In addition to mastering the methodological toolbox, I find soft skills even more important. In addition to appreciative communication and presentation skills, a project manager should pay attention to good team chemistry so that everyone can achieve the project goals together in the best possible way. It is important to always address problems openly and resolve them at an early stage before conflicts can arise. Furthermore, the project manager should maintain a sense of calm in stressful situations.
As a project manager at HMS, there are several things to consider in addition to the "usual" project manager tasks. You work closely with account management, be it to acquire new customers or to provide optimum support for existing ones. You are also closely involved in the preparation of offers and invoicing, and you are an important source of feedback for the project members' HR managers.
Personally, I have mainly worked as a project manager for several years now. However, there are many projects at HMS where the project manager is also responsible for development tasks.
I find communication with the internal teams to be absolutely pleasant and constructive. Everyone is highly motivated to support customer projects so that they run smoothly. The same applies to working with customers. There is a common goal, which can usually only be achieved as a team. Appreciative communication is one of the most important aspects of this.
I worked in a large company for a long time and at some point I felt like I was only doing the same thing. HMS offers me varied, challenging tasks and gives me the confidence I need to master them.
Working as a project manager involves strong fluctuations in the workload. You have to organise yourself well to keep all the strings in your hand and should use the quiet phases to recharge your batteries. You get the support you need from your managers.
I work a lot with people, so it never gets boring. I also enjoy being the communicative link between the customer, project team, sales and division managers.
I am currently leading a project at a financial services provider that is migrating its on-premises data warehouse to the cloud. We are working with many workstreams that are also migrating other company applications to the cloud. Furthermore, I am leading an internal project to improve internal reporting with three younger team members. I am also responsible for training new project managers and supporting the mentors. The most important task is to continuously improve the quality of training in order to successfully implement projects with our customers.
In terms of the environment, it was a project for the security center of an airport, where we implemented a reporting system for security incidents. It was very impressive to stand in the security control center and watch the various players at work. From a technical point of view, it was a project at a pharmaceutical manufacturer where we migrated clinical studies to the SDTM format using machine learning methods.
In addition to the annual appraisals, there are plenty of opportunities to talk to managers about personal development. People are always open for communication, after all, it is also good for the company if an employee wants to develop theit knowledge.
At HMS there are mostly nice, open colleagues who want to make a difference. When selecting personnel, we don't just look at professional aptitude, but also whether an applicant fits into the team.
HMS employees are technically fit and methodically very well trained in many different sectors. Thanks to the competence and knowledge management system, employees' knowledge is always up to date and new colleagues receive comprehensive and customised training.
HMS pays attention to a good work-life balance and family friendliness. During the coronavirus crisis, for example, parents with young children were given great support and even compensated for minus hours due to the need for childcare. The second aspect is knowledge and skills management.
I think this is described very well on our website. None of these are empty promises.
Despite its growth, HMS tries to keep hierarchies as flat as possible and distances as short as possible. HMS does not want to expand at the drop of a hat, but in such a way that the internal processes and structures can grow with it.
