Employees

Senior Project Manager

Employee Name:

Fran Morrison

Title:

Senior Project Manager

Ministry:

Ministry of Citizens' Services

Background:

Education: Diploma, Business Administration (University-College of Cape Breton)
Member of the BC Public Service Since: 1995

My Role

My job title is Senior Project Manager, but my job is about bringing together the right team at the right time to ensure program areas are able to meet their objectives effectively and efficiently. They are all with respect to IT and right now they are related to websites. We do websites for across government and have just completed Canada's Pacific Gateway. We also just did an online project for the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance which provides service to move people towards sustainable employment and gives information about policies and programs and the kinds of resources citizens need.

Career Path:

Prior to this, I was in the private sector in banking and insurance. Since joining the BC Public Service, I've always been in project management positions. I have, however, led and/or contributed to projects for Health, Education, Finance, Agriculture and the Environment. Only within the public service do you get this opportunity to work with such a wide spectrum of people with such varied knowledge.

What I Like Best:

Each day is different. Most days are exciting and challenging, it's never dull. I like the fact that the Deputy Minister and the Assistant Deputy Minister know what we are doing on a day-to-day basis — we don't have to continually explain. What we do is continually on their radar, we get the feedback that the stuff we're doing is important. The variety, even in one single area, is so broad; the sky's the limit in terms of opportunities. One day I'll be talking to health officials, the next day I'm talking to forest fighters.

Ideas At Work:

Almost all of the projects I lead today are about providing accurate, timely and relevant information to British Columbians over the web. They need this information to help them make decisions and choices about the things that affect them and their families, whether it's great vacation spots or how to apply for services for themselves and their families. Our online resources for the Ministry of Housing and Social Development provide information to our most vulnerable citizens that could save their lives. It could mean that income assistance they need or that place they need to live.

Advice:

Go for that Masters Degree in the subject area that interests you most, add on the Project Management Discipline and mix in Contract Management, Risk Management and Team Building. Apply for jobs that allow you to demonstrate your leadership skills. While it's called Project Management, I think that what it really takes to be successful in this role is leadership. When you are in a leadership role in something you're passionate in, it makes a big difference. A good position to take to get your foot in the door would be a Project Coordinator — they assist the Project Manager in scheduling and budgeting.