Q: We”™ve picked up a number of new clients and we”™re running into coordination problems. Most of our staff is technical. We used to assign one person to each client, but now we”™re seeing the need to have our people support more than one client and work on specific activities that they”™re best at, etc. How do you suggest we organize ourselves for the next round of growth?Â
Thoughts of the day: Figure out the roles of project and account management. Keeping work on track is a critical skill and requires both technical knowledge and the ability to communicate. Set up measures that help you insure work is done on time and according to standard.
Consider the following two ways to tackle keeping the workload on track. One is managing the projects from start to finish. The other is working with clients to identify and plan needs.
Managing projects beginning to end is about thinking internally. Keeping track of the workload, knowing what skills are needed and who is available are all pieces of the puzzle. It”™s essential that anyone assigned to manage projects is able to use a calendar and keep track of multiple projects, personnel assignments and priorities. The project manager has to plan and check off completion of assignments day to day, week to week and month to month.
Account management is the external piece of the picture. The account manager must be able to look at clients”™ current and long-term needs. It”™s essential that the person holding this job is able to effectively communicate about priorities, budgets and timelines. Account manager positions may be less technically oriented than project manager jobs, with greater emphasis on communication and sales-related skills.
Often account managers have quotas for expanding an existing book of business. They meet the quota by identifying new contacts and opportunities within existing accounts that they have been assigned to manage. In order to grow the base of business, the account manager has to be able to “ask for the order” and negotiate terms with the client.
Some companies can afford both positions ”“ project manager and account manager. In that case, the two people should work closely together to figure out how to meet client demands, organize workflow priorities, plan upcoming assignments and communicate with staff and clients about job status.
When the company can only afford one position, it”™s important to decide where to put the emphasis ”“ internal coordination or client expansion. If the company has an active flow of requests from clients, it may be more important to focus on project management. If more sales from existing clients are needed to meet the company”™s overall sales quota, it may be better to hire an account manager and assign sales goals.
Job skills for both positions include ability to communicate internally and externally, in writing as well as verbally. This person has to be sure that people internally understand what they are being asked to do and where they are expected to show up if they are being rotated from one client site to another. They also have to match individuals”™ technical skills to the projects being assigned. Externally, they need to let clients know who, what and when ”“ who will be doing the work, what work will be done and when to expect that work to be carried out.
Make it easier to plan work by defining typical projects that the company works on. Make a list of the most common types of work that clients request. Work out a typical timeline, define what skills are needed on the job and create a completion checklist to be reviewed when the job is done. Train individuals or teams to handle specific types of projects.
If you can”™t afford both a project manager and an account manager, pair up a project manager with someone on the sales force. Ask the sales person to provide support-building proposals, negotiating with clients and “asking for the order.” Put the project manager in charge of managing the workload. Consider giving the project manager a bonus for meeting or exceeding quota for work successfully completed, in order to keep everyone”™s eye on the important goal of profitable growth.
Looking for a good book? Try “Absolute Beginner”™s Guide to Project Management” by Greg Horine.
Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at (877) 238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Please send it to her via email at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com or mail to Andi Gray, Strategy Leaders Inc., 5 Crossways, Chappaqua, NY 10514. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.
