Being there

You're down to the wire. Your team is launching a site and QA is going to run late into the night. You're not a developer, you don't have a suite of QA tools set up for your use, and you have full faith in your team. What do you do?

It's a tough call. You don't want to burn project hours on a project in case you need them post-launch. You also don't want to sit around the office with not much to do. What will the team get out of you being there?

Remember: as a project lead, you bring value to the team at all times. Sometimes you have to find it though. So, the best thing to do is stay and offer your support. What can you do? If I were tasking a PM at launch on support, I'd tell her to: manage tickets, update status, run interference on little issues that could turn into big issues. make the team laugh, play some music, and most importantly, order food.

It's really just about being present and showing the team that you care and are willing to help. Do it. Trust me. If you do this the right way, it will make a difference on how you're viewed on projects moving forward. And really, you can help. Just ask.