As your agency grows and your time shrinks, you may start to wonder if you should hire a project manager. Perhaps you’ve heard a fellow agency owner mention how their project manager (PM) saves them tons of time. Or maybe your business coach or mentor has mentioned you should consider hiring one. However it may have come up, the idea is sure to result in a lot of questions.
***What does a project manager do?
***How many hours should they work?
***What should you pay one?
***What sorts of responsibilities and tasks will they support you with?
Or maybe you have a “project manager” and are beginning to wonder if they are actually performing project manager duties and if they are the right person for the job. You may be asking yourself:
***Am I asking too much of my project manager?
***Am I paying a premium and only getting low-level tasks completed?
***Should they be implementing more processes and systems in my agency?
***Should they be managing my team as well?
Let me start by saying that you are not alone. Many agency owners aren’t sure what a project manager is supposed to do and what they aren’t. And – it’s not your fault (cue scene from Good Will Hunting).
There is a lot of confusion about what a project manager is and what they do, and that’s because this title often gets thrown around and used as a synonym for other job titles.
Online business manager (OBM) and integrator are two of the titles I often hear people use interchangeably with the title project manager. It’s no wonder you’re struggling to craft a proper job description – you aren’t sure who you’re hiring and what you’re hiring them for!
Well, rest assured. If you have questions about what a project manager does and if you need one, then you’ve come to the right place!
First, let’s answer the million-dollar question.
What is a project manager?
Now, the obvious answer to this question is – they manage projects! But let’s dig a little deeper to find out exactly how they do that on a day-to-day basis.
Your project manager should know every single client you work with (maybe not personally, but they know your client roster). They should know what work the agency does for each client, each client’s budget with you, and what the temperament of each client is.
Your project manager should also know your team and be in regular communication with them. They should know who handles graphics for which client. Who your go-to writer is, and who’s your backup when things get busy. Contractor turn-around times, fees, and (once again) temperament are all things your project manager should know.
A great PM will use all this information to manage your workflow and your team. This is the type of information that tells your project manager that Client X needs extra time to approve content because they always have questions. Or that your designer works only in the early mornings, so it’s best to get content to them the evening before.
Making sure your clients’ projects get completed on time, within budget, and within scope is a PM’s key responsibility. (P.S. This includes YOUR projects too!)
This information will also help your PM know how many more clients you can bring on, if there are gaps in the team, and what space you have to work on your own projects – you’re working on building the agency, right?
Operations
While not all project managers are heavy on operations, some are. And depending on what stage of business you are in will dictate whether you need a project manager that has extensive operations experience or not.
Why do operations and project management go hand in hand?
Making sure the designer has your client’s logo, the copy has gotten approved by the client before it gets scheduled, and the person doing the scheduling has the access they need is A LOT to keep track of. And sticky notes and spreadsheets ain’t gonna cut it!
So how will your project manager keep track of all these moving parts?
Systems, workflows, and tools.
A project manager can do their job in a fraction of the time when proper workflows and tools are in place. And if your agency is lacking workflows and tools (remember, spreadsheets don’t count!), then operations should be on your list of responsibilities for your project manager.
Mapping out workflows, identifying gaps and redundancies, and implementing tools are must-have skills if your project manager will be creating and setting up your agency operations.
Not only are managing deadlines way easier once you have proper tools and workflows in place, but efficiencies can be created, saving you time and money.
Operational duties you can expect your project manager to do:
***Identify the tools your agency is lacking and bring you options to implement.
***Set up templates, canned emails, and documents in said tools.
***Create project milestones and accountability.
***Create SOPs.
***Streamline and automate your agency.
Team
What about your team? How much should your project manager interact with them? Will your PM manage your team? Will they help you hire new team members?
Your project manager should be high level. They should be well-versed in managing your client’s work and how to handle minor hiccups along the way. Because of this experience (and remember your PM may have created and set up the workflows your team is using!), your PM should serve as a buffer between you and your team.
Fielding questions, comments, and feedback and bringing them to you is a big benefit of having a PM. Additionally, it’s likely your project manager will be able to answer many of the questions the rest of the team has because they know the big picture – they see all the moving parts.
And questions your PM can’t answer, they bring to you all at one time and likely during your weekly check-in together.
Because it’s the project manager’s job to make sure all client work is completed on time and within scope and budget, they’ll also be the ones reaching out to team members when they spot a delay (this is where your project management tool comes in handy).
If a team member is getting behind on their work, your project manager should not only know but also be reaching out to them to find out why.
***Are they working outside their abilities?
***Do they need more training?
***Do they have too much on their plate?
***Are they not a good fit for your agency?
As the answers to these questions get uncovered, you can see how your project manager can continue to play a role in managing the team. Your PM will notice if there’s a gap, and if you need to be on the hunt for another team member. They’ll tell you if someone needs more training or there needs to be a shift in responsibilities.
All of this becomes really obvious when you have proper workflows, tools, and a great PM keeping it all running.
Clients
Client communication is probably the responsibility that I see vary the most among project managers. I’ve seen some agency owners who have their project managers heavily involved in client meetings and very forward-facing and other agencies where the PM is very much behind the scenes. In my experience, there should be a happy medium.
When should your PM be in communication with your clients?
There are two common scenarios in which your project manager should be involved in client communication – when there’s trouble and when there are big projects coming down the pike.
Trouble?
All agencies have those clients that never approve content on time, have “emergencies” regularly, and generally drive you crazy. For better or worse, it’s an agency rite of passage. This is a good time to call in your PM. An experienced project manager knows how to handle clients that are persnickety (I challenged myself to use this word in a blog post. Mission complete and a treat for those of you who are still reading.) They know to build in buffer time, send those extra emails, and “guide” your client towards timely approval.
Another scenario in which your PM should be involved in client calls is when quarterly planning is on the agenda (you do that, right?). Your project manager knows all the projects your agency is working on, and they’ll be able to identify how and when the new ones will fit in.
This also holds true for onboarding new clients. It’s not uncommon for project managers to be involved in client onboarding. Onboarding in and of itself is a project. And your client will be delighted when their first working experience with you feels like a breeze.
Money, money, money – How much should you pay your PM?
Investment is, of course, another big question agency owners have when considering hiring a project manager. How much should they get paid? Like most questions involving money, and business, and life, the answer is – it depends.
BUT, don’t leave just yet. I do have some guidelines you can use to help you determine what you should expect to pay.
To start, most project managers will work on retainer, not an hourly wage. And this is a good thing. As with all agencies, your projects will ebb and flow, and you may not be able to anticipate when a big project will come in, or a client will push your boundaries.
Keeping your investment the same month to month protects you from unexpected bills and allows your project manager to properly manage their own time and have space for you. Plus, there are ALWAYS more SOPs to create and workflows to improve should they find themselves with some time on their hands.
You can expect to pay a project manager anywhere from $1500 – $2000 per month on up – potentially several thousand dollars per month. This, of course, depends a great deal on the number of clients, projects, and team members your project manager is overseeing.
Years of experience and operational knowledge will also play a big role in how much you can expect to pay. And between you and me, if a prospective project manager charges you a lot less, that would be a big red flag that they’re lacking experience or won’t be allocating enough time to you and your business to get the job done right.
Considering this level of experience and breadth of knowledge, you can imagine that hiring a project manager is an investment. But keep in mind, bringing on a project manager should mean an increase in efficiency (i.e., increased capacity), increased time (i.e., more opportunities to grow the agency), and projects that stay in scope (i.e., profitable).
If you are considering hiring a project manager, I’d love to have a call with you. We can talk about your agency’s specific needs regarding operations support, team management, and client communications.
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