virtual and remote teams. Saving Changes...
Larry MinerFounder and Sr. Project Management of Decision Memory Systems| Decision Memory SystemsBath, Oh, United States
I'll come at this from another direction. I believe that this type of pm service/support, remote or virtual, is of of advantage to an SMB in that the SMB can reach out to the skills they really require and not have to settle for locally available skills that may not necessarily fit the bill. Saving Changes...
I think I should support Larry's perspective because SMBs can create a lot of synergy by using such skill for hire virtually. Specially in IT and software / application development, we use exactly this model. Saving Changes...
Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMPExpert Project Manager / Trustworthy Executive Assistant / Business Coach| goBRUCE Business ServicesCuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Thanks guys.
Not trying to be diplomatic here, but I think both Stephane and Larry are right. Large companies like HP probably do the bulk of the PM managed remote team work, but I think there are a growing number of SMB's who are reaching out to hire PM's for this as well. And I think quite a few SMB's do have multiple locations, or are online companies who are looking at the entire country as their market. I worked for a small lumber trading company (80 people) that has three locations distributed around the U.S.
I know there are quite a few remote team/PM manager type of jobs available on Upwork (many of them are under the "Virtual Assistant's" category rather than PM). My feeling is that the Project Management position is seeping down into smaller companies, and will really morph into two kinds of PM positions--those who are using large scale PM skills, and those using a slimmed-down version of those skills for smaller projects in smaller businesses. I think there may be opportunity for PMI to embrace this new group, and I hope that neither group turns up their nose at the other because both groups are extremely important for a healthy economy. I'd love to hear other thoughts on this. Saving Changes...
Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMPExpert Project Manager / Trustworthy Executive Assistant / Business Coach| goBRUCE Business ServicesCuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Thanks Suhail. You posted as I was replying to Stephane and Larry or I would have included you as well. I'd really be interested in your thoughts on PM morphing into almost two separate branches. Saving Changes...
Larry MinerFounder and Sr. Project Management of Decision Memory Systems| Decision Memory SystemsBath, Oh, United States
I've been thinking about this for quite awhile so I'm going to add still another aspect to this. I've work in this field for 40 years and over the last say four or five years I've run into more and more PM's that want to continue to work, are very well experienced, but no longer willing to travel. It gets old. These professionals bring a lot of expertise to the table, and though remote, reduce the overall risks SMB just can't other wise afford. For SMBs and road weary PMs I believe it's win win. Saving Changes...
Bruce Wilkinson MBA, PMPExpert Project Manager / Trustworthy Executive Assistant / Business Coach| goBRUCE Business ServicesCuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Yes Larry, I hadn't thought of this aspect, but looking at it from a "no longer want to travel" aspect is great! Imagine the value a PM experienced in the big projects can bring to SMBs. Thanks much for the comment! Saving Changes...
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