Well today was definitely interesting. I arrived at work to a message from my boss asking if I could join a meeting. He's remote and was having connectivity problems and there was too much visual going on for him to follow well over the phone. When I got into the meeting he dropped out.
So I was in a meeting with the execs from a new division of the company. The division is new because we just acquired their company. A morning and most of the early afternoon was spent helping them define their business objectives and doing business analysis and requirements for their web portal and consumer online presence.
Weird activities for a quality assurance specialist, eh?
Got a call from my boss during the meeting, asking me to call him back when I had a few minutes. Don't you hate messages like that? Ones that give you no clue why you're calling? I sure do.
So I called him and he explained that the very large project I am consulting on now was being reorganized. He was taking over management of the project himself. Problem being, he can't be on-site here to actually manage the project. So, could I help out by doing the business analysis and business requirements locally?
There's those words again. Business Analysis. Business Requirements. Not QA stuff. Program analysis and standards are QA things. But I love doing this stuff so I said of course I'd be happy to help. That's when he popped the question.
Would I consider leaving QA for a Project Management position? He wants me on the business side of the business, said I excelled there. Yes, QA is very important but he has a critical shortage on the BA side of his house. He reassured me that it wasn't a do or die thing. I was hired for QA, I am doing a fantastic job here, this job is secure if I want to stay in it. But, would I like to step to the next level under the executorium?
I said "Hell, yeah. What took you so long to offer it? I've been here waiting for five freaking months already! Hello?"
Well, maybe it was more along the lines of a gracious acceptance. The position switch will come about in the near future after we wrap me out of some QA projects.
Say hello to Jim Peacock, Project Manager elect.
Congratulations, I hope you enjoy the new position. I know personally I always love being promoted.
Hello, Jim Peacock, Project Manager elect.
Congrats!
Congrats Project Manager Elect Jim Peacock.
Eerie. Is your career path synchronized with Helen's, or what?
Congratulations! May you know no Hadrians and no Roosters. :)
The use of an ancient Chinese curse in your title followed by news that your boss wanted to talk to you was unnerving. Thought you were going to tell us you were unemployed again.
Anyway, happy to hear that the news was good instead. Congratulations!
I've been following Ilyka around saying "What She Said" all day; why should this post be any different?
:)
When the honeymoon phase is over, drop me a line! Archive everything about this day because when you have a bad one (and I predict you will), you'll want a reminder about why you said yes to this role!
I'm a manager of HR projects (including technology projects). I have three major organizational transformation projects on the go and I'm in major project head mode right now (i.e., waking up at three in the morning and leaving myself voice mails, having vivid dreams about murdering a member of my team or vice versa!). We have team sympathy cards, pre-signed with appropriate condolences by team members. When you have a bad day, you get the sympathy card and get to keep it until the next poor person has one!
We also customize Dilbert cartoons and send them to ourselves. Get to know Dilbert.
But to be serious for a minute, enjoy this moment! I wish you well........
I really enjoyed when I was a Project Manager.
Have fun! I think it's a great job.
I should get at least one synchronicity point; you're going from a QA job into a project manager job and I'm going from a project management job into a QA job (yes, I know it's management, but it's still in the QA department). Eerily coincidental, doncha think?
And congrats; I'm sure it's well-deserved.
Jim, I am damn happy for you and thrilled that people are leaning on you and know you are competent. Congrats on that, sweetie. May org charts fall in your stride.
I swear I don't want to urinate all over your public holiday, but are you sure about all of the details? Did you get a pay raise and agree that you have the control of the project (warning bells sounded when you wrote: "He was taking over management of the project himself. Problem being, he can't be on-site here to actually manage the project. So, could I help out by doing the business analysis and business requirements locally?"
In my world that translates to: you don't get the say-so, you get to be the go-to guy.
I swear I just want you to be covered on all bases-I would hate for you to be in the utter hell I am in, especially since I know you are competent and clever and deserve this.
*wipes self now*
hooray Jim!
Does this mean I can include you as a 'contact' in my network now? Let's do lunch!
hello to Jim Peacock, Prime Minister reject.
Hope you get elected next time.
OO! 1pm! Time for my dyslexia medication...
I agree /w what Helen said. Similar thing happened to me; it stank.
The very best of luck to you, Jim. I know *you* make your own luck, and that's the best kind.
Thanks everybody!
Fear not, Helen and Victor, it's on the up and up. This particular project is a problem child but the position will be the real thing.
Not to toot my own horn but they're removing an established Project Manager and putting me on instead because it only started actually moving when I started working on it.