Project Manager

Project Manager
• CEO of project
• Accountable for the success of project.
• (Commitment + delivery)

• Three major questions face PMs in their task of synthesis:

• What needs to be done?
• When must it be done (if the project is not to be late)?
• How are the resources required to do the job to be obtained?
PM v/s FM
Project Manager Functional Manager
Oversee many functional areas, More skilled at analysis
more skilled at synthesis
Uses Systems approach Uses Analytical approach
Facilitator and generalist Direct Technical head
PM organizes, staffs, budgets, Selects choice of technology and
directs, plans and controls projects people for the project.
Responsibilities
• Responsibility to the parent organization:
• include proper conservation of resources, timely and accurate project communications, and
the careful and competent management of the project
• Towards Senior Management:
 inform them about the viability of the project has become doubtful due to its inability to achieve the
organization’s strategic objectives
 keep them fully informed about the project’s status, cost, timing, and prospects.
 Warn them about likely future problems like chances of running over budget or being late. PM should
maintain credibility and protect org. from risk.

• Responsibility to the project and the client: ensuring that the integrity of the
project is preserved in spite of the conflicting demands made by the many
stakeholders who have legitimate interests in the project
• Responsibility to the members of the project team: PM must be concerned with
the future of the people who serve on the team
Demands on PM
• Acquiring Adequate Resources:
Keep balance of resources, schedule, scope and cost.

• Acquiring and Motivating Personnel:

Negotiate with the functional department managers for the desired personnel.
 With scarce but necessary skills
 Top producers
Negotiate with the people to convince them to take on the challenging temporary
project assignment.
The skills required in individuals by PM for project are:
 High quality technical skills
 Strong problem orientation
 Strong goal orientation: projects often have even work flow, do not provide 40 – 50 hour
work week
 High self esteem: not threatened by acknowledgement of own failures / errors or by work of
others
Motivate people to work creatively during each stage of team development viz,
Forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.
Demands on PM
• Dealing with Obstacles:
 A project may encounter number of crises and PM must trade off to keep project on track.
 Change in project scope by client also known as Scope creep
 PM is a firefighter for resources, converting technical plans into budgets and schedules, approvals from top mgt. and client.
For optimal firefighting, PM’s ability for problem-finding is must. This allows the fires to be assigned to project team
members who specialize in dealing with specific types of fires. Although this procedure does not eliminate crises, it does
reduce the pain of dealing with them.
 Complex projects: Handling Multiple stakeholders and multiple team members obstacles:
 Communicating effectively with all stakeholder groups
 Learn about the client specially the problems in dealing with them in past
 Leadership meaning always being on the lookout for even weak signals of trouble and being ready to respond and The ability to revise
plans and rectify conflicting interests is crucial.
 Closure Issues: Last minute schedule and technical changes - proactive planning; and team members’ uncertainty – Open
communication

• Project Goal trade-offs:

 trade-offs between project progress and process i.e between the technical and managerial functions
 trade-offs concerns sacrificing smoothness of running the project team for technical progress typically towards end of
project wherein the team members work on aspects they are not well trained for or do not enjoy.
 Trade-offs between the several projects while directing more than one project.
 Balancing the goals of the project with the goals of the firm and make these trade-offs in a way that best supports the
organization’s mission and strategy.
 Trade-off decisions between the project, the firm, and PM’s own career goals
Demands on PM
• Maintaining a Balanced Outlook:
 projects often run into technical problems or snags. The occurrence and solution of technical
problems tend to cause waves of pessimism and optimism to sweep over the project staff.
 Maintaining a balanced, positive outlook among team members is a delicate job to be
performed by PM

• Communication:
 communication skills, especially listening and persuading, are the most important skills in
successfully managing projects
 Running a project requires constant selling, reselling, and explaining the project to outsiders,
top management, functional departments, clients, and a number of other such stakeholders
to the project, as well as to members of the project team itself. The PM is the project’s liaison
with the outside world, but the manager must also be available for problem solving when the
team need him.
 PM must know why the project exists; that is, the PM must fully understand the project’s
intent
 PM with extensive experience has managed projects that failed
 It is critical to have the support of top management
 PM should build and maintain a solid information network: It is critical to know what is
happening both inside and outside the project in order to head off potential problems
Demands on PM
• Negotiations:
The PM must be a highly skilled negotiator.
There is almost no aspect of the PM’s job that does not depend directly on
this skill
Desired Attributes of PM
Credibility
• Technical credibility:
PM must be perceived as possessing sufficient technical knowledge to direct
the project.
A PM with reasonable technical competence is seen as “positive” leadership
characteristic.
• Administratively credibility:
effective time management and organizational skills
to keep the project on schedule and within cost and to make sure that project
reports are accurate and timely.
to make sure that material, equipment, and labor are available when and
where needed
to represent the interests of all stakeholders to one another
Sensitivity
• PM needs to sense interpersonal conflict on the project team or
between team members and outsiders
• The PM must persuade people to cooperate irrespective of personal
feelings, to set aside personal likes and dislikes, and to focus on
achieving project goals
• The PM must be able to sense when things are being “swept under
the rug” (failing) and are not progressing properly
Leadership, Ethics, and Management Style
• Leadership is getting things done through others.
 Inspire the people assigned to the project
 Create vision of the result and benefits of the project
 Participative and consultative leadership style
 Establishes the parameters and guidelines for what needs to be done
 Does not tell people how to do their jobs
 Involves and empowers the project team
 Involves individuals in decisions affecting them
 Empowers individuals to make decisions within their assigned areas
 Understands what motivates team members and creates a supportive
environment
 Fosters motivation through recognition
 Ability to Develop People
• Committed to the training and development of people
• Uses the project to add value to each person’s experience base
• Believes that all individuals are valuable to the organization
• Stresses the value of self-improvement
• Provides opportunities for learning and development by encouraging
individuals to assume the initiative, take risks, and make decisions
• Provides assignments that require individuals to extend their knowledge
• Identifies situations in which less experienced people can learn from
more experienced people
• Has people attend formal training sessions
• May provide coaching
 Communication Skills
Effective and frequent communication is crucial.
• Communicate regularly with the project team, subcontractors, customer,
and own upper management
• A high level of communication is especially important early in the project
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Spend more time listening than talking
• Establish ongoing communication with the customer
• Communication should be timely, honest, and unambiguous
• Effective communication establishes credibility and builds trust
• Provide timely feedback to the team and customer
• Create an atmosphere that fosters timely and open communication
Interpersonal Skills
• Good interpersonal skills are essential
• Develop a relationship with each person on the project team
• Try to learn about the personal interests of each individual without
being intrusive
• Should use open-ended questions and do a lot of listening
• Empathize with individuals when special circumstances arise
• Maintain relationships throughout the duration of the project
• Use good interpersonal skills to try to influence the thinking and actions
of others
• Use good interpersonal skills to deal with disagreement or divisiveness
 Ability to Handle Stress
• Cannot panic; remain unruffled
• Able to cope with constantly changing conditions
• Act as a buffer between the project team and the customer or upper
management
• Have a good sense of humor
• Stress is likely to be high when a project is in jeopardy of not meeting its
objective
Problem-Solving Skills
• Early identification of a problem or potential problem is important
• Encourage project team members to identify problems early and solve
them on their own
Time Management Skills
• Have self-discipline
• Be able to prioritize
• Show a willingness to delegate