How many initiatives are currently living off the side of your desk? Or better question, how many are quietly falling off and you’re hoping no one notices?
If you’re like most people I work with, the answer is somewhere between “just a few” and “should I be concerned?”
For anyone new to the phrase, “side of your desk” is the work that is not your main job, but somehow it still becomes your responsibility.
More and more, this is becoming the norm. People are expected to handle their core roles, whether that means managing regulatory audits, engineering safe drinking water, or keeping operations running, while also taking on a few “small” projects on the side.
These are professionals with years of experience, often with so many initials after their names that they are longer than the names themselves.
The side of desk PM
Honestly, I love mentoring folks who manage projects this way. They are quick thinkers, creative, and always up for a challenge.
Give them a new planning idea and they will not only try it, they will tweak it, improve it, and come back with something even better than I expected. I often find I learn as much from them as they learn from me.
I am seeing this become mainstream. Companies are trimming budgets or pausing hires, saving experienced project managers for larger initiatives then handing the rest of the projects to whoever happens to be nearby.
People who never planned to manage projects suddenly find themselves doing exactly that. Not because they are bad at it. Many are quite good. It just was never the plan, and if asked, it still may not be part of their career path.
The Aha moment
I’ve found their Aha moment usually comes after a few weeks.
They discover that managing projects off the side of their desk is not just something extra to do. It actually makes them better at their real job. They pick up skills they never would have learned if a dedicated project manager had been there to take it on.
What starts as “just get it done” quietly turns into “I did not know I could do that.”
There is a real sense of pride when they talk about building a schedule their team actually follows, juggling multiple moving deadlines, and running meetings that lead to clear actions and follow-through.
Stakeholder communication also increases. They tell me they are having conversations with team members, often their direct reports, that they never expected to have.
From a project management mentor’s perspective, it is pretty incredible to watch their confidence grow.
Keep your desk clean
If you or someone you know is managing projects off the side of their desk, there is a better way to keep them from falling off. We help people bring structure to the chaos so they can actually enjoy what they are building, not just survive it.
With 20+ years project management experience, Barbara Kephart has led projects across industries like medical software, clinical trials, and cybersecurity. With experience teaching technical project management and stakeholder engagement, Barbara is dedicated to helping companies pivot, prioritize, and complete projects with Chief Project Officer-level expertise, project professionals, practical training, and hands-on management—without the executive-level price tag.