2.1: Welcome to the Role of PM (The Setup)
- Page ID
- 49182
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Scenario Brief: The First Step Forward
Internal Memo
To: Incoming Project Management Practicum Team
From: Sukhjit Singh, Director of IT, C-Bay Inc.
Date: Week 0 – Pre-Initiation Phase
Subject: You Are the Project Manager (Whether You Like It or Not)
Team,
Welcome to your first assignment at C-Bay. Whether you’ve studied project management before or not, you are now stepping into a role that requires organization, clarity, communication, and follow-through.
Let me be clear: This project cannot move forward without a functioning project manager. That doesn’t mean someone who dictates all the work or has all the answers. It means someone who creates structure when there is none. Someone who helps the team get unstuck. Someone who keeps the team moving.
In the next few weeks, you’ll be tackling a major challenge for C-Bay: supporting the expansion of our infrastructure to match rapid growth. But before you begin building models, evaluating locations, or making presentations—you’ll need to get your house in order.
That starts with you.
Your Immediate Objectives
As the designated or de facto PM, your short-term goals include:
- Understanding what the PM role is (and isn’t)
- Clarifying your team’s expectations
- Helping your group align roles, timelines, and deliverables
- Using project planning tools like a WBS, process plan, and charter draft
- Building trust, not control
You’ll receive no checklist of exactly what to do. That’s part of the simulation. In real life, PMs operate under uncertainty, limited time, and conflicting priorities—and they make progress anyway.
You are here to practice that.
The Situation
- You are joining a cross-functional consulting team that has never worked together before.
- The team has been tasked with evaluating C-Bay’s infrastructure challenges—but hasn’t yet defined how they will work together.
- Some team members are experienced. Others are nervous. A few may be unresponsive or distracted.
- The first project milestone is due soon—but no roles have been formally assigned, and there is no schedule in place.
This is your moment.
Framing Prompts
Use these questions to guide your first steps:
- What do I believe my role as PM is?
- How can I help the team get organized without taking over?
- What tools or documents do we need to establish early clarity?
- What assumptions am I making about what others will do?
- What conversations are we avoiding—and how can I surface them constructively?
What You’ll Practice Here
This chapter will give you a safe, supported space to:
- Learn what the role of PM actually involves
- Use professional tools to organize your team (WBS, RACI, process sheets)
- Build the confidence to lead without dominating
- Get used to making decisions without perfect data
- Practice professional communication in writing and in meetings
You don’t need to be perfect. You do need to show up, take initiative, and keep moving the project forward.
Welcome to the role. It starts now.
—
Director of IT
C-Bay Inc.