A Day in the Life of a Project Manager
The role of a Project Manager can change from day to day. We have a vast array of responsibilities which are shaped by the nature and number of projects we have. It is impossible to tell you what a typical day looks like for a project manager therefore. However, in this blog post, we have attempted to put together a rough overview of our most common tasks and the order in which they take place in a day. We hope you enjoy this little insight into our world!
9 am
The first thing we do is log on and say hello to our remote team. Once our systems are all warmed up, we get straight to work sorting emails. Some mornings we log on with a long list of files that we’re expecting to receive from our linguists or clients and some mornings we log on not expecting anything straight away. Regardless of whether it’s the former of the latter, the first thing we do is check our emails, prioritising which tasks need to be completed first.
Some project tasks will include:
- Sending translated files to proofreaders
- Receiving proofread translations and finalising files
- QA-checking any files that are ready for delivery
- Delivering any projects that are due back with our clients
Along with completing any on-going projects, we’re also keen to get back to clients about any potential new projects. This involves preparing and analysing new files for translation, making any new quotations or potentially starting a new project that has recently been given the go-ahead.
Of course, we don’t just receive project-related emails. We also receive emails from our internal team, from prospective suppliers and other admin-related matters. Our task after responding to the urgent emails therefore is to trundle through the remaining correspondence we have.
10 am
On some days, we complete all urgent project work by 10 o’clock. Other days however aren’t as simple. Some days it can be the case that we only work on active projects all day. For the sake of this blog post however, we’re going to assume we’ve completed project work by 10 am – it’d be a bit boring if that’s all we spoke about after all!
Bearing that in mind, the next tasks we usually work on are finance related. If we’ve delivered any projects we make sure all invoices are up to date both for clients and suppliers. We make sure all databases are up to date and we inform all relevant members of the team about the progress.
Following the financey-stuff, we turn to more creative tasks and look at social media. We try to post on our socials every day, so we like to dedicate a bit of time every morning to checking in and sharing all scheduled content. We also like to share any interesting articles or posts we can find and react to any industry news. It’s always good to stay up to date!
11 am
At 11 am we like to grab a warm drink and hop on to a group call for a daily catch up! This gives us the perfect opportunity to check in on all of the projects we have on the go as well as all of the upcoming projects we have in the pipeline. If any team members have annual leave coming up, this gives us the opportunity to brief each other on what we need to pick up.
Furthermore, it’s also the perfect opportunity for group problem solving and marketing discussions! We all like to pitch in and offer our thoughts on any ongoing or future marketing campaigns, so whether it be a five-minute chat or a fifty-minute chat, we like to all get involved and work together.
12 pm (or midday as we like to call it to avoid any confusion)
Now that we’ve dedicated some time to non-project work, it’s time to check back in with projects. It’s common for supplier deadlines to be set around midday, so we often have files to check and prepare at this point. We’ve also likely received a new project by this point in the day. This means that we’ll have new files to prep and more quotations to make. Some projects take ten-minutes to set-up, but some take a little longer so this usually takes up the middle portion of our day.
1 pm
1 pm is lunch time at Web-Translations. Though, if we’re honest, this can sometimes be pushed to 2 pm or later if we’re busy working on projects. In an ideal world, however, we like to take our lunch around about now. If possible, we grab something tasty to eat, get a little fresh air and enjoy lots of puppy cuddles.
2 pm
Once we’re back from lunch, we check in on projects again (you’ll start to notice a theme here!) After all the project work has been completed, we usually take a look at blog posts at this point. We try our best to produce as many blogs as possible. Firstly, this is because we love writing them. Most importantly however, they give us an opportunity to update you on our services and show you a little bit of our personality.
3 pm
At 3 o’clock we often arrange our client calls. These can be to discuss future projects, answer queries on going projects or can perhaps just be a friendly hello. We like to check in and be as present as possible with our clients, so this is the perfect opportunity.
If we’re not talking to clients, we’re preparing for any future networking events and making any material that may be useful for these networking events. Usually this requires a bit of team collaboration, so we may have another call to outline the finer details.
4 pm
To end the day, we once more return to project work! A lot of projects get delivered at the end of the day so we can often be found reviewing proofread translations, preparing files for delivery, and actually delivering projects. If time, we also like to stay on top of the finance and ensure all invoices are up to date.
Before logging off we like to wrap up the day. This means that we prepare our schedules for the next day (aka: writing lots of lists!), send any heads-up that are needed for linguists, and we check in on social media.
5 pm
In an ideal world: we log off at 5pm! Sometimes we still have projects to deliver and sometimes we still have files to check that are needed urgently. When this is the case, we of course continue to work as needed. Once everything is sorted, we then log off and relax (usually with some chocolate!)
And that’s it! That’s a rough idea of what we get up to in a day. Admittedly, it’s unlikely that we do all of this every day, and most often our days are non-stop emails to linguists and clients about our ongoing projects. However, we hope this has given you a feel for the types of tasks we get up to. One thing’s for certain: no day is ever the same and we love it.
To keep up to date with all Web-Translations updates, be sure to follow us on social media!
Translators & Project Managers – just like Fish and Chips!
Translators and Project Managers (PMs) are just like fish and chips: one won’t go without the other. Here’s a short guide on how to enjoy this recipe without giving yourself indigestion!
Rather than writing about what freelancers love or hate (or a similar rant from the Project Manager’s perspective), it’s possibly more useful for everybody to know what elements link translators and agencies together so tightly, and how they can work better together. (more…)
Meet the Team: Dominic McGrath
Hi everyone!
I’ve recently joined the Web-Translations team as a project coordinator. I am originally from Bradford but familiar with the local area and went on to University of Manchester where I graduated in 2009 with a BA in German and Business Management.
Since graduating I have worked in a couple of different industries – finance and logistics – but always with the view to these jobs being short-term. I have been on the lookout for a role that could essentially combine my knowledge of another language with my innate passion for business, and have found a perfect match with Web-Translations. I furthermore believe I have found somewhere with the right tools to enable me to develop and to launch a successful career.
I am highly driven to achieve goals and to deliver for our customers as the business looks set to grow and expand into new markets, and what’s more, I look forward to helping other businesses do exactly the same.
Outside work I’m passionate about sport, in particular football, and have never wavered in my support of a team going through dire straits at the moment. I also love to travel and experience different cultures and meet people from different nationalities. Building on the time I spent living in Frankfurt, I travelled around Central and South America during the summer of 2010, and am certainly keen to do more of this! I got to go on the recent trip to the dmexco event in Cologne with my new colleagues Lynn and Cassandra, and am looking forward to putting my skills and newfound knowledge into practise.
I look forward to the challenge the future holds.
The importance of Translation Project Management
Well, where to start? Not wanting to blow my own trumpet, as a former project manager, but project management is, in my humble opinion, vital to a smooth, problem-free, well-executed translation project!
A recent article handily backs up my opinion, stating that project managers are, in fact “indispensable to the process due to the vast number of project variables, requirements, exceptions to project scope, etc.” Project managers liaise with both clients and translators to see a project through to completion. Their role involves understanding clients’ needs and requirements, ensuring that they can all be met, and then creating a logical sequence of tasks to be carried out to a specific deadline, not to mention assigning the work to suitable translators and proofreaders who specialise in the subject in question. (more…)
Meet the team: Geraldine McCarry
Hello!
I joined Web-Translations in January 2011 as a project coordinator after graduating with a degree in Spanish and business administration from the University Of Kent in July 2010.
I’m new to Leeds, having recently moved here from my hometown of Sychdyn – for those of you with no idea where that is, it’s in North Wales, not far from Chester.
I’ve lived, studied, worked and travelled overseas fairly extensively, including a five-year stint attending an international school in Sri Lanka, a gap year (which I spent on a work placement, a volunteering programme and generally travelling) and also a year abroad at a university in Spain. In fact, many of my closest family members and friends still reside abroad; the main advantage of which being that should I fancy a trip away I have lots of options for where to stay! Other languages and cultures are therefore inevitably of great interest to me.
I’ve had some varied and interesting jobs in the past – museum guide and dog groomer to name but two – and I’m sure Web-Translations will become another example of a varied and interesting job if the past couple of weeks are any indication! I certainly do relish a challenge and always strive to set myself goals for personal development.
Apart from the usual things like spending time with my friends and family and pets, in my spare time I like going to the cinema, visiting museums and art exhibitions, long walks in the countryside, reading, singing and writing poetry.
* * * * * * * * *
Welcome to the team, Geraldine, and keep up the good work!
You can read Geraldine’s first blog post here:http://blog.web-translations.com/2011/01/the-relevance-of-online-translation/
We’re recruiting Project Coordinators
Web-Translations is currently looking to recruit two new Project Coordinators to join our ever-expanding team.
We are very excited to have a stand next Wednesday, 17th November, from 11am – 3pm, at the University of Leeds Expo’ 10.
Two of our employees, Project Managers Claire Schofield and Eleanor Montgomery, will be there representing the company, explaining what exactly goes on in the Web-Translations office on a day to day basis.
In case you can’t make it to the Expo, Eleanor has made a short video describing what it’s like to work at Web-Translations – take a look:
http://nourish.wistia.com/activate/c2f74d683c?redirect_to=/medias/222492
If you are interested in applying for the role, please come along and bring your CV and a covering letter. We welcome reapplications.
Please have a look at our careers page for more information: http://www.web-translations.co.uk/Company/careers/Project_Coordinator_2010.html.
We look forward to seeing you there!