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Now you have selected the PM and made sure he she has selected a great team, what next? Think about authority, as well as accountability. According to the textbooks, there is no point assigning accountability unless the PM also has the authority to deliver results. Theoretically therefore, project managers should have full control of their projects including budgets and resourcing. In reality, project managers are too often handed projects complete with budgets and teams defined, and told to go make it work! Bad idea. Without authority, a PM is relegated to being an administrator - resolving minor issues, tracking progress and reporting status to the real decision-makers who may still hold the PM accountable for failure, if not always for success.
So, the project is under way. Your job is done – right? You can put your feet up, skim every other status report and generally feel good about yourself. Sorry, that's not the way it works. Next to selecting the wrong PM, the next biggest mistake of management is assuming that if no one tells them there's a problem, then everything is OK. This is where experience and people skills are essential in a senior manager. People are often strange and
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Optimism is a wonderful thing, but many people have been burned when they're the first to adopt new technology. |
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resolve them, especially if the upward relationship is tense. Establishing a relationship that allows you and the PM to be comfortable is essential to the free flow of information and the teamwork required to bring projects home. Try to remain engaged, walking that fine line between involvement and interference. Deal promptly with the internal politics and organizational issues as soon as they arise, as these can distract a project manager from the attending to the real objectives of the project.
From the outset of a project, someone – a business manager or a program manager or some other senior manager in charge – makes a decision about project leadership. Assigning the right PM Is a critical success factor, so the selection decision needs to be made intelligently, after diligent research. If circumstances force a less than perfect candidate into the role, the senior manager
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unpredictable and need to be handled carefully to get the best from them. (Some may argue that project managers are stranger than most, but as a PM myself I see us as a noble and brave breed.) However PMs do vary in personality and style. There is no single recipe for successfully managing a project. Each PM has developed the style that works for them. The trick as a business or program manager is to identify and work with each style. Some PMs like and need more attention, while others might see that as intrusive. Be vigilant and inquisitive: look past the formal reports for changes in behavior that may point to problems on the project that have not yet surfaced. Some project managers will hold onto issues that should be escalated in the brave hope that they can
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responsible must be prepared to provide the required level of active support. Business and program managers worth their money will support their choice by actively monitoring performance, providing practical assistance and advice, fixing problems and removing roadblocks. As a last resort, they must be prepared to replace a PM to ensure successful delivery of a project.
Next time you find yourself thinking "How on earth did that PM get to be in charge?", please remember that project managers are assigned to projects. When a project led by an inexperienced PM is going badly, perhaps the right question to ask is: "How did that PM's boss get to be in charge?"
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