[closed] What is project management like?

Ericka's covered a lot of aspects already, but here's some more information.

"What is project management like?"
It's frustrating, it requires attention to detail while also seeing the big picture. And the main thing - it's great fun! On a daily basis you will get to talk to a lot of different teams - your clients (who may be from inside or outside your company), your stakeholders (the people who are interested in seeing the results of the project - may be the same people as the clients) and your development team at a minimum. You will be tracking a lot of different things - budget, timelines, work done/to be done, deadlines. At the same time it's a great way to learn about many different functions.

"Is it necessary to know how to work on several projects at once?"
Yes, but it's not as difficult as it sounds as long as you're organised. Usually if you're working on multiple projects at once they'll be staggered - one will be in the planning phase, while another might be coming close to the delivery stage. If you're studying any formal Project Management Methodologies you will find that each of them comes with an outline check-list that you can adapt for every project - use these to help you keep track of where each project is.

Working on multiple projects can also help provide you with a break. If you've been working on a budget for project X for a while and need a break, you can always switch to working on the schedule for project Y instead.

"Where do the projects come from?"
Anything can be considered a project (I used my project management skills when moving house). Making a cup of coffee could be a (very small!) project if you felt like it. Generally you will be assigned a project that will have been requested by senior management or by clients.

"What are some examples of projects?"
I deal primarily with computer software, but all industries have projects. A computer software project could be "Build a new piece of software that allows users to write a book, with features to manage chapters, and editing". Or it could be "Add a new feature to our existing book writing software that allows users to search and replace words". Other examples of projects include building a house, set up a new automated manufacturing line for a new type of car, roll out a new type of desk phone to an entire company, redesign and refurbish a shop. The project management skills for all of these are the same - planning, budgeting, scheduling, tracking and communicating. There will usually be a team of subject matter experts who can help you with the details.

Hello! Project mgmt. uses several different skills such as: organization, communication & ability to work across different teams. Projects may come in from different sources/avenues depending on the type of role you are in. There may be tools or process type projects, new product implementation projects or it could even be something like a house remodel project where you manage the different events necessary to complete. You should assume that you may be asked to manage multiple projects. As you grow/learn a particular business you will find that your projects may tie into one another - or touch another piece of business that you need later on - so it's not a bad thing to work multiple projects. For example, I am currently working on a new tool integration project that touches multiple businesses both inside and outside of my organization. Strong communication and presentation skills to show what the tool can do for our partners is necessary.