The Low Fat Project Manager

They say that Project Management is more of an Art than a Science and it is probably for that reason that we find ourselves in a profession whereby anyone and everyone can be classed as a Project Manager. It reminds me of a discussion I had with a fellow Engineer back in the 1980’s, he was of the opinion that the Engineering community prostituted their profession by allowing anyone to tag onto the end of their title the term “–Engineer”, he stated that the Architect fraternity would never have allowed this to happen.

When we now look at the Project Management profession one has to wonder if a similar behaviour is forming, I mean how many times have you been introduced to someone who calls themselves the Project Manager but yet has no formal training our background in the discipline other than perhaps attending a 2 or 3 day course. The PMI, IPMA and APM have done valiant work in formalising governance around this area but one has to wonder if they too are part of the issue, by that I mean to simply gain credentials for an apparent much sought after recognised TLA (Three Letter Acronym) after your name by passing an exam that requires you to simply answer a set amount of questions correctly from multiple choice answers, is that truly the mechanism of grading or accrediting individuals as Project Management Professionals? I have come across many an individual that have a list of Project Management TLAs after their name but somehow they must have been absent when they were explaining the fundamentals of project management in their course, that is if they even attended one! More than likely they attended a crash course on how to pass the exam.

The Low-Fat Project Manager is one who is thin on knowledge and leadership skills but yet is the loudest voice in the room at meetings. They strut their stuff as if they are the greatest thing to happen to the profession since the computerisation of CPM Schedules. They’re the ones who think that every activity in the schedule has two sets of dates, a Start and Finish date, when you ask them what about the Early and Late dates they look complex and confused, typical response tends to be “Who knows, it will happen when it will happen, what’s the issue, we managed to do projects before computers got involved.”

They think that RAG indicators are the matadors red cape that is waved in front of the bull with the hidden sword. They question you when you insist on a having SoW, Project Charter, Milestone Schedule been put in place before you commence the creation of a CPM Schedule. They get frustrated at the very thought that you talk about consumption of Total Float and activities becoming close to entering the Critical Path. In summary they are the ones who talk the talk but are heading in the opposite direction when they try to walk the walk. They are fundamentally the biggest risk to the project but yet they were nominated to be the Project Manager!

My belief is that the term Project Manager is too loosely used in all sectors today, it appears to have replaced the “Team Leader” phenomenon we encounter some decades back. Nowadays everyone and anyone seems to be the Project Manager. Their comprehension of CSF (Critical Success Factors) is completing the project. Whether it comes in on time, within budget, meets clients objectives and expectations or quality is irrelevant.

How do we reverse this phenomenon, to be honest I am not certain. It seems to have caught hold and is rapidly moving through every organisation at a pace across the globe. Perhaps it is time that the likes of PMI, IPMA and APM rethink how they evaluate candidates for their accreditation, perhaps they need to look at requesting more than just a form filling exercise but an actual written dissertation on the experience the applicant has at managing projects along with written letters of reference from qualified Project Managers. APM are heading this way with their Chartered Status, which PMI is challenging in the courts! It should no longer be acceptable that simply passing an exam through answering multiple choice answers is a mechanism to achieve a highly sought after TLA after your name.

My recommendations are:

• At least 3 years’ experience of working on projects at various levels
• A dissertation on your experience to date
• Two letters of recommendation from qualified project managers
• A professional interview on your submission and experience to date where practical knowledge on how to manage projects can be scrutinised
• A third level qualification from a recognised institute in the discipline of Project Management

I believe the idea of multi choice answer questionnaire exams should be done away with. Of course there are many that may argue this would become an onerous and cumbersome task on any organisation to fulfil but we have to step back and ask the question whether or not we want to see Project Management becoming the true profession it so rightly deserves to be and if we do then we must safe guard it with regards to how qualifications are given out.

Finally, I would like to suggest that the PMI, APM and IPMA join forces under one umbrella, since all three organisations are committed to the advancement of Project Management as a profession. They should then establish a single globally recognised accreditation. No doubt this would be a challenging project but then again if the institutions that are advocating proper governance and writing the Body of Knowledge for project management cannot deliver this project what hope is there for the rest of us.

If this post stimulated your interest whether you agree or disagree with its content why not come along to our OPIUC2015 conference on the 29-OCT at the Irish Management Institute (www.imi.ie) where we will be discussing this and many other topics relating to Project, Programme, Portfolio, Contract and Risk Management. Simply visit our Web site at https://goo.gl/cGkGcV