Does anyone use a project manager?
A question came up in one of my Facebook groups the other day that I just had to jump in on. “Does anyone use a project manager? Why and when did you add one to your team?”
I was thrilled that a fellow group member was at a place in their business that they needed to add someone of this caliber to their team, and they were trying to educate themselves on what to do.
She had already done some research via an online mogul, and what she learned was that this uber-successful biz owner didn’t add a dedicated Project Manager until they hit the one million in revenue mark.
The group member said that she’s planning to add a Project Manager to her team to manage the projects and the team members who are working on them, with the idea that the PM would report back to her, the business owner about all of the project-related stuff. Her goal was to take herself out of the process, free up her time, and streamline the whole implementation process.
The only flaw I could see in her plan was that she wanted to do a 10-hour retainer, which could work if there aren’t that many projects going on, no launches, etc. But…from my experience, it takes more time than that. It can take, usually a minimum of 15 to 20 hours a month to do this and quite a bit more during launches, depending on the size of the business and the number of projects.
Why did the woman asking want a Project Manager anyways? Her reply was where it really got juicy (and I don’t like that word, by the way). You know, “juicy” to describe biz activities. Anyway, she wanted a PM to sit down with her once a month and organize her task list and create a schedule for her and her assistant.
Oh. wow. I just about jumped out of my skin! I let her know that a high level Virtual Assistant (VA) or Online Business Manager (OBM) with experience in Project Management or launch planning could do this for her. So, she really didn’t need a dedicated PM, after all.
What is an Online Business Manager?
Yay! Another educational opportunity! Woohoo, I was scoring big that day. 🙂
I let her know that on Online Business Manager is someone who will do project management, team management, and some implementation. Why is this so great? Because having someone who can manage projects, day-to-day operations, organization, and do some implementation can really streamline your business and provide excellent leadership and direction because of their well-rounded business experience. Hiring an OBM ends up saving the business owner money.
How can the biz owner save money or make money when it seems like a big chunk of your hard-earned revenue may go to paying for an OBM or a high level VA? Because they can do so much and know your business so well that you are then free to spend time on more crucial activities that enable growth. And because they are efficient in their activities, you save money on labor costs.
Let’s take a more comparative look at the difference between a Project Manager and an Online Business Manager.
Let’s consider some “textbook” definitions of each, and break it down to a more micro level and build from there.
What is a Project Manager?
Well, what is a project? The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result”. It has a start date, a due date, a defined scope. I like to think of the scope a lane that has to be stayed in for each project. It’s unique in that each has a goal or end result. It’s definitely not part of the day-to-day operations of a business.
For an online business or for those of you who use project management apps, look at how Asana and other apps break it down. Your business starts with main operational categories. Projects fall under the categories. Each project has tasks, subtasks, and teams that work on them. Simplistic, I know, but you get the gist.
All things considered, a Project Manager is someone whose job it is to use their knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to initiate, plan, execute, monitor, and close projects. A project manager does not implement tasks within projects or manage day-to-day operations, only projects.
More About the Online Business Manager
An Online Business Manager (OBM) is a virtual support professional who manages online businesses. Their work includes day-to-day management of operations, projects, teams, systems, clients, communications, and metrics. They have a broad-based working business knowledge in a wide range of areas including: marketing, research, budgeting, analytics, people skills, communications, organization, planning, forecasting, sales, social media, and more. An OBM has the ability to manage many moving parts, to organize all things when it comes to your business. He or she may also use project management platforms to manage the business.
The smooth functioning of the entire business is the name of the game for the Online Business Manager. The entire team’s happiness and motivation fall on the shoulders of the OBM. Systems are key.
All things considered, who is your next hire going to be: a Project Manager or an Online Business Manager?
Thanks for the clear explanation on the difference between an Online Business Manager and a Project Manager, Starr. Prior to reading your post the distinction was not very clear as frankly I thought their roles were pretty similar. You proved that to be a myth.
Thank you, Yvonne. I’m happy you got some value from the article. 🙂