Project Management

Part 7

Project Managers

Topic Outline: Project Managers

• Selecting the project manager• Roles of a project manager• Project manager responsibilities• Characteristics of an effective project manager• Project manager challenges• Project manager rewards• Project manager selection exercise• Project Management Institute (PMI)• Tips for managing meetings

Project Manager (PM)

When is the PM appointed?

Who is the PM responsible to?

Who should be appointed as the PM?

Project Stakeholders & Participants

• Customer/Client• Project ____________• Top management• Project ________• _____________________________• Administrative support groups (HR, IT, Purchasing)

• Functional managers• Other _____________________in the company• __________________ and other organizations

Functional vs. Project Managers

Functional Manager• Expert in functional area

• _________authority over employees

• Competes for resources with other ____________ Knows subordinates very well

• Functional environment is __________& people are comfortable in their jobs

Project Manager• May not be expert in any

area• May have ____________

authority over employees• Competes for resources

with other ___________• May not have known

subordinates very long• Project environment is

____________ & people expect changes

Roles of a PM

• Manager– oversees and manages the work and the employees

• Facilitator

• Communicator– must _________________ communicate with senior

management, client, project team, and other participants (vendors, dept. managers, etc.) as needed (which is frequently)

Roles of a PM

• Politician– knows how to “______________________”, how to

“_______________________”, how to get people to cooperate, how to influence others

• Negotiator– skilled at getting what is needed for the project to

succeed: negotiate with senior mgmt. for more resources, negotiate with functional manager to get a particular project team member or to use a functional resource, negotiate with vendor for shorter lead time, negotiate with client about project goal changes

PM’s Responsibilities

• Doing whatever it takes to get the job done• Acquiring resources

– Funds, personnel, other resources

• Fighting fires and obstacles• Providing leadership• Making tradeoffs between project goals• Negotiating and persuading• Resolving conflicts

Helpful Skills for a PM

Desirable Characteristics of a PM

• Strong focus on “______________________”• Good at flexibility and adaptability• Willing to make decisions• ________ is critical (technical & administrative)• Strong sense of _________• Political and personal _______________• Effective leadership skills (can motivate)• Participative style of management• Ability to handle _________

How To Develop Good PM Skills

• Gain experience on the job– work on project teams, manage small projects, work

in different job areas to get breadth of experience• Seek out feedback from others; look for a ________• Conduct a ________________; learn from mistakes• ______________ senior or star project managers• Participate in training programs• Join PMI, Toastmasters, other organizations• Read journals, magazines, books on Project Mgmt.• Volunteer with charities to gain some skills

Project Manager Challenges

• Dealing with many _________________________• Handling job stress• Making goal tradeoffs when things go poorly• Staying within the budget• Meeting the project deadline• Achieving ___________________________• Keeping all stakeholders happy• Time management• Balancing ______ time and _________ time

(hrs/week)

Project Manager Rewards

• Satisfaction of seeing final outcome and resulting benefits to the company

• Satisfaction of making stakeholders happy• ______________for successful project manager• Opportunities for _____________, more

responsibilities• Professional growth; _________________value• Financial rewards:

12 Rules for Project Managers

Two researchers conducted many interviews with senior project managers in which they asked a simple question:

“What information were you never given as a novice project manager that, in retrospect, could have made your job easier?”

The results were summarized into 12 rules for new PMs.

Source: J. Pinto and O. Kharbanda, “Lessons for an Accidental Profession,” Business Horizons, March-April 1995.

12 Rules for Project Managers

1. Understand the __________________________ ______________________of a project manager.

2. Recognize that project teams will have ________, but this is a natural part of group development.

3. Understand who the stakeholders are and their agendas.

4. Realize that organizations are very ____________ and use politics to your advantage.

5. Realize that project management is “leader intensive” but that you must be flexible.

12 Rules for Project Managers

6. Understand that project ___________ is defined by four components: budget, schedule, performance criteria, and customer satisfaction.

7. Realize that you must build a ______________ team by being a motivator, coach, cheerleader, peacemaker, and conflict resolver.

8. Notice that your team will develop attitudes based on the emotions __________________—both positive and negative.

12 Rules for Project Managers

9. Always ask “what-if” questions and ___________ _________________with the status of the project.

10. Don’t get bogged down in _____________ and lose sight of the purpose of the project.

11. Manage your time efficiently.

12. Above all, ________________________.

PM Selection Exercise

First State Bank case (30 min.)• Divide into small groups• Groups X are given information on either Bob Dixon or

Jim Mason while Groups Y are given information on both project manager candidates.

• Read first 2 paragraphs plus section on your assigned person(s). (10 min.)

• Groups X: develop a set of reasons supporting why your assigned person (Bob or Jim) should be the project manager. (20 min.)

• Groups Y: develop a set of reasons supporting your choice of project manager. (20 min.)

PMI Available Resources

• PMP Certification (Project Mgmt. Professional)• Dallas and Fort Worth each have a PMI chapter• www.pmi.org• Project Management Body of Knowledge • Job listings, publications, web links• Code of Ethics for Project Management

PMI Code of Ethics

Preamble:

In the pursuit of the project management profession, it is vital that PMI members conduct their work in an ethical manner in order to earn and maintain the confidence of team members, colleagues, employees, employers, customers/clients, the public, and the global community.

PMI Code of Ethics

As professionals in the field of project management, PMI members pledge to uphold and abide by the following:

• I will maintain high standards of integrity and professional conduct

• I will accept responsibility for my actions• I will continually seek to enhance my professional

capabilities• I will practice with fairness and honesty• I will encourage others in the profession to act in an

ethical and professional manner

Meetings

The PM attends many meetings, some of which they lead, or manage

Since a PM’s time is valuable, managing meetings efficiently and effectively is a desirable skill

There are many tips that are helpful in becoming an effective meeting manager

Meetings

• If run properly, meetings can be an effective way to discuss issues and make decisions

• Some guidelines for effective meetings:– Don’t hold meetings for the purpose of sharing

information that can be provided in a report– Distribute agenda in advance. Why?– Start and stop on time. Why?– How can you encourage people to be on

time?– Chair of meeting is responsible for the minutes– Avoid excessive formality at project meetings

Meetings

Assume that a project team is going to meet to discuss issues and recommend actions.

• Who should attend the meeting?• Who should chair the meeting?• Where should the meeting be held?• How long should the meeting last?• What should be the outputs of the meeting?• When should they meet again?

Managing Meetings

• How should the meeting chair stop one person from dominating discussions?

• How can the meeting chair solicit input from quieter members? Why should they?

• Different points of view are beneficial to discuss, but what should the chair do if two people start arguing and create tension?

• How can chair handle “stupid” suggestions?

Controlling the Meeting

• During a team meeting to discuss issues and make decisions, how much should the chair talk? Why?

• If the chair favors a particular point of view, when should that be made known in the discussion? Why?

• How can the chair bring each issue to a positive finish? Why is this important?

The Meeting Agenda

• How long should it be?• How long before the meeting should it be

distributed?• What information should be included about each

agenda item?• How should agenda items be sequenced?• What is the benefit of labeling agenda items as

“informational”, “for discussion”, or “action item”?

Structuring Discussion of an Item

For items needing discussion and a decision:• What is the problem?• What is the background information?• What might have caused the problem?• What are some potential solutions?• Select the best solution.

Chair should keep discussion focused on this framework

Dealing with Discussions

• Questions seek and answers supply:

• Which is usually most valuable? Why?• The more suggestions the better• No suggestions are “stupid”, but some may need

clarification or further development

Minutes of the Meeting

• Chair is responsible that minutes be taken• All attendees and absentees at the meeting

should be listed. Why?• Minutes should list results of each item

discussed. Why?• Items requiring action should be indicated, along

with who is responsible for follow-up• Minutes should be distributed reasonably soon

after the meeting. Why?

Final Thoughts on Meetings

• Meetings can serve a useful purpose• Meetings can also be a waste of time• The chair of the meeting is responsible for the

meeting being effective and efficient• The chair should value the time of everyone

involved• Effective meeting management is a skill• Attending workshops on managing meetings can

be helpful