The KJRs: What Is A Project Manager?
John R. Nocero PhD, CCRP
Director of Quality and Compliance | #BeckyAura | #OTC
by John R. Nocero, PhD, MBA, CCRP, GCP, CC, ACB & Katherine J. Pryor. MPM, CPM
The KJRs are busily closing out 2017 while going strong into 2018; tackling fresh topics and throwing out new ideas for your consideration. In previous articles, we have discussed project management topics like scope creep and teamwork. For this installment, we are going to the root to tease out exactly what is a project manager and which key characteristics does the successful project manager possess.
It is fascinating to ask people in various industries and positions how they define a project manager (PM) and what makes a “good” one. For this article, we reached out to friends and colleagues to get their views on several questions regarding our topic. We had respondents that work as financial whizzes, insurance experts, organizational development gurus, and company presidents as a sampling. A recurring definition that we saw was that the project manager is “the glue that holds the project together.” And consistently saw that excellent communication skills were paramount to effective project management. In humorous terms, we have heard it said that project managers should be keen to herd cats because that is the reality of the role!
When our respondents were asked, “What is the principal function of the project manager?” As expected, we got a myriad of responses from the complex to the succinct. Boiling them down to their basis, most described the role of the project manager as a facilitator responsible for the successful (on-time topping the list for definition of success) completion of project requirements. All respondents recognized that there are multiple tasks which the project manager must coordinate with a variety of team members and stakeholders. According to responses, another critical element which project managers are responsible for – managing expectations. This is critical to the overall feeling of a successful project – if the key stakeholders have their expectations understood and met even it means that it was a little later or over-budget then typically the project is deemed a success. However, the opposite is true if the project team and stakeholders are operating under a different set of expectations.
Next, we asked, “What skills are most critical for a successful project manager?” Communication and risk mitigation abilities topped the list for criticality along with strong organizational capabilities. Interestingly, none of the respondents indicated that industry knowledge or technical skills were paramount for a project manager’s success though it was mentioned that the project manager should be able to synthesize large amounts of information from and for stakeholders and team members. This leads us to believe that a PM does not have to be an expert in every area but does need to have an understanding of each team’s contribution in order to explain it to others, create realistic timelines and budgets, or understand issues as they arise.
Another question was in regard to the challenges team members faced when working with project managers – the key complaint related to a lack of project-related communication and a sense that the PM did not/does not listen to the functional leads. This is not a new or unfamiliar issue which means that it is one that needs to be addressed in more depth. We all agree that project managers are responsible to move a project through its life cycle; listening to functional leads and stakeholder suggestions or concerns seems a critical aspect to the project’s success, therefore, it begs the question what hinders this or creates the perception that PMs are not listening? In 2018, the KJRs will dive further into this specific topic related to project and project manager success.
What are your thoughts on the project manager’s function and the chief characteristics that make a top-notch project manager?
In future offerings, we will continue breaking down the successful project manager as well as address the differences between a project manager and a project leader…are they one and the same with only semantics dividing them or do they bring differing attributes to the table?
Appreciation: THANK YOU to our friends and colleagues who took the time to respond to our questionnaire! We value your continued support and encouragement. Keep your insights and comments coming.
A good Project Manager must have the process knowledge of the Project he's managing. If its a complex EPC project, he had best know the design, procurement, contracts and construction processes or the ones he's lacking in will certainly bite him. Once one understands, that as a PM, one must entice all project team members to participate in a timely and efficient manor as typically none ever have ownership of all processes and typically have little power to control other than persuasion and tight contract documents and even then without knowing what when and where the next deliverable is going to hit you (process knowledge) you're doomed to stumble. Probably no career has more responsibilities with less power than a PM, so you its imperative to know what needs to happen, when and be able to communicate that to all involved such that they will follow your lead to project success rather than fight it at every move..
Director at PLA Projects Ltd
6 年The real clever trick -- that seems to be continually forgotten -- is to have the proposed PM in the think of the tendering process to ensure that what it will take to complete the project is included. The regularity that companies in construction have Directors and Commercial personnel putting the tender together without the assistance of the PM or some other kind of expert like the PM is frightening . Historically I have heard it said that if construction SME's are involved then they are unlikely t5o win the project. What a scary thought that you are going to start a project from a position that does not reflect what it will take to complete. Therefore , these companies do not need PM's -- they need Magicians.
Group CEO at Geniusto International
6 年Whilst I agree that a good PM does not need to be an SME; the PM MUST have a solid background in the industry and specific topic at hand. Implementing a major ERP instance for a manufacturing company is very far from building a 60 storey building or building a cruise ship. The PM must surround himself wit the right SME's with the proper qualifications in the specific discipline be it accounting, electrical engineering, or plumbing etc. But just having good SME's on the job cannot substitute years of specific experience in the market sector or specific vertical being addressed.
Project Manager at PGWC
6 年Yes I agree project managers do not need to be experts on a subject matter. They need to have a good understanding of what is required to be delivered. The big blocks are important and the detail they leave to the technical experts. They however need to learn continuously and show great interest in the deliverables. Allow the SDT to do estimates and ,mange the risks of the project. Th critical part hen is to communicates to all role players so that everyone knows the progress and status of the project.
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6 年I totally agree that a project manager does not need to be a subject matter expert. He / She just need to have project management skills and have the right technical team members. It is important to be willing to learn on your feet. I have for years managed IT, Data infrastructure & IP based integrated Security System installation projects and I come from the medical field. You need to understand what the system is expected to do and how the different components are expected to work together, but not the technical details. However you need to be willing to learn. These are team building opportunities. For example my first Data Infrastructure Project Team became extremely close just by me walking up to them and asking them to teach me how to terminate a data cable and how cable management is done correctly. They were proud to teach me, and it kept them on their toes later. We are still close friends years later, even though we work in many different companies now.