Parallax Spotlight: Project Manager Tom Faller

In our Parallax Spotlight feature, we catch up with a different member of the Parallax team to get an insight into their working life. As a growing digital agency in the north of England, we want people to get to know our team. This time we had a chat with Tom, one of our project managers.

Hi Tom, tell us a little bit about your job and what you do on a daily basis?

I oversee our projects and make sure that everyone involved is up to speed and understands their responsibilities. I liaise with clients to make sure they’re in the loop, and understand the project.

You joined Parallax (formerly Snapshot Media) back in 2010. Other than the rapid growth of the company over the last three to four years, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen?

Mainly the growth of new technologies, and the effect they have on the design of websites. People seem to have realised that the sole focus of a website’s design isn’t just the visual element, and that there’s significantly more that affects how a site is put together (wireframes/IA, user journies). I think this shift has been coming because of the prevalence of mobile & the theory of content everywhere.

What particular projects have you enjoyed working on over the past few years?

I really enjoyed being part of our rebrand process and site rebuild because it was a refreshing change to play the client! Other than that, the launches of a music production library – Lemoncake, and the relaunch of Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s site have to be highlights. They really show off the quality of work that we’re producing and demonstrate our capabilities well.

What kind of skills do you need to be effective in your position?

It’s a bit of a mixed bag really, you need just enough knowledge in each area to be able to make informed decisions, without getting too bogged down in the details. Communication skills are also pretty key. Being able to explain development implications to non–developers, and being able to communicate business goals to your team are two of the most important things. Having the ability to make good decisions based on the information you have is also key; sometimes there is a quick win that takes 20% of the time, and, whilst it may be conventional, is the best thing to do for the client, be that because of budget or speed of implementation. That mostly comes with experience however.

What tools couldn’t you live without when at work?

Basecamp, HipChat, Ghostlab, Browserstack, Gmail, JIRA

Which brands do you think are doing well digitally?

Manchester City have redefined digital for sports teams, and you can now see that others are desperately trying to catch up. Brands like Deloitte really seem to be taking digital seriously too, and give real business context to their work, which is often what concerns people. Closer to home, Yorkshire.com have a great digital presence, and some really good campaigns. Their good work has culminated in winning Le Grand Depart for 2014’s Tour De France, which deserves recognition.

What advice would you give to any other project managers out there working at a digital agency?

Make sure you have a good understanding of the changing technology. You don’t need to understand it fully, but it’s good to at least have a grasp of it. Most of the tech that we use in the office I have fairly decent understanding of, even if it’s outside my remit. It allows me to communicate with clients and other staff better when I have a deep understanding.

Lastly, what would you be doing if you didn’t work in the digital sector?

Probably be putting my Law degree to use being Leeds’ answer to Harvey Spector.

Cheers Tom! We’ll let you get back to your project management duties now.