The common denominator among all successful project managers everywhere is the ability to develop a “whatever it takes” attitude. Here are some scenarios that can rise up to bite you in the … well … you know where.  You’re the PM, you’ll have to deal with it, right?  For example:

  • Several of your project team members get pulled off the project to work for someone else in your organization. You will make do.
  • You learn that an essential piece of equipment that was promised to you is two weeks late. You will improvise.
  • You discover that several key assumptions you made during the project planning and early implementation phases turned out to be wildly off the mark. You will adjust.
  • One-third of the way into the project a mini-crisis develops in your domestic life. You will get by.
  • The customer has requested a major schedule adjustment affecting timing, resources assigned, and milestones because they want to re-arrange the delivery phases of the project.  You adjust.

Caution

Chances are that you’re going to be wearing many hats, several of which you cannot anticipate at the start of a project.

Although the role and responsibility of a project manager may vary somewhat from project to project and from organization to organization, you may be called upon to perform one of these recurring duties and responsibilities:

  • Draw up the project plan, possibly present and “sell” the project to those in authority.
  • Interact with top management, line managers, project team members, supporting staff, and administrative staff.
  • Procure project resources, allocate them to project staff, coordinate their use, ensure that they are being maintained in good working order, and surrender them upon project completion.
  • Interact with outside vendors, clients, and other project managers and project staff within your organization.
  • Initiate project implementation, continually monitor progress, review interim objectives or milestones, make course adjustments, view and review budgets, and continually monitor all project resources.
  • Be responsible for all communication on the project and hold all project status meetings along with follow-up documentation and status reporting.
  • Document and track all project issues and risks and ensure they are being properly tasked.
  • Supervise project team members, manage the project team, delegate tasks, review execution of tasks, provide feedback, and delegate new tasks.
  • Identify opportunities, identify problems, devise appropriate adjustments, and stay focused on the desired outcome.
  • Handle inter-team issues, minimize conflicts, resolve differences, instill a team atmosphere, and continually motivate team members to achieve superior performance.
  • Prepare interim presentations for top management, offer a convincing presentation, receive input and incorporate it, review results with project staff, and make still more course adjustments.
  • Make the tough calls, such as having to remove project team members, ask project team members to work longer hours on short notice, reassign roles and responsibilities to the disappointment of some, discipline team members as may be necessary, and resolve personality-related issues affecting the team.
  • Consult with advisors, mentors, and coaches, examine the results of previous projects, draw upon previously unidentified or underused resources, and remain as balanced and objective as possible.

What you do, what you’re responsible for, and the processes and practices you follow will depend, of course on several things – mainly your organization, the size of the project, and your customer’s needs.  I’ve added to them, but these lists came primarily from a book entitled, “10 Minute Guide to Project Management.”  The contents struck me as something that might be useful to the individuals out there who are just getting into project management and are looking for information on what to expect.

Author Bio

Information for this article was derived from Jeff Davison’s excellent book entitled “The 10 Minute Guide to Project Management.”   You can visit Mr. Davidson’s site at www.breathingspace.com. To purchase his book, please visit www.breathingspace.com/storedesc/tmgpm.html.