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Project Manager
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Description: |
project manager duties, skills, common mistakes,
training, and certification
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Tags: |
project manager, project manager duties, project manager job description, project manager resume, project manager role, certified project manager, project manager skills, what is a project manager
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• Project manager
What is a project manager? Here is Wikipedia's definition (6/8/07):
"A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. They have
the responsibility of the planning and execution of any project relating to
construction industry, architecture or software development. Many other
fields in the production, design and service industries also have project
managers."
"A project manager's only duty is to ensure the success of a project by minimizing
risk throughout the lifetime of the project. This is done through a variety of
methods, both formal and informal. A project manager will usually have
to ask penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions, and resolve
interpersonal conflicts, as well as use more systematic management skills."
• Project Manager Duties
Two things are commonly measured and discussed when assessing project success:
1. On-Time
2. On-Budget
Noticeable project manager duties are therefore ensuring that these two goals
for the project are kept intact, so far as possible. The project manager
who can guide a project from inception to completion and meet the above two tests
gets high marks in project manager duties. It is not always possible to meet
both these objectives, and it is not always the fault of the project manager
when they are not met. But the project manager is the place to start in assigning
blame for failed projects, and for giving credit for successful projects.
The essential project manager role to be responsible for a project's success
or failure. This responsibility, and related authority, is a
project manager job description. The willingness to take responsibility
will be one of the first items of interest in a prospective project manager
resume. Another equally important item will be domain knowledge for the
project.
Many of us (who may have the requisite domain knowledge) tend to be
optimists. On top of that, we tend to shy away from hurting other
people's feelings; even when it would be productive. We
are therefore candidates for poor project managers. We don't have the
important skills of an excellent project manager.
• Project Manager Skills
Not everyone makes a good project manager. Here are some project manager
skills which are valuable.
1. Good Planner
Planning is half the battle. Produce a comprehensive planning document that
others can understand clearly, and your project is well on its way. Most
project work is done by others. The project manager supervises,
coordinates, ensures resource availability, and solves problems.
Good planning is implicit in all of these things.
2. Analytical
Good project managers can focus on a single aspect of the project, and discuss
that aspect competently with experts. They know the relative importance of the
aspect, and its value to the overall project. This is part of being
analytical; breaking a process into its component parts; studying the
parts, and putting the parts together such that the process works.
Some of us are better at this than others.
3. Understands Numbers
Numbers, including statistics, are the result of measuring things. Some
people don't seem to really understand numbers. It doesn't register with them
that hours, or costs are accumulating beyond what was forecast. Thus,
no problem is apparent to this person. The good project manager can add and
subtract in her/his head with relative ease, and is comfortable working with
budgets and costs. Electronic spreadsheets, and numerical reports are
the ally of a competent project manager.
4. Good Communicator
Effective communication is not just talking. Much of our effective
communication involves numerical and graphical representation in addition to textual
explanation, and oral discussion. Office phones, cell phones,
emails, faxs, spreadsheets, Gantt Charts,
and personal meetings are all used to ensure that persons understand what is to be
done and when it is expected to be done.
5. Takes Responsibility
The competent project manager does not blame others for his/her own mistakes.
He/she does expect others involved to do the same, and they will receive
blame (or credit) as deserved. Work can and should be efficient,
effective, and enjoyable. Whiners and those who blame others unfairly
are unpleasant to be around.
6. Achievement-Oriented
A good project manager likes to see work get done. This person is not much of
a philosopher, and doesn't make the work more difficult than it need be.
Some projects actually do involve rocket science.
Most do not.
7. Problem-Solver
Most projects of any substance experience the unexpected. To some persons,
the unexpected situation is a crisis. To the good project manager, it is
a challenge to be met; not necessarily alone. The good project
manager gets help, and quickly. And then sees that the problem is
addressed directly, and fully. And then, if at all possible,
solved. The harder the problem, the more glory there is for the successful
project manager.
8. 'People' Person
The good project manager is comfortable around people, and understands human
behavior enough that he/she can get work accomplished by others. The project
manager role is mostly to get other people to do the work. Project manager
duties consist mostly of coordination, gaining cooperation, and problem
solving.
9. Good Judgment
When we say a project manager needs good judgment, we refer to the
(often) subjective judgments that need to be accepted and supported by
others in the project. This is no place for a radical thinker, or
philosopher. Much of problem solving and of 'work-getting-done'
involves some compromise, and making judgments that seem sensible to
others is crucial. Chronic disagreement as to 'what to do'
is time-consuming and counter-productive.
We have identified the desired project manager skills; those that mostly lead to
successful projects. What about failed projects? Many things can cause
a project to be a failure. And there has been enough experience with projects of
various types that common mistakes made by project managers have become apparent.
• Common Mistakes
Two mistakes are cited as common to project failures.
1. Lack of Planning
2. Inadequate Resources
Consultants advise that if project managers would identify during the planning phase
of the project which specific things are going to be accomplished, and which
things are not going to be accomplished, success would improve considerably.
Adequate planning is hard work, it is true. it involves imaginative
thinking, asking hard questions, being analytical, and being somewhat
critical.
The effective project manager is the one who may need to bring realism
to 'pie-in-the-sky' dreams which come from higher-up. The good project manager
dashes these unrealistic dreams before they become a nightmare. Be advised that
if this critical analysis is not done during the project planning phase, failure
of the project will likely be assigned to the project manager, not to the supervisor.
Most of the time, resources necessary for success can be closely estimated
during the project planning phase. And if the required resources are not
available, how can the project succeed? Yet, many project managers
blunder ahead, without doing the difficult work of either finding the needed
resources, or of adjusting the timeline of the project. A good project manager
ensures during the planning stage that needed resources can be obtained, and then
makes sure they are available.
When a problem arises in a project, the project manager must be quick to recognize
the problem and assess it. He/she must communicate the real situation to those who
need to be advised, and to solicit advice from those 'in the know'. The
good project manager can detect when help is needed in these situations, knows
where to find appropriate help, and is not afraid to ask for it.
Help-U-Plan believes that the ability to create online a simple Gantt Chart representing
a project plan, project proposal, project status is a valuable resource for project
managers. For an additional explanation and discussion, see our related page of
information.
• Project Management Team
Not often is a team assigned to manage a project collectively. There are many
decisions and judgments which are mostly subjective, and which can reasonably
vary from person to person. Multiple judgments about the same situation can
seem chaotic to project members. Therefore, most organizations
feel it is important to have both responsibility and authority rest in a single
individual, with a single set of judgments from which to work.
But even with a single person as the project manager, it can be fairly said that
it takes a team to successfully manage a project. Those of us who consider
ourselves to be good assistants are part of the successful team. We are part of the
project manager role. We provide expertise in running project management
software, in ensuring thorough planning for the project, and in helping
communicate important matters to project participants. The good project manager
acknowledges the contributions of these assistants, and counts on them as part
of the broader project manager role.
• Project Manager Training
Most non-professional project managers accumulate their skills as do many other skilled
workers; through on-the-job training. They are assigned to work on projects,
and if they prove useful, get the opportunity to manage projects.
Project manager training is available, both via college courses, and in
book form. Search Amazon.com's online facility for 'project management', and
you will find plenty to read. Experience with defined projects has accumulated for
many years, so there has been much written to help the 'newby'. It is
unnecessary and unwise for project managers to learn from experience alone. Take
advantage of mistakes already made by others, and consider their written advice.
• Certified Project Manager
The Project Management Institute maintains extensive training and certification
facilities for professionals who want to become a certified project manager. The following overview was obtained
from the PMI web site on 6/10/07.
"The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the world's leading association
for the project management profession. It administers a globally recognized,
rigorous, education , and/or professional experience and
examination-based professional credentialing program that maintains an ISO 9001
certification in Quality Management Systems. To get the latest information,
please visit the breaking news section."
"Earning a professional credential through PMI means that one has:
Demonstrated the appropriate education and/or professional experience;
Passed a rigorous examination;
Agreed to abide by a professional code of conduct;
Committed to maintaining their active credential through meeting continuing
certification requirements."
Visit the PMI site to learn more about
their certified project manager program.
• Accidental Project Manager
The term Accidental Project Manager means that a person has become a
project manager more by accident than by intention. As our society becomes more
specialized, and as we increasingly define work as projects, persons with
deep knowledge about the work to be done are asked to manage or take the 'lead'.
So persons who have not formally been trained to be managers, but who understand
the work, are asked to manage the project.
This can not only be disappointing to a highly competent technical person, but
often is downright scary. However, many of these people will rise to the
occasion, become excellent project managers, and find the overall
experience satisfying. Particularly when compared to working on a project which
has an incompetent project manager; incompetence arising from little or no domain
knowledge. It's hard for a manager to make good decisions and gain the
confidence of project members when he/she doesn't know what they're talking
about. So accidental project managers, take heart! This may be
your golden opportunity. Your chance to see that a project is done
correctly, and that all project members end up having pride in the result.
There are some new skills to be learned; some by experience only, and
some via reading, workshops, listenting to others, etc. You may
find that being a project manager does not suit you. But most of us are
afraid of new situations and responsibilities. You may need to try it
a while to really know. It is apparent we need more truly competent project
managers.
See our related page for a discussion of standard
project manager training. For more particular help, consider getting
the book "The Accidental Project Manager; Surviving the Transition from
Techie to Manager", by Patricia Ensworth, published in 2001. This
book considers the demands of quite large information technology projects, and is
quite detailed. It also has excellent suggestions and warnings.
Also consider the book "The Accidental Manager", by Gary S. Topchik,
published in 2004. Both of these authors know what you are or will be going
through, and can help you become the excellent project manager you want to be.
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