The Project Operator

Andy Barbirato

I'm helping engineers become highly effective project managers. I write about hard and soft skills for engineering project managers and the mindset shift required to transition from successful engineer to successful project manager.

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It Does Hurt to Ask (for what to do)

The Project Operator It Does Hurt to Ask (for what to do) One of the key mistakes I see many new or prospective Project Managers make, is to ask “what do you want me to do?”. The idea that you will be trusted to lead without trusting yourself is wishful thinking. I used to do this myself when I was in a junior engineering role. You are uncertain in your abilities. You are worried you’ll make a mistake. You are unsure what you are allowed to do. I’ve been there. And this was one of the most...

6 days ago • 2 min read

Avoiding the Urgency Trap

The Project Operator Urgent? Why?And for who? Read time: 3 minutes I recently covered a project for a colleague who took a 3-month sabbatical. It was a long enough time for me to need get fully immersed in the project, and not just “tide-it-over” like I would do for a 1 week vacation cover. I started to get project emails. And I noticed something interesting. Out of 250 emails I received that week for that project, 132 were sent with High Priority, and a further 57 with some variation of...

12 days ago • 4 min read