4 Signs You have a Project Monitor and You Need to Find a Project Manager

“Somebody should look into that…”

Sound familiar? We have all heard this many times before and reactions vary from, “Not my problem”, to “Uh huh”, to “I’ve got this.” The first, and oftentimes natural, reaction from project managers is the last one. They can’t help themselves because it’s who they are and what they love to do.

For example, someone might say, “this plant looks dead”, and goes on about their business while someone else shows up 15 seconds later with a cup of water and waters the plant – no thanks required.

In project management, a project monitor identifies a problem, while a project manager solves the problem. Here are 4 signs you have a project monitor and need to find a project manager…

Sign #1 “The document has been pending approval for 5 days..” Project monitors recognize issues and state them, while project managers take charge to get things done. Project managers will hunt down pending approvers using every method they can: instant messages, emails, phone calls – you name it! If they aren’t able to get a response, they schedule a meeting and have the approvers approve in real time. Project managers do whatever it takes and are not concerned about being perceived as “annoying”.

Sign #2: “We aren’t sure who’s drafting that document..” Projects with monitors often suffer from unclear roles and responsibilities. Who will do the work, when does the work need to be done, and even why the work has to be completed are typical issues that project managers proactively identify and solve in their initiation and planning processes. Project managers use project charters, project schedules, and kickoffs decks to gain alignment with the team before getting started.

Sign #3: “The project is behind schedule, but it’ll get done at some point..” Project monitors relay the facts, while project managers see issue and immediately work to outline the plan of action and the impact to the schedule. Project managers are over-communicators – they raise these issues as quickly as possible to the project team, the steering committee, and other key stakeholders. They constantly monitor status, mitigate risks, resolve issues, and drive the project forward. When they see a problem, they drive the project team to identify and solve it!

Sign #4: “We don’t know what’s happening with this project…” Project monitors leave the responsibility of communications to anyone and everyone… leading to pure chaos. Clear, concise, consistent, and transparent communication is critical to project success. Project managers serve as the central point of contact, keep everyone aligned, and ensure cross-communication is effective. The project monitor waits to receive communications from others, while a project manager tracks down the information they need and shares it with critical parties.

Having any one of these signs is a compelling reason to find a project manager. Having all of them…well, that’s a plant that looks dead and needs a cup of water.

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