Tiina McManners

"The attributes of my 'personality type' are typical for a good project manager or other IT professionals. I am a practical problem solver and want to build good solutions, which my Developer trait is great for. I investigate issues, ensure good quality work gets done whilst following correct methods. I have a great eye for detail which uses my Investigator trait. My many positive collaborations with others in the team is very much my Coordinator trait and is critical for my role."

"I am a Project Manager in a large IT software and services company, working across many countries globally. I am responsible for the successful completion of projects, on time and on budget. As a project manager, I am responsible for planning and organising key tasks that need to be done during the projects (that typically last several months), and ensuring they get done at the right time and in the right way. I discuss with technical experts, help resolve problems and report on progress to top management. I have enjoyed several different roles, but wanted to progress to new roles so I could continue to learn new skills and to 'grow'. I have enjoyed national and international travel for work, but also enjoyed the flexibility of most of my jobs that allowed me to work remotely from home occasionally. There are many opportunities for young graduates to progress both in seniority and expertise in one area and also sideways to move across the organisation into different lines of business for new types of jobs and business functions. Technical staff can continue to grow deep technical specialist expertise into more senior levels, or in some cases, choose to aim for a more managerial path."

"After graduating from university with a science degree (in Geography and Geographic Information Systems), I started as young graduate IT Consultant. I received IT specific training from my employer. I later worked as IT Support Engineer, then as Technical Lead Consultant. Helped by some additional professional training qualifications, I progressed to Service Deliver Management and Project Management. I have also worked as a Practice Manager of a team of consultants, although currently I am not in a formal people management position. Over the years, after more experience, the projects and customer organisations I work with have become bigger and more complex.Every few years I have moved to a new role, to learn new skills and experience a different area of work either within the same company or with a different employer. I have also lived and worked outside UK. I like the nature of my work where I collaborate with colleagues (and sometimes with customers!) across the world. Occasionally I get to travel to other countries for short business trips, but I am also glad my work does not require constant travel as most of the communication is done by email and telephone."

"I enjoy singing, skiing, gardening and spending time with my family."

"I usually start by reading emails. There may be a few important ones for me to respond to, or to discuss with a colleague, either by phone or using a special online chat tool. I might have a meeting or two in my calendar each day. Most of these meetings are conducted by telephone and web conference. Sometimes I will have a face-to-face meeting with a customer and will need to travel to see them. The meeting could be about planning a project and discussing who needs to do what and when. Afterwards, the meeting summary or a plan would be documented and shared via email with all participants for follow-up actions later. I am lucky that my work hours are flexible, but it can also mean working long hours into evenings and sometimes during the weekend if it is really urgent. The people I work with are all very smart and highly skilled. It is great to work with such experts. Although we sometimes have difficult problems to resolve, I am confident that we will - together - always find a solution. I am never alone with any issue; my colleagues are always there to help and equally, I am happy to help them when I can."

"Undergraduate degree (BSc) GeographyPost-graduate degree (MSc) Geography and Geographic Information SystemsPost-graduate degree (MBA) Master of Business AdministrationProfessional certifications in Project Management and IT Service Management"