I'm a bad Project Manager...

And I may fail.  Failure is always an option.  But as long as I learn something from the experience, that's what counts.  This is the same place that all new project managers start from.  Even professionals are bad project managers sometimes.  Magicka almost didn't happen because of bad project management.  Moral is very important on a project.

My project management class was one that I was not prepared for.  I passed academically, but somehow missed the emotional impact that happens when you realize something is really important.  In retrospect it was perhaps the most important class in my time at Boston University.  As a Creative Lead/Project Manager on the ZoRTS Project what was taught to me in that class gets used everyday.  There is a distinct likely hood that I will end up becoming a Project Manager professionally.

There are two reasons why this is likely to be the case if I have a career in game design.
I am not a coder...  Well not anymore.  I was really good at C++ in my first college career (Aced my final without studying and without even knowing I was taking it, there's a story for another time) prior to the tech bubble bursting, in 2001.  Scott MacMillian says that if you want to become a game designer learn how to code.  That is wise advice, which at some point I am going to have to follow.

I am not an artist.  I have ideas, (100's, 1000's) in my head and no real way to get them out.  Having spent some time as an intern at a graphic design firm I have witnessed the artistry that goes into tweaking pixels to make them look just right.

Fortunately these two things mean that I can communicate with programs and artists.  Which is key to correctly scheduling them in a project.  So what do I have going for me?  I can write an amazing outline.  And turn that into a Gantt Chart.  MS Project is not foreign to me.  And the PMBOK is my friend.

What I do need to work on is actually implementing the ideas of basic project management.  Most likely following up and getting feedback from the team is what I have to work on the most.  I'm not afraid of calling myself a bad project manager, because the ZoRTS project is teaching me how to be a better one.  If you are also a bad project manager the best thing you can do is create your own project and practice.  Even if you are a good project manager between jobs, the best thing you can do is keep in practice.

What advice do you have for a bad project manager looking to get better?  Do you have a team leader horror stories?  What would you love to hear from the manager of your project?  Comment in the links below.