My Published Articles
I have published two articles on my LinkedIn page: Disruptive Project Management and A Note to a First Time Project Leader. The first article was born out of the frustration caused by continuously finding myself at companies that do not employ project management practices in accordance with the PMI framework, if at all. At least half of the companies I have worked for as a PM were resistant, at best, to attempts to bring in the PMI standard practices or were just managing projects the best way they knew how. In each case, I either chose to or was asked to integrate PMI practices and to develop a PMO.
The second article was born because I was asked by "not a project manager" for help because she had been assigned as a project leader and wanted to do a good job. So I wrote a "Note" for her so that she would have all of the important points at her fingertips.
Disruptive Project Management
ABSTRACTThis article describes the experiences of a PM that was able to introduce project management to several organizations. Some of these organizations had no prior Project Management experience or were managing projects anyway they knew how. In the article, the terms Disruptive Project Management and Project Management Resistance are introduced and explained as it relates to this PM’s journey in hopes that it will encourage and inspire PMs in similar situations.
IntroductionUsually, when we think of something as disruptive it has a negative connotation. The meaning here, however, is far from negative. We hear all about disruptive technologies and disruptive innovation. The premise behind them being that to be immensely successful in business you must be disruptive. You must change the way things are done! Business has demonstrated in the recent past that you can be successful by changing the way things are done. For instance, smart phones and digital memory have disrupted the photography/film industry. Are you old enough to remember what a film cartridge looks like, much less the camera that made use of it? “Disruptive technology … displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or … creates a completely new industry.” (Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen).
This article addresses the art of Disruptive Project Management relating to changing the way organizations manage projects or, more aptly, inserting project management tools and techniques into organizations that do not currently use them nor think very highly of them. Are you a Disruptive PM? If you are not, you should be. Let me explain …
Disruptive project management is not for the faint of heart, nor for the innocent. I would suggest that only the seasoned pro attack this kind of challenge! There is not much in literature about being a disruptive PM in this sense of the phrase. However, all the “How to …” literature concerning PMs comes into play. You must be a good PM to be disruptive. If you consider the definition above for “Disruptive Technology” you need only replace a few words and you will have the definition of a “Disruptive PM”. A Disruptive PM displaces an established methodology, shakes up the organization, and creates a completely new methodology for the organization to follow. If your career has been like mine, you have been disruptive for a long time, at many places, and could probably make a business out of it, but if not, please read on so that you are prepared if it ever happens. I am not going to give you a lot of tips and tricks and techniques, but episodes out of my career, so you can see the situation and how I navigated and operated.
Episode 1: My Earliest ExperienceFortunately, I had some positional authority in this situation. Positional authority helps, of course, but doesn’t eliminate the problem. I had just begun my journey into project management and at this time had not even achieved my PMI® Certification but had spent the previous year or so learning and doing. I was the Chief of Systems Engineering at a Public Transportation Agency in a large city in Maryland. My direct reports included two Systems Engineers, two Sr. Systems Engineers, one Principal Engineer, and an Administrative Assistant. There were about 25 projects between us ranging in value from under $500k to over $30M. We were responsible for requirements development, the Request for Proposal (RFP) process including selection of vendors, managing the resulting contract(s) and the work, reporting on the project, making sure all of the work was done and requirements met before approving the final payment and closing out the project. We were responsible for the full project life cycle.
Sounds complete, doesn’t it? Well, here’s the challenge in a nutshell. Everyone had their own way of managing. If you remember your days before you were certified, you will remember that you had a way of getting projects done. Sometimes they would be on-time (and/or budget), sometimes not. Mostly not. So, you end up with change orders, making excuses to get more time, not reporting problems, and thinking if I could just [fill in the blank] I could wrap this up! I had projects of my own but would be often called on to report on a project that one of my staff was managing. Unless we had recently talked about the project, I would have no idea of the status and no way to find out before having to make my report. There was a lot of “I’ll get back to you on that” and “I don’t know but I will find out”, going on! Even though my superiors didn’t complain (much) about that, I thought it was making me look bad. They didn’t complain because this was how things were always done! It was annoying but thought to be a risk of managing multiple projects and people. I had been reading project management literature (Dr. Harold Kerzner, Ph. D.) and preparing for the PMP Exam (PMBOK 2nd Edition), so I knew there was a better way. I had also been applying the practices, principles, tools, and techniques on my projects. I was ready to be disruptive.
I knew I would meet with resistance, because it was going to feel like I was adding more work on top of what they were already doing. They were working on some complex and complicated technology; everything from communications systems to power systems, to control systems, to video systems, and more. I called a meeting with my staff to try to explain what we were going to do and why – the disruption had begun. There was one that flat out refused to add “any more work to his plate” because of the latest fad (place big smile here). Nevertheless, I continued the implementation. To make a long story short, I had planned it, scheduled it, documented the risks, formulated documentation templates, written instructions, and had a small handbook for each of them. It took more than a year to get everyone on board and get the program running smoothly, but the results were outstanding. I had a library of project plans and reports and schedules so that I was never more than a few days out of date with project information - even at a moment’s notice. We also started the process of getting others on my team PMP certified!
Episode 2: Project Management ResistanceI defined Disruptive Project Management in the introduction and told you that there is not a lot of information to be found about the subject matter. In this section I am introducing a new term, “Project Management Resistant (PMR)” which I think is self-explanatory. Likewise, there is also not much literature about PMR organizations. So how come my career has been so bountiful in this area? Three of the six organizations I have worked for in the last 24 years were PMR! Here is Episode 2:
I joined a small, but well-established engineering and consulting firm some number of years ago. I had worked with this organization before, in another capacity, and thought they would already be aware of and have implemented some level of project management practices. Well, this was not the case. I was the first and only PM to work there in the organization's history. I came to work there, not because of my PM skills, but because the contacts in my network would bring value to the company. This is not unusual in the consulting world. In a manner of speaking, they hired me for business development, and one more time, I found myself in a PMR organization.
I had access to the President of the organization and having seen some of the innovations that came out of his organization in the past, I was sure he would be open to at least listening to what I had to say about project management. Boy, was I wrong! He felt like it would be a waste of precious time and resources to invest in, as he called it, "your way of doing things". He didn't mind if I used project management, but he certainly didn't need it for his organization. "We've been doing things our way for 30 years", he said, "I see no reason to do anything differently." This was the start of another "Disruptive PM" journey.
Now that I was an employee of this organization and knowing the stance of its leadership, I decided to take a different approach to introducing project management. My experience had already shown me that a good project management implementation could have a positive impact on the bottom line. If you can reduce rework, scope creep, and properly manage change, it has a direct impact on the bottom line.
I started by documenting and scheduling my own projects to use as materials for teaching and demonstration. Then I started talking to those in the organization that were closest to the President and were working on projects, about what I was doing and how it was helping me with my projects. To be very transparent, this was not an overnight adventure. It took months of meetings and talking, mostly in an ad-hoc, informal style. As they began to adopt some of the tools and techniques, and began to have their own questions about how to apply them, I was able to convince the main players to have a regularly scheduled meeting where we could discuss all of the projects we were working on to get help and to offer help in areas of concern in our respective projects. Along the way, as the need arose for additional help, "Project Management experience" was added to the list of "must haves" for employment at this organization. Before you know it, another PMP was employed by the organization. Initially, he too was shocked and dismayed by the lack of project management proficiency within the organization. However, he and I would sit down and have conversations about how to approach changing the organization and what steps to take next.
To make a long story short, we eventually reached that point where the entire department met with the President, as a coalition, with the intent of convincing him to begin to adopt PM practices and principles company wide. As the old adage says, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars" (even though I prefer the term clouds). So, we shot for the moon (transforming the entire company) but landed amongst the clouds ("No, but you can start with your department"). This was a big win! We were able to get an on-site class to prepare 8 people for the exam and within a few months we grew to 5 PMPs - us two hires and three long-term employees that successfully completed the exam. The following year it was reported that our department profits were up 20% over the previous year and that this was partially attributed to better project management. Of course, I believe it was all due to better project management.
An article entitled "The Project Economy Has Arrived" in the Nov-Dec 2021 issue of Harvard Business Review stated, "Quietly but powerfully, projects have displaced operations as the economic engine of our time. [And] … Meanwhile, projects … are increasingly driving both short-term performance and long-term value creation …".I've been away from this organization several years now, and I cannot therefore, unfortunately, report on their current status, but I would like to believe they have continued, at least in that department, to practice and improve their project management behavior.
The Conclusion of the MatterIf you are a successful PM, you know that sometimes you may have to ruffle a few feathers, rock the boat a little, and make some waves. As a Disruptive PM, particularly in a PM Resistant organization, this gets multiplied 1000 times! You must have some thick skin (don’t take everything personally), good vision (a roadmap for success), and sound strategic ability (you should know when to back down and when to push ahead) to achieve the goal of “displacing the established methodology, shaking up the organization, and creating a completely new methodology for the organization to follow.”
IntroductionUsually, when we think of something as disruptive it has a negative connotation. The meaning here, however, is far from negative. We hear all about disruptive technologies and disruptive innovation. The premise behind them being that to be immensely successful in business you must be disruptive. You must change the way things are done! Business has demonstrated in the recent past that you can be successful by changing the way things are done. For instance, smart phones and digital memory have disrupted the photography/film industry. Are you old enough to remember what a film cartridge looks like, much less the camera that made use of it? “Disruptive technology … displaces an established technology and shakes up the industry or … creates a completely new industry.” (Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen).
This article addresses the art of Disruptive Project Management relating to changing the way organizations manage projects or, more aptly, inserting project management tools and techniques into organizations that do not currently use them nor think very highly of them. Are you a Disruptive PM? If you are not, you should be. Let me explain …
Disruptive project management is not for the faint of heart, nor for the innocent. I would suggest that only the seasoned pro attack this kind of challenge! There is not much in literature about being a disruptive PM in this sense of the phrase. However, all the “How to …” literature concerning PMs comes into play. You must be a good PM to be disruptive. If you consider the definition above for “Disruptive Technology” you need only replace a few words and you will have the definition of a “Disruptive PM”. A Disruptive PM displaces an established methodology, shakes up the organization, and creates a completely new methodology for the organization to follow. If your career has been like mine, you have been disruptive for a long time, at many places, and could probably make a business out of it, but if not, please read on so that you are prepared if it ever happens. I am not going to give you a lot of tips and tricks and techniques, but episodes out of my career, so you can see the situation and how I navigated and operated.
Episode 1: My Earliest ExperienceFortunately, I had some positional authority in this situation. Positional authority helps, of course, but doesn’t eliminate the problem. I had just begun my journey into project management and at this time had not even achieved my PMI® Certification but had spent the previous year or so learning and doing. I was the Chief of Systems Engineering at a Public Transportation Agency in a large city in Maryland. My direct reports included two Systems Engineers, two Sr. Systems Engineers, one Principal Engineer, and an Administrative Assistant. There were about 25 projects between us ranging in value from under $500k to over $30M. We were responsible for requirements development, the Request for Proposal (RFP) process including selection of vendors, managing the resulting contract(s) and the work, reporting on the project, making sure all of the work was done and requirements met before approving the final payment and closing out the project. We were responsible for the full project life cycle.
Sounds complete, doesn’t it? Well, here’s the challenge in a nutshell. Everyone had their own way of managing. If you remember your days before you were certified, you will remember that you had a way of getting projects done. Sometimes they would be on-time (and/or budget), sometimes not. Mostly not. So, you end up with change orders, making excuses to get more time, not reporting problems, and thinking if I could just [fill in the blank] I could wrap this up! I had projects of my own but would be often called on to report on a project that one of my staff was managing. Unless we had recently talked about the project, I would have no idea of the status and no way to find out before having to make my report. There was a lot of “I’ll get back to you on that” and “I don’t know but I will find out”, going on! Even though my superiors didn’t complain (much) about that, I thought it was making me look bad. They didn’t complain because this was how things were always done! It was annoying but thought to be a risk of managing multiple projects and people. I had been reading project management literature (Dr. Harold Kerzner, Ph. D.) and preparing for the PMP Exam (PMBOK 2nd Edition), so I knew there was a better way. I had also been applying the practices, principles, tools, and techniques on my projects. I was ready to be disruptive.
I knew I would meet with resistance, because it was going to feel like I was adding more work on top of what they were already doing. They were working on some complex and complicated technology; everything from communications systems to power systems, to control systems, to video systems, and more. I called a meeting with my staff to try to explain what we were going to do and why – the disruption had begun. There was one that flat out refused to add “any more work to his plate” because of the latest fad (place big smile here). Nevertheless, I continued the implementation. To make a long story short, I had planned it, scheduled it, documented the risks, formulated documentation templates, written instructions, and had a small handbook for each of them. It took more than a year to get everyone on board and get the program running smoothly, but the results were outstanding. I had a library of project plans and reports and schedules so that I was never more than a few days out of date with project information - even at a moment’s notice. We also started the process of getting others on my team PMP certified!
Episode 2: Project Management ResistanceI defined Disruptive Project Management in the introduction and told you that there is not a lot of information to be found about the subject matter. In this section I am introducing a new term, “Project Management Resistant (PMR)” which I think is self-explanatory. Likewise, there is also not much literature about PMR organizations. So how come my career has been so bountiful in this area? Three of the six organizations I have worked for in the last 24 years were PMR! Here is Episode 2:
I joined a small, but well-established engineering and consulting firm some number of years ago. I had worked with this organization before, in another capacity, and thought they would already be aware of and have implemented some level of project management practices. Well, this was not the case. I was the first and only PM to work there in the organization's history. I came to work there, not because of my PM skills, but because the contacts in my network would bring value to the company. This is not unusual in the consulting world. In a manner of speaking, they hired me for business development, and one more time, I found myself in a PMR organization.
I had access to the President of the organization and having seen some of the innovations that came out of his organization in the past, I was sure he would be open to at least listening to what I had to say about project management. Boy, was I wrong! He felt like it would be a waste of precious time and resources to invest in, as he called it, "your way of doing things". He didn't mind if I used project management, but he certainly didn't need it for his organization. "We've been doing things our way for 30 years", he said, "I see no reason to do anything differently." This was the start of another "Disruptive PM" journey.
Now that I was an employee of this organization and knowing the stance of its leadership, I decided to take a different approach to introducing project management. My experience had already shown me that a good project management implementation could have a positive impact on the bottom line. If you can reduce rework, scope creep, and properly manage change, it has a direct impact on the bottom line.
I started by documenting and scheduling my own projects to use as materials for teaching and demonstration. Then I started talking to those in the organization that were closest to the President and were working on projects, about what I was doing and how it was helping me with my projects. To be very transparent, this was not an overnight adventure. It took months of meetings and talking, mostly in an ad-hoc, informal style. As they began to adopt some of the tools and techniques, and began to have their own questions about how to apply them, I was able to convince the main players to have a regularly scheduled meeting where we could discuss all of the projects we were working on to get help and to offer help in areas of concern in our respective projects. Along the way, as the need arose for additional help, "Project Management experience" was added to the list of "must haves" for employment at this organization. Before you know it, another PMP was employed by the organization. Initially, he too was shocked and dismayed by the lack of project management proficiency within the organization. However, he and I would sit down and have conversations about how to approach changing the organization and what steps to take next.
To make a long story short, we eventually reached that point where the entire department met with the President, as a coalition, with the intent of convincing him to begin to adopt PM practices and principles company wide. As the old adage says, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars" (even though I prefer the term clouds). So, we shot for the moon (transforming the entire company) but landed amongst the clouds ("No, but you can start with your department"). This was a big win! We were able to get an on-site class to prepare 8 people for the exam and within a few months we grew to 5 PMPs - us two hires and three long-term employees that successfully completed the exam. The following year it was reported that our department profits were up 20% over the previous year and that this was partially attributed to better project management. Of course, I believe it was all due to better project management.
An article entitled "The Project Economy Has Arrived" in the Nov-Dec 2021 issue of Harvard Business Review stated, "Quietly but powerfully, projects have displaced operations as the economic engine of our time. [And] … Meanwhile, projects … are increasingly driving both short-term performance and long-term value creation …".I've been away from this organization several years now, and I cannot therefore, unfortunately, report on their current status, but I would like to believe they have continued, at least in that department, to practice and improve their project management behavior.
The Conclusion of the MatterIf you are a successful PM, you know that sometimes you may have to ruffle a few feathers, rock the boat a little, and make some waves. As a Disruptive PM, particularly in a PM Resistant organization, this gets multiplied 1000 times! You must have some thick skin (don’t take everything personally), good vision (a roadmap for success), and sound strategic ability (you should know when to back down and when to push ahead) to achieve the goal of “displacing the established methodology, shaking up the organization, and creating a completely new methodology for the organization to follow.”
A Note to a First Time Project Leader
Ok, so you are about to take on your first work related project. Well I have put together a briefing document to try to help you make your project successful. Before we get into project stuff I just want to give you a few of my credentials to hopefully boost your confidence that the application of Project Management principles is essential to success.
I have been managing projects for about 25 years. At the Maryland Transit Administration as a Project Manager and Chief of Communications, Control, and Information Systems, I had 24 projects and 5 Project Managers for which I was responsible. My projects ranged in value from about $60,000 to $10M. I left MTA in 2002 and went to MDOT to serve as Chief of IT Projects. I received my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification while at MDOT. As Chief of IT Projects, I was responsible for all IT projects conducted by MDOT and any of its 6 Modals (MVA, MAA, MdTA, MTA, SHA, and MPA). These projects were valued at over $100M including one project, the MDOT Network Management Services Project, which was valued at $76M and required a staff of about 30 people including MDOT staff and Contractors. In 2007, I left MDOT to go to work for myself. During this time, I subcontracted as a PM on the $300M USDA Farm Services Project; I was the PM for system implementation projects in 4 cities (San Diego, CA; Cincinnati and Columbus, OH; and Denver, CO), and for the Next Vehicle Arrival Signs project in Baltimore. In Oct 2011, I joined GL Communications, Inc. as a Program Manager responsible for Project Management, Business Development, and Marketing. I developed the Project Management Office (PMO) for GL Communications and had 10 projects, internal and external, as well as 5 Project Managers and 2 Jr Engineers that reported to me. During the time I was at GL they achieved the highest revenue in the history of the company as a result of the PMO projects.
I hope that’s enough to give you confidence that I might know something about Project Management. I am not trying to make you a PM if you don’t want to be, but if nothing else, this will help you understand a little better what goes into project success and how you can help.
What is a Project?A temporary undertaking carried out to accomplish a unique purpose. A project has specific objective(s), a time frame for completion, requires resources and sponsorship, and is dynamic and/or uncertain in nature.
What is Project Management?The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Projects are carried out in 5 phases: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing
"Project failure is defined as projects that go over cost, over time, and/or do not deliver expected benefits, whether or not the project is completed."
How Does One Apply Project Management Practices and Principles?One basic principle of project management is that projects are always done twice: First on paper and then in reality. People often quip that ‘by the time the project is done on paper I will have completed it in reality’. Well the fact is that 77% of projects fail primarily because of lack of planning. That’s what the “on paper” part of a project is: planning.
Plan your work and work your plan.You will need a project plan. A project plan is typically based on the 10 knowledge areas and explains everything about the project including its methodology in one document. For purposes of this tutorial, your project plan should contain the following sections:
I have been managing projects for about 25 years. At the Maryland Transit Administration as a Project Manager and Chief of Communications, Control, and Information Systems, I had 24 projects and 5 Project Managers for which I was responsible. My projects ranged in value from about $60,000 to $10M. I left MTA in 2002 and went to MDOT to serve as Chief of IT Projects. I received my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification while at MDOT. As Chief of IT Projects, I was responsible for all IT projects conducted by MDOT and any of its 6 Modals (MVA, MAA, MdTA, MTA, SHA, and MPA). These projects were valued at over $100M including one project, the MDOT Network Management Services Project, which was valued at $76M and required a staff of about 30 people including MDOT staff and Contractors. In 2007, I left MDOT to go to work for myself. During this time, I subcontracted as a PM on the $300M USDA Farm Services Project; I was the PM for system implementation projects in 4 cities (San Diego, CA; Cincinnati and Columbus, OH; and Denver, CO), and for the Next Vehicle Arrival Signs project in Baltimore. In Oct 2011, I joined GL Communications, Inc. as a Program Manager responsible for Project Management, Business Development, and Marketing. I developed the Project Management Office (PMO) for GL Communications and had 10 projects, internal and external, as well as 5 Project Managers and 2 Jr Engineers that reported to me. During the time I was at GL they achieved the highest revenue in the history of the company as a result of the PMO projects.
I hope that’s enough to give you confidence that I might know something about Project Management. I am not trying to make you a PM if you don’t want to be, but if nothing else, this will help you understand a little better what goes into project success and how you can help.
What is a Project?A temporary undertaking carried out to accomplish a unique purpose. A project has specific objective(s), a time frame for completion, requires resources and sponsorship, and is dynamic and/or uncertain in nature.
What is Project Management?The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Projects are carried out in 5 phases: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing
"Project failure is defined as projects that go over cost, over time, and/or do not deliver expected benefits, whether or not the project is completed."
How Does One Apply Project Management Practices and Principles?One basic principle of project management is that projects are always done twice: First on paper and then in reality. People often quip that ‘by the time the project is done on paper I will have completed it in reality’. Well the fact is that 77% of projects fail primarily because of lack of planning. That’s what the “on paper” part of a project is: planning.
Plan your work and work your plan.You will need a project plan. A project plan is typically based on the 10 knowledge areas and explains everything about the project including its methodology in one document. For purposes of this tutorial, your project plan should contain the following sections:
Project Purpose statement
- Scope of Work Statement
- Budget or Cost Estimate
- Schedule of activities
- List of Stakeholders
- The Project Team (Roles and Responsibilities)
- Risk Assessment
10 Knowledge Areas:
Integration Management
Human Resource MgmtScope Management Communication MgmtTime (Schedule) Mgmt
Risk ManagementCost Management
Procurement ManagementQuality Management Stakeholder Management
This is a minimum requirement. I have written 5 page project plans and 50 page project plans. No two plans are exactly alike but they can be built around the same framework. Project plans also contain subsidiary plans which describe methodology in each of the 10 knowledge areas
Project Purpose StatementThis is a paragraph stating why this project is being undertaken and identifying its objectives.
Scope of Work StatementThis will be a description of the work that has to be carried out to reach to project objectives
Project BudgetIdentifies the cost of the project components which add up to the total expected value of the project.
Schedule of activitiesList the individual activities that must be carried out during project execution including the duration of the task and the expected start and finish dates.
List of StakeholdersList of persons that have an interest in the project outcome and their communications requirements; i.e. what deliverable(s) they need, what meeting(s) they attend, what is the best way to communicate with them (email/telephone/txt, etc.)
The Project Team (Roles and Responsibilities)Those persons that will work together with the Project Manager to plan and manage the project. Project teams can be as small as 1 or 2 persons on very small projects to many persons, even in globally diverse locations, on very large projects.
Risk AssessmentThe Project Manager (and team) should try to identify risks (possible problems that could negatively affect the outcome of the project) before the project starts. Classify the by determining the likelihood that they will occur (probability) and the effect they might have on the project (Impact). For those risks which have a high probability and a high impact, a plan should be developed for how to deal with the risk.
Don’t Start Implementation until Your Plan is CompleteOnce you have your plan on paper, that should mean that you have gone through the project from start to finish including any potential problem areas and everything should be documented. Now you have a road map, directions, and a navigation system that leads to successful completion. If you’ve ever tried to get somewhere and you didn’t know where you were going, you know how essential guidance tools can be.
Just a few More Points to Build Your Confidence
Project Manager’s CompetenciesHere’s a short list of the kind of experience, skills, and abilities that a good PM has:
Project Purpose StatementThis is a paragraph stating why this project is being undertaken and identifying its objectives.
Scope of Work StatementThis will be a description of the work that has to be carried out to reach to project objectives
Project BudgetIdentifies the cost of the project components which add up to the total expected value of the project.
Schedule of activitiesList the individual activities that must be carried out during project execution including the duration of the task and the expected start and finish dates.
List of StakeholdersList of persons that have an interest in the project outcome and their communications requirements; i.e. what deliverable(s) they need, what meeting(s) they attend, what is the best way to communicate with them (email/telephone/txt, etc.)
The Project Team (Roles and Responsibilities)Those persons that will work together with the Project Manager to plan and manage the project. Project teams can be as small as 1 or 2 persons on very small projects to many persons, even in globally diverse locations, on very large projects.
Risk AssessmentThe Project Manager (and team) should try to identify risks (possible problems that could negatively affect the outcome of the project) before the project starts. Classify the by determining the likelihood that they will occur (probability) and the effect they might have on the project (Impact). For those risks which have a high probability and a high impact, a plan should be developed for how to deal with the risk.
Don’t Start Implementation until Your Plan is CompleteOnce you have your plan on paper, that should mean that you have gone through the project from start to finish including any potential problem areas and everything should be documented. Now you have a road map, directions, and a navigation system that leads to successful completion. If you’ve ever tried to get somewhere and you didn’t know where you were going, you know how essential guidance tools can be.
Just a few More Points to Build Your Confidence
Project Manager’s CompetenciesHere’s a short list of the kind of experience, skills, and abilities that a good PM has:
- General management - communication, governance, and political skills
- Organization skills - plan, analyze, set and achieve project goals
- Teamwork and Team Development - Coach, Mentor, Train
- Coping - includes dealing with changes and having patience
- Leadership - Decision making, problem solving
- Technical skills - can you say “Microsoft Products”
You probably already possess these qualities, so put them to use on the following:
- Project Manager’s Responsibilities:
- Develop the project plan
- Direct resources
- Manage the schedule
- Deal with operational issues
- Report to the steering committee (Supervisor and/or Stakeholders)
- Manage the project team
- Negotiate, resolve issues
- Organize meetings (take minutes, send out agendas, etc.)
- Communicate project status (on-time, behind schedule, ahead of schedule; on-budget, over budget, under budget)
- Maintain project documentation (Project Plan update, proposal, etc)
I hope this helps you. I tried to keep it short and sweet. I know you’ll do a great job anyway, but I’m just trying be as much help to you as possible.
Please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to help.