THE ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER
interacts with managers within the organization during the course of the project. The project manager also works with the project sponsor to address internal political and strategic issues that may impact the team or the viability or quality of the project.
the project manager maintains a strong advocacy role within the organization by interacting with:
guide, motivate, and direct a team. These skills may include demonstrating essential capabilities such as negotiation, resilience, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.
Leadership skills involve the ability to
The role of a project manager is distinct from that of a functional manager or operations manager. Typically, the functional manager focuses on providing management oversight for a functional or business unit. Operations managers are responsible for ensuring that business operations are efficient. The project manager is the person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.
Project Manager Defined as:
The project manager should study people's behaviors and motivations. The project manager should strive to be a good leader, because leadership is crucial to the success of projects in organizations. A project manager applies leadership skills and qualities when working with all project stakeholders, including the project team, the steering team, and project sponsors.
A large part of the project manager's role involves dealing with people . what should PMs study about people?
Membership and roles Responsibilities for team Knowledge and skills
Analogy in understanding project manager for a large project by comparing them to the roles of a conductor for a large orchestra
Strategy; Mission; Goals and objectives; Products and services; Operations (e.g., location, type, technology); The market and the market condition, such as customers, state of the market (i.e., growing or shrinking), and time-to-market factors, etc.; and Competition (e.g., what, who, position in the market place).
At a minimum, the project manager should be knowledgeable enough to explain to others the following aspects of the organization:
Contribution of knowledge and expertise to others within the profession at the local, national, and global levels (e.g., communities of practice, international organizations); and Participation in training, continuing education, and development: In the project management profession (e.g., universities, PMI); In a related profession (e.g., systems engineering, configuration management); and In other professions (e.g., information technology, aerospace).
Continuing knowledge transfer and integration is very important for the project manager. This professional development is ongoing in the project management profession and in other areas where the project manager maintains subject matter expertise. This knowledge transfer and integration includes but is not limited to:
Critical success factors for the project, Schedule, Selected financial reports, and Issue log. Tailor both traditional and agile tools, techniques, and methods for each project. Make time to plan thoroughly and prioritize diligently. Manage project elements, including, but not limited to, schedule, cost, resources, and risks.
Focus on the critical technical project management elements for each project they manage. This focus is as simple as having the right artifacts readily available. At the top of the list were the following:
human technical financial resources and deliverables required by the team for project completion.
Interacting with other project managers helps to create a positive influence for fulfilling the various needs of the project. These needs may be in the form of
Authentic (e.g., accepts others for what and who they are, show open concern); Courteous (e.g., ability to apply appropriate behavior and etiquette); Creative (e.g., ability to think abstractly, to see things differently, to innovate); Cultural (e.g., measure of sensitivity to other cultures including values, norms, and beliefs); Emotional (e.g., ability to perceive emotions and the information they present and to manage them; measure of interpersonal skills); Intellectual (e.g., measure of human intelligence over multiple aptitudes); Managerial (e.g., measure of management practice and potential); Political (e.g., measure of political intelligence and making things happen); Service-oriented (e.g., evidence of willingness to serve other people); Social (e.g., ability to understand and manage people); and Systemic (e.g., drive to understand and build systems).
Personality refers to the individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality characteristics or traits include but are not limited to:
Technical project management. The knowledge, skills, and behaviors related to specific domains of project, program, and portfolio management. The technical aspects of performing one's role. Leadership. The knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to guide, motivate, and direct a team, to help an organization achieve its business goals. Strategic and business management. The knowledge of and expertise in the industry and organization that enhanced performance and better delivers business outcomes.
Recent PMI studies applied the Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework to the skills needed by project managers through the use of The PMI Talent Triangle® shown in Figure 3-2. The talent triangle focuses on three key skill sets:
Explain to others the essential business aspects of a project; Work with the project sponsor, team, and subject matter experts to develop an appropriate project delivery strategy; and Implement that strategy in a way that maximizes the business value of the project.
This business knowledge is also known as domain knowledge. Project managers should be knowledgeable enough about the business to be able to:
a functional manager. In other cases, may be one of several project managers who report to a PMO or a portfolio or program manager who is ultimately responsible for one or more organization-wide projects.
Depending on the organizational structure, a project manager may report to
Developing finely tuned skills using multiple methods (e.g., verbal, written, and nonverbal); Creating, maintaining, and adhering to communications plans and schedules; Communicating predictably and consistently; Seeking to understand the project stakeholders' communication needs (communication may be the only deliverable that some stakeholders received until the project's end product or service is completed); Making communications concise, clear, complete, simple, relevant, and tailored; Including important positive and negative news; Incorporating feedback channels; and Relationship skills involving the development of extensive networks of people throughout the project manager's spheres of influence.
The ability to communicate with stakeholders, including the team and sponsors applies across multiple aspects of the project including, but not limited to, the following:
Demonstrate the value of project management, Increase acceptance of project management in the organization, and Advance the efficacy of the PMO when one exists in the organization.
The project manager also works to:
Risks and issues, Financial implications, Cost versus benefits analysis (e.g., net present value, return on investment), including the various options considered, Business value, Benefits realization expectations and strategies, and Scope, budget, schedule, and quality.
The project manager determines how these business and strategic factors could affect the project while understanding the interrelationship between the project and the organization. These factors include but are not limited to:
tacit and explicit knowledge transfer or integration initiatives
The project manager may work toward increasing the project management competency and capability within the organization as a whole and is involved in both
Demands on the same resources, Priorities of funding, Receipt or distribution of deliverables, and Alignment of project goals and objectives with those of the organization.
The project manager proactively interacts with other project managers. Other independent projects or projects that are part of the same program may impact a project due to but not limited to the following:
achieving the goals and objectives of the project.
The project manager seeks ways to develop relationships that assist the team in
Strategy, Mission, Goals and objectives, Priority, Tactics, and Products or services (e.g., deliverables).
The project manager should apply the following knowledge and information about the organization to the project to ensure alignment:
Product and technology development; New and changing market niches; Standards (e.g., project management, quality management, information security management); Technical support tools; Economic forces that impact the immediate project; Influences affecting the project management discipline; and Process improvement and sustainability strategies.
The project manager stays informed about current industry trends. These trends include but are not limited to:
all relevant managers to achieve the project objectives and to ensure the project management plan aligns with the portfolio or program plan. The project manager also works closely and in collaboration with other roles, such as organizational managers, subject matter experts, and those involved with business analysis. In some situations, the project manager may be an external consultant placed in a temporary management role.
The project manager works closely with
Leader characteristics (e.g., attitudes, moods, needs, values, ethics); Team member characteristics (e.g., attitudes, moods, needs, values, ethics); Organizational characteristics (e.g., its purpose, structure, and type of work performed); and Environmental characteristics (e.g., social situation, economic state, and political elements). Research describes numerous leadership styles that a project manager can adopt. Some of the most common examples of these styles include but are not limited to: Laissez-faire (e.g., allowing the team to make their own decisions and establish their own goals, also referred to as taking a hands-off style); Transactional (e.g., focus on goals, feedback, and accomplishment to determine rewards; management by exception); Servant leader (e.g., demonstrates commitment to serve and put other people first; focuses on other people's growth, learning, development, autonomy, and well-being; concentrates on relationships, community and collaboration; leadership is secondary and emerges after service); Transformational (e.g., empowering followers through idealized attributes and behaviors, inspirational motivation, encouragement for innovation and creativity, and individual consideration); Charismatic (e.g., able to inspire; is high-energy, enthusiastic, self-confident; holds strong convictions); and Interactional (e.g., a combination of transactional, transformational, and charismatic)
The style a project manager selects may be a personal preference, or the result of the combination of multiple factors associated with the project.
Positional (sometimes called formal, authoritative, legitimate) (e.g., formal position granted in the organization or team); Informational (e.g., control of gathering or distribution); Referent (e.g., respect or admiration others hold for the individual, credibility gained); Situational (e.g., gained due to unique situation such as a specific crisis); Personal or charismatic (e.g., charm, attraction); Relational (e.g., participates in networking, connections, and alliances); Expert (e.g., skill, information possessed; experience, training, education, certification); Reward-oriented (e.g., ability to give praise, monetary or other desired items); Punitive or coercive (e.g., ability to invoke discipline or negative consequences); Ingratiating (e.g., application of flattery or other common ground to win favor or cooperation); Pressure-based (e.g., limit freedom of choice or movement for the purpose of gaining compliance to desired action); Guilt-based (e.g., imposition of obligation or sense of duty); Persuasive (e.g., ability to provide arguments that move people to a desired course of action); and Avoiding (e.g., refusing to participate).
Various forms of power include but are not limited to:
Being a visionary Being collaborative; Managing relationships and conflict Communicating Focusing on the important things having a holistic and systemtic view of the project, taking into account internal and external factors equally.
What are qualities and skills of a leader?