OPMA 5364

Project Management

Part 2
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
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Project Manager (PM)

When is the PM appointed?
Who is the PM responsible to?
Who should be appointed as the PM?
a technical expert?
whoever is available at the moment?
someone with good organizational skills?
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Project Stakeholders & Participants

Customer/Client
Project sponsors
Top management
Project team
Subcontractors and vendors
Administrative support groups (HR, IT, Purchasing)
Functional managers
Other project managers in the company
Government agencies and other organizations
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Functional vs. Project Managers

Functional Manager
Expert in functional area
Full authority over
employees
Competes for resources
with other functional dept.
Knows subordinates very
well
Functional environment is
fairly stable & people are
comfortable in their jobs

Project Manager
May not be expert in any
area
May have limited authority
over employees
Competes for resources
with other projects
May not have known
subordinates very long
Project environment is
temporary & people
expect changes
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Roles of a PM
Manager
oversees and manages the work and the employees

Facilitator
ensures that all resources and work are available
when needed and that any problems are resolved

Communicator
must effectively communicate with senior
management, client, project team, and other
participants (vendors, dept. managers, etc.) as
needed (which is frequently)
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Roles of a PM
Politician
knows how to get things done, how to work the
system, 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
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PMs 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
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Helpful Skills for a PM

Leadership ability
Communication skills
Ability to develop
people
Team-building skills
Interpersonal skills
Ability to handle
stress

Planning skills
Organizational skills
Problem-solving skills
Administrative skills
Conflict resolution
skills
Time management
skills
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Desirable Characteristics of a PM

Strong focus on finishing the job

Good at flexibility and adaptability
Willing to make decisions
Credibility is critical (technical & administrative)
Strong sense of ethics
Political and personal sensitivity
Effective leadership skills (can motivate)
Participative style of management
Ability to handle stress
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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 mentor

Conduct a self-evaluation; learn from mistakes
Interview 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
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Project Manager Challenges

Dealing with many conflicts of opinions & interests

Handling job stress
Making goal tradeoffs when things go poorly
Staying within the budget
Meeting the project deadline
Achieving all desired project outcomes
Keeping all stakeholders happy
Time management
Balancing work time and family time (hrs/week)
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Project Manager Rewards

Satisfaction of seeing final outcome and
resulting benefits to the company
Satisfaction of making stakeholders happy
Good visibility for successful project manager
Opportunities for advancement, more
responsibilities
Professional growth; enhanced career value
Financial rewards: bonus, salary increase
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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.

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12 Rules for Project Managers

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Understand the problems, opportunities, and

expectations of a project manager.
Recognize that project teams will have conflicts,
but this is a natural part of group development.
Understand who the stakeholders are and their
agendas.
Realize that organizations are very political and
use politics to your advantage.
Realize that project management is leader
intensive but that you must be flexible.
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12 Rules for Project Managers

6.

7.

8.

Understand that project success is defined by four

components: budget, schedule, performance
criteria, and customer satisfaction.
Realize that you must build a cohesive team by
being a motivator, coach, cheerleader,
peacemaker, and conflict resolver.
Notice that your team will develop attitudes based
on the emotions you exhibitboth positive and
negative.

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12 Rules for Project Managers

9.

Always ask what-if questions and avoid

becoming comfortable with the status of the
project.
10. Dont get bogged down in minutiae and lose sight
of the purpose of the project.
11. Manage your time efficiently.
12. Above all, plan, plan, plan.

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PM Selection Exercise
First State Bank case
Divide into small groups
Each group assigned Bob Dixon or Jim Mason
Read first 2 paragraphs plus section on your
assigned person (5 min.)
Within your group, develop a set of reasons
supporting why your assigned person (Bob or
Jim) should be the project manager (20 min.)
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Project Management Institute (PMI)

Purpose: PMI is a professional organization
dedicated to the development and promotion of
the field of project management.
Founded in 1969
1990
7,500 members
1995
17,000
2000
60,000
2003
100,000 (reached this # in Jan. 2003)
Now
>100,000 in more than 135 countries
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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
PMBOK Guidebook2004 edition, 250 pages
currently in draft form that you can download

Job listings, publications, web links

Code of Ethics for Project Management
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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.

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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
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Meetings
The PM attends many meetings, some of which
they lead, or manage
Since a PMs 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
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Meetings
If run properly, meetings can be an effective
way to discuss issues and make decisions
Some guidelines for effective meetings:
Dont 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
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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?
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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?

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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?

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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?
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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
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Dealing with Discussions

Questions seek and answers supply:
information
opinions
suggestions
Which is usually most valuable? Why?
The more suggestions the better
No suggestions are stupid, but some may need
clarification or further development

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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?
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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
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Helpful Meeting Suggestions

Does anyone have any helpful suggestions or
tips for running meetings more effectively and
efficiently?

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