Patrick Beeson

Skills used for project management

Project managers come in many varieties. Some are the PMI types that follow the church of Microsoft Project. Others are a bit more laid back in their approach, but still use several tools to help plan and implement their projects. I fall into the latter.

But there are many skills applicable to all project managers. These include:

• Organization
• Research
• Communication
• Writing
• Presentation

I would argue that reporters also use all of these skills except maybe presentation, though they certainly need it in today's multimedia newsrooms. And though software like Project and 37 Signal's Basecamp make it easier to exercise these skills, it's not a replacement for learning them.

My years of reporting and working in newsrooms has made any tight deadline for a project seem loose by comparison. The same with writing -- the 8th-grade reading level rule still applies in the business world -- and research, something most folks pick up in college or grad school (or should).

Unlike other reporters, I do have a background in public relations which helps greatly with all aspects of communication and presentation. I would encourage any journalism majors to take a class or two in PR. It's not heresy, I assure you.

'Reporting' on support and service tickets

Support for a project after it ends isn't something that every project manager will be tasked with. But it's something that I do at Scripps, via a wonderful little application called the service ticket. (There is some sarcasm in that last statement.)

All Scripps newspapers are encouraged to file a ticket for a variety of reasons, such as bugs or their site going down. These tickets are routed through our support staff, and then to the appropriate group -- often falling into the in-box of a project manager.

I liken each service ticket like a story assignment. I usually jot down a few notes about holes in the ticket description, call a few sources (usually the site that put in the ticket) and interview a developer or two. Then I gather my notes, and try to put together a feasible solution.

Service tickets usually aren't a project in and of themselves; they're more like mini-projects that can be completed in a few hours. Not unlike a news story really.

Journalism outside of journalism

The point of this blog entry is to show that reporters with a journalism background can apply those same skills in a project management position. Granted, there are additional skills you'll need -- application development cycles, translating programmer-speak, etc -- but the basic knowledge base is already attained.

Newspapers aren't the most stable industry these days, and it helps to understand how your skill-set can translate to other careers.

*Note: To get the real project management education, I'd recommend taking a few classes to get your PMI certification. I'm nearly through the second of two courses at the University of Tennessee, and plan to take the certification exam later this summer.*