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The_Perfect_Project_Manager
| The Perfect Project Manager
I've been working in the computer industry now for over 23
years. During that time, I've had the unfortunate circumstance
to work under many incompetent project managers. I don't mean
the word incompetent as an insult - it's just that in the
Information Technology industry, we tend to promote programmers,
engineers and analysts to management and supervisory positions
and, well, just expect them to do well.
I've never really understood how anyone can expect a person who
is trained as a programmer to suddenly be able to manage a
project. It takes years and years of specialized training to
become just a good project manager, much less an excellent one.
In fact, I would say, having managed my own share of projects,
that this is one of the downright hardest things anyone can do.
Think of the skills needed to understand a project - this means
the project manager must have enough programming, analytical,
design and engineering knowledge to be able to scope out what is
needed to get it done. Now, of course, comes an even harder part
- the project manager must estimate when it will be done (and
God help him if he's wrong). He must then manage all of the
other people and resources involved, keeping them on the correct
track toward reaching the target. If anything crops up, the
project manager must troubleshoot and correct it, quickly,
before things get out of hand.
So what are the things that make for a good project manager?
Takes Responsibility - A good project manager completely
understands that he is responsible for the project. You will not
hear things like "that's Joe's problem" from him.
Responsibility means to be accountable for something. The best
project managers have no problem with saying "I made a mistake".
The poor ones are always looking for who made the mistake. The
worst project managers find anyone they can who can take the
blame.
Is in Control - One of the absolute worst things that you can
hear from a project manager was "you were supposed to ...".
Whenever I hear this from a so-called project manager I want to
scream, "but you are the project manager - it's your job to be
in control".
That's probably the key point of the project manager and his key
duty. He or she must be in control of the project. Everything
must be known at all times. Delays are understood and handled
before they have a major impact. Weak areas of the plan are
firmed up with additional personnel or resources.
Has a large variety of skills - Good project managers have an
understanding of all of the components of their project. If
programming is involved, then they can program. If it's an
engineering project, then the best project managers understand
engineering. This does not mean they are excellent at those
tasks - it means they understand the skills, know the language
of the technicians and have a working knowledge of the
fundamentals.
This is absolutely necessary because without that knowledge, a
poor project manager will make stupid errors and ask people to
do things which are not possible or practical. This is, in fact,
a fundamental reason why many projects fail - the project
manager does not understand the project which he is managing.
This causes his people to lose respect for him, and sooner or
later the project spins out of control.
Understands people - The very best project managers do not have
any problems working with people. Projects are estimated,
analyzed, programmed, created, documented, and worked on by
people at all levels. Therefore, if a project manager does not
work well with people, he is fighting a losing battle.
This works on all directions on the organization board. A
project manager must be able to supervise his own people, work
with consultants, handle his boss, work with his boss's peers
and boss, communicate with vendors and possibly clients, and be
able to communicate well enough with anyone to get the job done.
Manages time - This is especially important if a project manager
is, like most of us in information technology, managing more
than one project at a time. The project manager will be hit from
all sides by conflicting goals and objectives. People will
demand time from the manager, and he must be good at using this
time wisely. Perhaps the most important things are: use meetings
wisely and appropriately, minimize the use of email (a real time
waster), stay clear of politics and plan well to avoid a crisis
(the worst time waster of all).
Understands when quick action is necessary - Sometimes quick
action is necessary, and sometimes it is not. A good project
manager understands when an event is a crisis and when it is
just someone attempting to make a crisis. Sometimes these are
very difficult to differentiate - but it can and must be done.
Acts quickly when necessary - When quick action is necessary, a
good project manager does not hesitate (at least not for long)
and does what is necessary.
Understands when he must be ruthless and when he must use a soft
touch - There are times when a project manager must act quickly
and decisively, and there are others when he must be a nice
person. For example, I managed a project a few years ago which
took a sudden turn for the worse. I investigated and found out a
consultant was not doing his job. I confronted the consultant,
got back severe attitude and fired him on the spot. The project
was soon back on track. On the other hand, in one instance I
found a consultant was having severe personal problems and that
was the cause of some slippage in the schedule. I immediately
gave her a couple of days off and the problems vanished upon her
return.
Produces solutions, not problems - The job of a project manager
is to manage a project such that it is completed. It is not his
job to create problems. A good project manager understands this,
and acts accordingly. Thus, he is always putting solutions on
his bosses desk, not more problems.
Controls deviations - For some reason, many managers love to
introduce change in projects after they get under way. This must
be controlled or your people will feel like they are shooting at
a moving target which is invisible. It's hard to hit a target if
you don't know what that target is, and just as difficult to hit
something if it changes constantly. Sometimes a project manager
must be flexible - but those instances must be controlled and
the reasons for change understood.
The real measure of a good project manager is simple - his
projects get completed as specified, his people feel productive
(they believe they are contributing to something worthwhile),
and the finished product (the result of the project) is of high
quality.
About the author:
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
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