IT PM role - internal or supplier/vendor?

[espresso84]

Hi

I am considering a new job, as a Snr PM.

I have spent 5 years working with a large IT consultancy. My new job might be working within an internal IT department in the retail sector.

What do people think will be the challenges changing to an internal role like this? I will have to manage my end users as my clients, so I expect discussions around scope will be more interesting.

How will being an internal project manager as opposed to a supplier PM be different, and how will managing relationships with business stakeholders be different?

Any guidance / recommendations people can make would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[MrDataGuy]

One thing to keep in mine is a switch from "How much will this cost" to more of a "How much will this benifit the company"

Lion Crest Software Services
Anthony L. Testi
President

http://www.LionCrestSoftwareServices.com

 

[JimmyTheFish]

As you point out, discussions around scope are very interesting and don't think the fact that you are both working for the same company will somehow make this easier! The push to have changes incorporated with little or no cost or time impact will be high ('we all work for the same company, after all....'). Internal customers tend to use their internal IT department to work through their requirements iteratively - i.e. get on with what you know and we'll work out exactly what we want by the time we finish. (Might be me as an old cynic talking, of course!). The main thing to do is to engender good relationships with the project sponsors - the nearer you can get to a 'joint' project (with joint ownership of risks/issues etc) the better. When things are going well, the 'us' bit is easy. When they don't, things can very quickly move towards the 'them and us' ('it's the IT sections fault that it isn't finished' - regardless of the fact that large amounts of change have been 'sneaked' in!).