I remember when by brother in law first told me about "Project Management" I just gave him this blank stare.
Lawyer, doctor, nurse, policeman, construction worker, fireman, systems administrator...these were titles that I was familiar with. Projects were just those tasks you got assigned in school that took weeks and often included a diorama, powerpoint, or poster.
So what exactly is Project Management and what does a Project Manager do?
I ended up spending the rest of the weekend researching to get the basic concepts down. Google is fantastic search engine. Searching "What is Project Management" immediately brings up the Project Management Institute. They are considered THE body of knowledge in the industry. There is a link on their page that gives answers to both of my questions: https://www.pmi.org/about/learn-about-pmi. Other resources I found include: https://www.projectmanager.com/guides/project-management and https://www.teamwork.com/project-management-guide/what-does-a-project-manager-do/.
In the end...what did I find out?
In a nutshell...
Project Management is the use of different skills, tools, and techniques in order to guide a temporary task to completion. Whether this be something as large as implementing a new online payment method for a shop or as small as going on a weekend vacation to the lake...project management is what helps make the endeavor a success.
Project Managers (PMs) are professionals who use their experience in different methodologies to ensure that projects are completed. They are the ones who are directly responsible for managing the flow, budget, risks, people, execution, and closure of a project. A common misconception is that PMs are just "paper-pushers" who don't actually do a whole lot when it comes to work in a project. One of the most difficult things about managing a project is the number of needs (and opinions) involved. I have yet to have worked on...or even heard of a project that didn't run into issues along the way.
While you may not see a PM coding, answering customer calls, or training staff on the latest tech...they are hard at work ensuring that any roadblocks are dealt with, communicating between all of the different groups and individuals, and ensuring that the project stays on task, budget, and time. This allows for the rest of the project team members to actually do their jobs.