IT Project Mechanic

Thanks for visiting the IT Project Mechanic blog - a place where you can figure out what tools to use, how to use them and what to do to give your IT Projects a tune-up. So what is an IT Project Mechanic anyway?

I’ve long been a learning addict - I can’t get enough. I began to put together a concept over a period of time that tied IT Project Management to other professions that deal with unrealistic deadlines, never-ending struggle to make things “seem” routine and a sometimes messy, fussy working medium. My brain seized upon the idea that managing IT Projects is a lot like being a mechanic (auto, aircraft - doesn’t matter).

The work that each does (an IT PM and a mechanic) is unglamorous, necessary and often misunderstood. Not everyone wants to know what’s going on behind the scenes but the job must be done nevertheless. The pace of work never lets up and it can be a messy business indeed (grease & dirt, whether figurative or literal).

There’s another side - mechanics are constantly educating themselves with the latest components they’ll be working on. They have or need proper tools to get the job done or it will take longer to get the job done, if it can be done at all. They interact and rely on a supporting cast of team members, stakeholders, customers and leaders/managers in order to perform their jobs. Most importantly, they have to be good at what they do - failure that makes it out of the work area isn’t acceptable.

So I began a journey to see where this concept takes me and this blog - the idea that IT Project Managers are in need of an evolving education, proper tools & techniques and deal with an aspect of IT that most are happy we deal with has the recipe for some interesting leaps. My goal is to pull actionable, reliable elements that can help the IT PM do their job more effectively, better than they’re doing it today and hopefully make it a little easier to get things done. IT Project Mechanic is a concept born out of more than a decade of delivering projects in the “new world” of IT Project Management. Here, regardless of the topic, the topics explored revolve around the management and delivery of technology solutions. This includes sales, marketing, financial, human relations and other components not generally attributed to project management as well as the standard fare of scope, schedule, risks and quality.

IT Project Mechanic is the creation of Cris Rogers, a project management and quality consultant. Cris has been delivering solutions to his clients using these principles, along with professionals in many areas, and is uniquely qualified to explore and dig into subjects that are both timely and valuable for all project professionals. Cris is certfied as a PMP and Six Sigma Black Belt in addition to serving as the Managing Partner of RPMC, LLC.?