Do you know why PMs cost so much?

Because they’re worth it.

Listen, we all want to show our clients that we can handle whatever they throw at us. Sometimes, that’s an MSP; sometimes, that’s an employee trying to earn some points with their boss. Either way, what gets lost is the details. How much time was allocated? How much spend is approved? What are the hard edges of the project? Who do I go to for a change request?

Simply stated, a Project Manager has only one job. That is to track all of the details of your project to ensure that every last cent of profit/savings is squeezed out of your SOW. They ensure that the implementation follows the design and that the design makes sense. They aren’t a democracy; they are an authoritarian who upholds the letter of the project. Any changes to the SOW needs to go through them; and they’ve got to be experienced enough to know when something is “legit” or something is “excess.”

So next time you have a project, and it needs to be done on time, under budget, and correctly; don’t rely on the owner’s-daughter’s-son to come in and save the day out of high school. Hire a PM.