What is the expert role of a project manager? Why are you paid for being on a project? There is a lot you can do. Moreover, you need to do everything possible (within ethical conduct) to reach project objectives. However, not all of your activities are useful.
I remember when I was fresh and new to the project management. I always feel the need to fill in the gaps in the team. Someone is slowing down – I’m here to help and push forward.
I’m a bit of designer, partially a quality assurance guy, sort of business analysis, and the rest for the administrator. Jack of all trades.
Now I understand that as a project manager I can contribute to the project success working beyond the actual “work on project deliverables”.
So, how should a project manager act? What is his role? Before answering that, you need to understand what a project manager is designed to do.
Project Manager Responsibilities
A year ago I wrote about key roles and responsibilities of a project manager. They stay the same. They never change.
But why does someone need a project manager in the first place?
There is always a set of work that requires a particular type of personality. I call it a project manager’s talents.
In short, it is extreme responsibility. How can you identify a good manager? He can’t sleep well until the project is performing at it’s best.
So, what is included in this “extreme responsibility”.
1. Ownership
The best project managers are never the passive executers. They feel the ownership over the project and every decision they make. They feel like a president of a small company. They live and care for the project.
The client is always right. Well, in his desire to get what he wants.
Likewise, a project manager must always be right with the selected approach to finish a project successfully. Therefore, it is your responsibility to setup expert authority over the project management.
You are ready to tell a client that you know the best way to reach his objectives. Then, you should be willing to take responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
If there is a problem on the project, the most proactive person to solve it is you. The project manager.
2. Project Integration
The project manager is the only person interested in putting a project into one whole interrelated entity.
You need to plan the project. You must control and report on its progress. You need to create a transparent process for the team and stakeholders.
You need to finish a project successfully. Stakeholders should be satisfied, client and customers – happy. Also, you may need to define success criteria for them in ever-changing flow of competing requirements.
Therefore, you also need to balance the processes and tools. They should be efficient, simple, and should clearly communicate the value.
The only person who possesses enough knowledge and skills to do that is you. The project manager.
3. Communications
Whether you spend 90% of your time communicating or not, it is still your major activity. However, it doesn’t mean that you can waste all that bulk of time for nothing. You are responsible for interacting with people purposefully.
The responsibility to communicate with everyone derives from the two previous points.
You need to communicate to integrate the project efficiently. And you need to communicate to solve or avoid problems.
Also, there is only one person interested in ensuring relevant communications between all the different kinds of stakeholders. It is you. The project manager.
In the end, it boils down to:
The role of a project manager is to be the person the most interested in project success.
What is not the Main Responsibility
There are several functions and activities that you may perceive as your primary responsibility. They are noble and the right thing to do with a team. However, do not fall under the illusion that they can relieve you from delivering a project on time and within budget.
1. People Management
Hear this correctly. I do understand the value of people management. Though, it is not one of the key responsibilities. Rather it is an excellent approach to work.
However, managers often hide behind creating a happy team. It doesn’t give you an excuse to fail the project. Your primary goal is to meet stakeholders expectations and deliver the result within constraints. It is great if you can do it while keeping your team happy.
2. Leadership
Leadership is another useful instrument to fulfil your responsibilities. But it is not the goal.
It only works to the benefit of the project, if you can align it with the project’s and organisation’s objectives. Until then, do not assume that you are a leader. First, you need to organise the work and performing team.
3. Advocate of Changes
There is a conflict in project management. You do need to choose the most appropriate processes and tools. However, the project should not become the battlefield for organisational changes and improvement.
Improving project management processes within your organisation is your responsibility. Nevertheless, it should not impede the project. Work hard to make the best use of what the organisational environment has.
Role of a Project Manager
Below are the development stages of a role of a project manager in the team. Until you fulfil your duty at the first level, you can’t efficiently move to the second one. The same applies to the third level.
1. Administrator Role
- Define the project boundaries
- Create a project management plan
- Staff the positions on the project
- Define processes and policies
- Create the workflow
- Define roles and responsibilities
- Organise the project team
- Ensure the project is progressing
- Control the project
1. Facilitator Role
- Resolve conflicts
- Ensure Interactions
- Coordinate the work
- Educate the team
- Stay out of the way
- Set goals
3. Leader Role
- Empower responsibility
- Develop team
- Motivate
- Influence stakeholders
- Make tough decisions
- Ensure collaboration
- Design meaning for the work
Full List of Project Manager’s Responsibilities
Does all the above seems like too theoretical or even philosophical to you? Below is the list of the main responsibilities of a project manager. Take this exercise and put each of them into a group: Integration, Ownership, Communications and Other.
Once you are done with that, prioritise the each group. Find out what is vital and derive your main role.
A good project manager:
- Has an ultimate responsibility for the project success.
- Is the main communication point with a Client.
- Promotes productive and collaborative environment.
- Controls and enhances positive effects of cultural differences.
- Ensures professional interaction between team and stakeholders.
- Ensures collaboration within the team.
- Resolves personal conflicts.
- Enforces personal responsibility.
- Protects the team from internal politics.
- Assists during the pre-sale process.
- Helps to produce Project Charter.
- Identifies all key stakeholders.
- Develops a strategy to work with all stakeholders.
- Selects appropriate processes for the project.
- Sets up a collaboration with global and virtual teams.
- Explains the project life cycle and processes to stakeholders.
- Coordinates work between the project and key stakeholders.
- Integrates all pieces of a project into a whole.
- Works with stakeholders to identify constraints and assumptions.
- Is responsible for producing Project Management Plan.
- Leads and facilitates the planning process.
- Ensures collaboration of the team and stakeholders during planning.
- Identifies dependencies of project activities.
- Enforces risk management processes.
- Analyses requited time and cost reserves.
- Identifies the required level of quality for the project.
- Selects and controls process that can deliver the required quality.
- Is responsible for developing a realistic schedule.
- Participates in procurement processes.
- Creates Change Management Plan.
- Actively avoids changes.
- Controls implementation of approved changes.
- Assists the team during project executing.
- Works with stakeholders to meet their expectations.
- Ensures that deliverables are accepted by the customer.
- Works with team to keep as close as possible to the Plan.
- Moves the project towards its goal on a daily basis.
- Uses metrics to control project progress.
- Communicates project progress to key stakeholders.
- Keeps the focus of the team on Risk Management throughout the project.
- Spends time to improve processes.
- Works to improve project and product quality.
- Motivates the project team.
- Ensures that people leave the project motivated.
- Holds team building activities.
- Casts his vision of a successful project and product.
- Develops team members both for project and organisation benefits.
- Organises performance reviews.
- Solves problems.
- Controls the project in all aspects (scope, time, costs, risks, quality, etc.)
- Analyses variances with the Project Management Plan.
- Determines whether a change request is needed to get back on track.
- Performs project closure.
- Ensures all contract obligations are closed.
- Logs lessons learned.
- Updates organisation’s knowledge base.
You can find this list in PDF format in the Library.
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