How Being a Project Manager Makes Me a Better Me
To the question “Who are you?”, some people will respond with answers like, “I’m a nurse”, “I’m a mom”, “I’m British”, “I’m a woman”, “I’m a foodie”…
Not exactly an answer to the question, because these things cannot be the definition of anyone. How we view our identity often comes from our experience in life.
I’m a project manager and I’m a foster parent. Both things contribute to who I am, but neither define me. I thrive on routine and consistency, I love things to be organized, I want to be a loving mother, I like to help make things run like a well-oiled machine, I need to have a purpose, to be helpful and offer value. Being a foster parent and a project manager allows me to do some of these things that I love. Being a foster parent has also helped me in being a great project manager, and vice versa.
When a child comes into our home, there are a plethora of things to consider before we even start. In Project Management, the first phase of a project is the Initiation Phase, the beginning of a project. This is where we scope out what is involved with the project… What are the expectations? What are the goals and objectives? What needs to be done for the project to be considered a success?
Initiation Phase
There are different requirements for different children based on age, gender, health, mental health, etc. As a foster mom, in the Initiation phase, I need to know the answers to a lot of questions, like…
Who is the child? How old is the child? What is the gender of the child? Where does he/she come from? What is his/her background/history?
How long is the child expected to stay? What are the things that need to be done before he/she arrives?
What will make us successful? What are the risks and how will we mitigate potential issues?
What do I need to keep this child safe? (Will I need a crib?) What issues/struggles does he/she have that I need to be aware of?
Who else do I need to consider when getting ready for this child to come into my house?
What will the outcome of this placement be? Is this long term or short term and do they have another home to go to when they leave?
What needs does the child have? Does he/she have any behavioural or medical diagnosis?
If this were a project, questions like this would help me be able to describe the project, so that I know with confidence that I fully understand the scope, the constraints, target users, outcomes, success metrics, and client needs. For example, if the child is a 12-year-old boy, I would prepare for his arrival by considering these more specific things:
· Where will he sleep? When a child comes into care there is a rule that stipulates a boy cannot sleep in the same room as a person of the opposite gender, nor can he occupy a bedroom with a child that is under the age of 5 (constraint)
· Does the bedroom need to be painted so that it is age appropriate and comfortable to their gender expression? (scope)
· Is it appropriate for my new child-in-care to go into the bedroom of another child in the home? Do I allow them to have the door closed? Do I need to instill some boundaries? (risk)
· Will he be expected to fold and put laundry away at night? This isn’t a question I would ask if he was 3. What age should he start? (scope)
· What healthy snacks will we offer in-between meals? (client needs)
· Will he share a bathroom? When will he have his shower, so that everyone has hot water? (constraint)
· Are there things in the bathroom that need to be put away for safety, e.g. Razors? Will he have issues around eating soap? (risk)
· Are there times that the house needs to be quiet? Are there younger children in the house? (risk)
· What time is bedtime and what does that routine look like? (constraint)
· Will he be expected to participate in chores? What kind, when, how, etc.? (scope)
· Will it be safe for him to be on his own in the community? If he wants to go out, what is ok? Is there a time that is not ok? Is he allowed in the home alone? (constraints, client needs)
· Will he take swimming lessons? Who will get him there? (scope)
· Do we have sports/recreation equipment that meets his needs? (constraints, client needs)
· What kind of food will he like? (scope, client needs)
· Will he have his own electronic devices? What will the boundaries be? Playing past 11pm? (constraint)
Planning Phase
As we can see from the Initiation Phase, planning for a new child in the house involves getting the physical environment ready. The work breakdown would look something like this:
· Purchase paint and paint the bedroom — 1 day
· Purchase a bike — half day
· Research expected behavior of a 12-year-old boy — 5 hours
· Prepare the bedroom (reorganize furniture, prep bed, make sure there are age-appropriate toys/activities, etc.) — 4 hours
· Purchase a new laundry basket — 2 hours
· Plan daily routines (school day, weekend) — 1 day
· Schedule swimming lessons — 3 hours
· Make a healthy-meal plan and do a “grocery shop” — 5 hours
Note: there is no way of knowing what the child will arrive with, what clothes and/or belongings he will have, etc. I would typically wait a couple of days for the child to settle in, and then arrange to go out to the stores when he is safe and sound in bed (supervised, obviously) and purchase items that he really needs (e.g. winter boots, underwear, etc.)
Implementation Phase
Implementing the plan requires having a solid plan to complete the tasks. It can’t be done alone though. Communicating about the plan, with the child’s worker and my support worker, is critical. Their blessing on the plan is necessary, and keeps me on the right path. I’m not just a project manager, I’m also responsible for completing most of the deliverables.
The timeline is important in this phase too. With foster care, the durations are unknown (how long will the child stay?), so it’s typically not feasible to plan far ahead. But it’s important to have a deeper understanding of the impact of the child’s move into our home, so that we can help to manage his anxieties, likely attachment disorder, and possible heightened behaviours.
Monitor/Control
A goal that is achieved through planning, does not necessarily mean that the goal is maintained. Observing the child adhering to a “curfew”, doesn’t mean he will continue the trend. Monitoring the child’s behavior will help to monitor our parenting successes.
If you find yourself being involved in facilitating, solving problems, and interpreting between different groups/people — and if you are constantly working around constraints and setting time-frames to make sure everyone is happy — then maybe refining your Project Management skills is something that can help you be a better YOU.
