A Day as a Project Manager in the Interior, Body and Security Department in Shanghai

Hi everyone,

my name is Erita Gong, I am 33 years old and I am working as a project manager in the S6 Tier 1 Customer Center in the Interior, Body and Security department in Shanghai, China. I work with Continental since 2007

Erita Gong uses the automatic face recognition system to enter the Continental building in Shanghai, where she works. She meets her colleagues and spends some time talking about their work and the latest developments at Continental and in the automotive industry.

Time to get down to work. Erita uses the first half hour to focus on her emails. She works without interruption, reading messages and putting the most important and urgent items into her calendar. The number of emails reveals why this requires her full attention – each day, about one hundred new messages land in her inbox.

Next on Erita Gong’s to-do list is getting in touch with people to exchange information about her current project, the Anti-Pinch Window Lift Controller (APWL). Anti-pinch technology is a safety system employed in car windows which are operated by an electric motor. Gong uses a number of channels – telephone, Sametime chat, and face-to-face interactions with colleagues – to gather important information related to the production of the APWL so she can identify any problems and find solutions. She works closely with the Purchasing team in Shanghai, the R&D team in Chongqing, and the Production team in Changchun.

It’s time for internal meetings. Erita’s team uses Microsoft Teams to organize a virtual project team meeting once a week. They maintain an open atmosphere that encourages brainstorming. She and her colleagues discuss their team activities as well as approaches to solving the various problems that cross their desks. The aim of the meetings is to empower and motivate the team to work together to find the best possible solutions.

Lunch break. Since there is no cafeteria in the main office in Shanghai, Erita Gong and her colleagues go out for lunch. They enjoy stretching their legs and choosing where to eat – and fortunately there is a good choice of restaurants and cafes within walking distance.

Today’s agenda includes a visit from a customer. A local Chinese Tier 1 customer is coming for a tour of the Continental test lab – and to learn about how the APWL works and the high-tech devices that ensure it functions correctly.

Erita carefully reviews the project status, leaving no stone unturned. This requires her to use several different operating systems, such as Gloval PS (a financial system) to go over the project budget, MSPE (a project planning system) to monitor and update the project schedule, and IMS (a R&D work package progress monitoring system) to check R&D and quality. When she’s done, she summarizes the overall project status in the ePSR management reporting system for the monthly report meeting.

Time to wrap things up for the day. Erita Gong takes another look at her emails and makes one last call to arrange her next visit to the customer R&D center. Then she shuts down her computer and heads off to the Continental yoga course relax after her busy day.