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PM’ing in the time of coronavirus
3 ways the job has changed during the pandemic
In a few months, many of us would have worked remotely for two years, thanks to a global pandemic. If it only takes 21 days to form a new habit, we’ve all indelibly changed the way we work after 700+ days of not being in the office. Three-fourths of us actually found the transition rather simple.
I’ve been reflecting back on how my work style and habits have changed over the last two years, and I can definitely think of three unique ways I’ve changed as a PM to be as or more effective.
#1 — More 1:1's
In the office, catching up 1:1 was a breeze, and often these water cooler encounters were an excellent way to keep tabs on how projects were faring. Without ever scheduling a 1:1, I could easily figure out how my team was feeling, and if there were risks to pay attention to.
Working from home, this is a lot harder, and I’ve found myself setting up explicit 1:1’s, outside any team standup, to get a pulse of how my team feels. I’d estimate the time spent in 1:1 meetings over the week has increased 33% since March of 2020. And even though sometimes this feels more inefficient, it’s totally worth it for the additional bonding and the early risk signals these intimate conversations provide.