Living That PM life

One of the hardest things about working in an agency is learning how it breathes. What’s the process like? What does communication—both internal and external—look like? How does it all actually work? I want to get into it...

First things first: get to know your team.

As our team grows, I always take an hour (or two or three) to chat with team members to get to know them both professionally and personally. These are the people you’ll be working with daily—it’s important to understand who they are and where they come from. This opens the lines of communication and builds trust. At our agency, we always take the time to learn about each other through things like one-on-one meetings, happy hours, and weekly production meetings. It gives everyone a chance to voice who they are.

Communication: without it, we’d be toast

Coming into the agency world from a different professional background felt like learning a foreign language. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that clear, direct, and no-fluff communication is the best path forward, not just internally, but with clients too.

Internal communication can take many forms: a quick Slack ping, a video message, or a longer email. But remember—your team isn’t mind readers. What seems obvious to you may not be to someone else. The clearer and to-the-point you are, the fewer "just to clarify" messages you’ll get back, and honestly, it makes everyone’s day easier.

The same goes for clients, especially when you're the one relaying info back to the team. Never be afraid to ask questions to get the details right. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got? Think like your teammates would think. Ask the questions you know they’d want to ask. It’ll make your project run smoother—and it’ll make you look like an absolute rockstar.

Process

Process can mean a lot of things in an agency: timelines, expectations, file management… You name it. My most significant insight is to build your process with your team. It takes a little effort up front, but once you have it locked in, everything runs so much smoother.

At any given time, you are juggling multiple projects. At Scale, we build our project approach based on what the project actually needs. For example, our recently launched project, Consero, needed a more Agile, flexible approach. Using weekly sprints, we worked directly with the client to prioritize key requirements and set weekly goals. Because of that, we built a genuine partnership; everybody was part of every decision that made the project successful.

Then there are projects like JLA Designs, where a traditional timeline worked best. We created a detailed plan with clear milestones so the client knew what was happening at each step of the project. This ensured that both the client and the Scale team were aligned every step of the way.

At the end of the [work]day, no two projects are exactly the same, and honestly, that’s one thing that I love most about working at Scale. Whether you’re running sprints or sticking to a traditional timeline, it’s all about finding what works best for your team and your client.

Is it perfect?

Absolutely… not.

But when you keep communication open and processes flexible, you’ll end up with some fantastic projects we absolutely beam with pride over every time we hit that “launch” button.

If you’re just starting your PM journey or leveling up your skills, remember: focus on people, clarity, and consistency. The agency world moves fast, but with the right habits and teamwork, you won't just keep up—you’ll lead.