The Project

Julia had the management team in the palm of her hand. They sat around the boardroom table, transfixed, as she presented her business case. Julia had her PowerPoint presentation, her Gantt charts, and plenty of supporting facts and figures. But more importantly, she knew how to subtly guide them towards the outcome she wanted so that afterwards, they would think it was their idea. A black pencil skirt and tailored jacket showed off her toned physique but also projected a very professional image. Julia knew that many men let their guard down when confronted by an attractive woman. With this bunch of stubborn, testosterone-filled businessmen the twenty-eight-year-old project manager needed every advantage she could get.

Reading their expressions, Julia could tell they were about as receptive as they were ever going to be. Well, except for the operations manager. Bob had a rather pained expression on his face but she suspected that had more to do with his ulcer than her presentation. With perfect timing, she went for the kill.

"So you see, we can meet our client's needs and provide a healthy boost to the bottom line. All we need is a few extra resources on this critical path," she pointed at a red bar on the Gantt chart. She held her breathe and waited for their reaction.

"What do you need?" asked the chief financial officer, frowning slightly. Considering that last week he had threatened to axe a project that went over budget, Julia took this as a good sign.

"A ten-percent increase in developer hours will be sufficient," Julia replied.

"Isn't the R&D team already fully committed?" asked the marketing manager warily.

Derek, the R&D manager, sat up straight as he became the center of attention. He cleared his throat. "Actually, my team is on target with their other projects. In fact, a couple of guys have asked if there will be any overtime available this quarter…"

Julia hid a satisfied smile. She knew very well the developers were happy to do overtime. She had casually asked a few of them just last week and suggested that they make their preferences known to their manager.

"Well, that's settled then. You and Derek can work out the details and then I'll approve the budget variation," said the CFO. He then closed his leather-bound diary and the rest of the group took that as a sign the meeting was adjourned.

Julia walked out of the meeting with her head held high. She allowed herself to savor the satisfaction for a few moments. This was the biggest project she had ever been contracted to manage but so far she had proven herself up to the task. The project involved upgrading billing and financial software which was used by some of the largest companies in New Zealand. Her employer, Gensoft, was a software development firm with approximately two hundred employees in Wellington. Sometimes it seemed a daunting task but it was just a matter of keeping your eyes firmly on the goal and tackling the obstacles one at a time.