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Taras Osadchyi and Project Management best practices

Taras Osadchyi and Project Management best practices

How did you decide to pursue a Project Management career?

Initially, I started my career as a software developer. I was ambitious to earn freedom in the decision-making process, and always took the opportunity to take on more responsibilities than needed. Being result-oriented to get better outcomes – this was my approach from the very beginning.

You possess a strong technical background, but can someone without it become a Project Manager?

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI)’s guidelines, yes. On the other hand, there’s such a thing as a Project Manager’s talents triangle. It includes technical background, leadership, and strategic and business management skills. In order to be a successful project manager, you need to evolve in all three directions.

When I decided to become a PM, I wanted to understand every aspect of the project I worked on. For example, one time I had a design-driven project, so I took a design course to better understand its principles and approaches. When we started using a new programming language, I dove deeper into it. At another point in time I needed a better understanding of DevOps. I then took a DevOps course, created an AWS account, and tested all features in there.

Which methodologies do you use in your projects?

There are dozens of methodologies out there, and every time you need to understand which one is a better option for your current project. However, we use Scrum almost everywhere at Transcenda. It helps create a real forecast of the delivery (forming expectations of clients and users) and keep the flexibility of a product’s evolution.

What are the first steps when you start a new project?

How to deliver projects on time and on budget?

According to the project management’s triangle, there are three variables in each project: scope, cost, and time. Let’s say, we fix scope and cost. This means that all uncertainties will be covered by time. If time is the most important variable (let’s say, you have a strict deadline you can’t miss), then you need to correct either costs or scope. Usually one corner of the triangle is fixed and then everything else adjusts to it.

The corner that you choose usually depends on the industry. Once I was working on a healthcare project where the whole year was spent on very detailed and precise planning of each step of the project. This means that the scope was fixed, and time and cost were variables. Afterwards, everything was done according to a strict plan because in healthcare projects there’s no way you can make a mistake.

How do you deal with tasks that randomly pop up?

First of all, you need to prioritize these tasks. In line with the Eisenhower Matrix, I divide all tasks into: urgent / not urgent and important / not important. Let’s say, if suddenly production is down for an important and urgent task, then this is what I will start fixing immediately. Another example of an urgent and important task would be some kind of a bottleneck during the delivery process. My main goal is to ensure that delivery works uninterrupted and at its highest capacities.

If tasks are not urgent, I set myself reminders and get back to them when all urgent tasks are done.  

Name five tips for effective work as a Project Manager.

How do you improve your technical skills?

So far, the most resultative method for me was the one mentioned above, which is a pet project. Come up with a business idea that is interesting for you, use new technologies, and try to create a product.

I also regularly attend various courses that might be useful in my role. For example, for the last 12 months I was studying machine learning.

What do you like most about your job at Transcenda?

We spend at least one third of our lives at work, thus people with great soft skills are important criteria. Transcenda hires only mature employees, both mentally and technically. I like teams with ambitious goals, inspiring ideas, and cultural fit. As a result, thanks to the great people behind you, the working environment is productive and fun.

Which Transcenda value resonates with you most?

‘People first’ mindset is very relevant to me. The IT industry is built on people, and the better the team you have, the better results you get.

What are your hobbies and how did they shape you?

I like to call myself a senior fisherman with 20+ years of experience :). I find my Zen in this activity, fishing is like meditation to me. I also like soccer and am a huge fan of Dynamo Kyiv.

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