A few weeks back, my cohort DS26 began our first client project alongside our training. These projects happen weekly and gives each of us a chance to lead as project manager while the rest of the cohort works under them.

I was chosen to lead our first client project which was an internal one before we went on to deal with actual clients in the coming weeks. With no prior experience in this type of role it felt like there were some big shoes to fill, I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous but I had no choice but to try my best to keep calm and focus on the task at hand.

I'm now going to share the things I've learned throughout my experience as project manager.

Before and during first day

At the start of the week you should expect to have an initial kick-off meeting with your client to learn about the data that you will be working with as well as to outline the objectives you are going to complete by the end of the week. It is a good idea, if possible, to have a look at the data before Monday to get your bearings however avoid over-planning and getting stuck in too much, 9 times out of 10 your plans may get shattered after the initial client kick-off meeting due to new information or specific requirements made by the client. It's best to come in on that first day with a more agile mindset to be able to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

Your Responsibilities

In contrast to the rest of the team who will be doing more data-heavy tasks, your objective is to make the progress of the team as streamlined as possible. You'll have the task of troubleshooting any issues raised by your team throughout the week and being the main line of communication between your team and the client - this will include organising catch-up calls with the client throughout the week as well as asking the client any questions that are generated by your team. In terms of tangible things, a general template for the final dashboards may be useful (and will stop any time being wasted pondering on colour schemes) and you'll also produce the PowerPoint for the final presentation.

You may feel a bit useless at times because you won't be directly involved in the actual task itself but you must understand that you are responsible for the big picture thinking of the project and you've got put your faith in the team.

Being in this sole position can be overwhelming but don't feel like you're alone, in fact I would highly recommend looking for outside help as early as possible. Most DS members will have already walked in your shoes and will be able to give you advice on any problems you may face, whether that is from Andy, Carl, your mentor or the core team (don't forget Convo too!)

Day of the Presentation

The time you have before the presentation should not be spent working on anymore graphs, it should be generally be spent on making sure the functionality and formatting of your dashboards are solid and on presentation run-throughs. You may want to ask a member of the core team to listen in on your run-through to give any final tips on presentation skills. Having time to think about and practice what you are going to say will definitely help to calm your nerves for the real thing!

In the presentation itself you'll be introducing and concluding the presentation, giving a brief overview of the project to people unfamiliar with it and talking about obstacles that you've faced during the week while your team presents the main body of the presentation.

Project week can be a very testing time for most but it can be a very valuable opportunity to discover your management style and learn about your strengths and weaknesses to improve upon in the future.

Monday may be rough but things always take a positive turn by the end of the week!