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Hi Reader,

Have you ever heard of a deputy project manager? When I first heard of this role, it sounded like someone the sheriff of an old gold rush town would hire to tidy up Main Street.

The person who told me about it does just that - keeping Main Street running smoothly at their company.

An engineer by trade, they're also required to use their analytical brain to magically turn problems into solutions, then make these solutions happen. Quickly.

And while they are busy solving big engineering problems, Main Street gets messier because their deputy PMing needs to be put on hold.

It’s just another example of how job titles and roles often hide a whole lot of extra responsibilities.

Roles, roles and more roles

There are a lot of roles out there that carry added responsibilities, much of which is not listed on a job description.

In one of our past articles, we compared the differences between account managers and project managers. Those who work in account management are responsible for being the liaison between companies and clients.

If a deputy project manager is the one tidying up Main Street, then an account manager is the one directing all the traffic in the centre of town.

To add to the confusion, there's also functional managers, which you can read more about here. A functional manager leads a department or team and allocates resources accordingly.

So, if the deputy project manager is keeping Main Street tidy and the account manager is directing traffic, then the functional manager is the one making sure there are enough people on the job, and most importantly, that everyone gets their lunch break.

Then there's the money, as I recently spoke with someone who is a sales lead. The company rolled out a new customer management system, and the implementation was so involved that they had to dedicate 60% of their time to assist. This left them with less time to sell. As a result, the company may have lower sales quotas for the quarter.

So we’ve got the deputy PM sweeping up messes, the account manager keeping traffic moving, the functional manager making sure nobody goes hungry, and the sales lead hustling to keep cash rolling in so Main Street can get shiny new lampposts.

That’s a lot of responsibility.

The common thread

What’s the common thread throughout all these roles? They’re all essential. Together, they’re leading projects and products of all shapes and sizes, with some taking over their daily routines, others just filling a few hours each week.

No matter the title, it all comes down to balancing big projects with the daily grind. At the end of each day, everyone’s pitching in to keep things running smoothly, whether that means wrangling traffic or making sure no one works through lunch.

Oftentimes, the real job is just making sure Main Street doesn’t completely shut down.

Need help sorting through what roles are needed at your company? Or help understanding what your own role is supposed to be?

Hit reply if you’d like help sorting it all out, and let’s get your Main Street running smoothly.

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