"My 19 year old asked me what a project manager does! She is working on a key project at her workplace that is being delivered by a partner organisation. The partner organisation has put together a team of developers and testers and a project manager. My daughter's role is to represent the business and help answer any queries that the partner organisation might have about the scope along with managing the timelines for delivery. She also reviews the deliverables and does her part of the testing. She has been on this project for 4 months now. And a couple of days back, she asked me that question - What does a project manager do? 

I told her - A Project manager plans, schedules, tracks, monitors risks and issues, reports, coordinates, manages stakeholders.... 

And she said - that's me!"

Did you find the story interesting? 

I could have also narrated this incident as - "My 19 year old is working on a project along with a partner organisation. She wanted to understand what a project manager does. I told her - A Project manager plans, schedules, tracks, monitors risks and issues, reports, coordinates, manages stakeholders... She understood it and took her job seriously"

What impact did the second narrative have on you? Everyone enjoys stories. Stories, when told well, are impactful, They carry the meaning more effectively and influence the outcomes more strongly in the direction that you wish them to. It's a tool that every human needs to possess, especially project managers. 

Let's understand how project managers can enhance their communication skills and project success by using and telling stories.

Speaker: Neeraja Ganesh

After a successful career in the Information Technology industry managing large teams, delivery of IT projects, Operational excellence and customer delight for large banking captives for 25 years, Neeraja Ganesh switched her career to work in the space of gender diversity and headed the JobsForHer Foundation. In the 18 months that she single-handedly headed the not for profit foundation, which was setup to bridge the gender gaps in India, she built a unique brand, numerous partnerships and a large community of women who experienced a variety of learning interventions through workshops, conferences, trainings and hands on projects. While she was able to bring about a positive mindset shift among the women, she turned her attention to the need of the youth of the country. She went onto serve as the Director – Relationships at National Education Society of Karnataka. Her focus in that role was to work closely with the industry veterans to build the industry academia connect to ensure the curriculum of the institutions was relevant to the current and future industry needs.

She now is a Consultant with the reputed training organisation Quinnergy Leadership Academy. She is also a freelance consultant, who conducts various training programs and workshops on leadership and behaviours. She also coaches people to progress in their careers.