PPM Professionals Talk

Every project manager is given a set of tools that he or she can use to manage their projects.  It does not take long to figure out how to use the various PM software packages to develop a consistent track record of completing projects reasonably on time and within a stones throw of the expected budget.  Those of you that have been around more than 10 years have also learned that these PM tools are not the ones that are going to land you the big promotion.

Over the years, working as a project manager, PMO manager and CEO, I have come to the conclusion that in addition to change management, as well as scope, time, schedule, quality and cost management within projects, there is another knowledge area that, when even focused on a bit, proves beneficial to running successful projects and that is Risk Management.

A failed project is like a huge truck stalled on the side of the highway. This is how Jack S. Duggal of Projectize Group LLC defines the failed project and the role of the project manager who is summoned to “rescue” a failed project. 

Many professionals ask me what a Milestone is, so here is a simple explanation.

There is a lot of anxiety around any project. The project manager wonders if he or she will meet the Triple Constraint (Time, Cost and Quality).
The sponsors are wondering whether the project manager is the right person to manage the project and team members wonder if they are in the right project and if they have the necessary skills for the project to be a success.

Project management, as an academic field, spends a lot of time discussing the tactics and strategies for running projects smoothly. But methodologies, tools and experience will only get a project manager as far as the launch. To drive a successful project through to completion, a project manager also needs to wear the hat of a therapist, moderator, motivator, disciplinarian and emotional confidant. It is the emotional intelligence and a project manager’s ability to navigate the needs, demands and sensitivities of his or her team that make a project manager great.

Thanks for joining us for the last post in the ‘What Makes a Successful Project Manager’ Series. While there are obviously many other traits that are essential for a project manager’s success, we have discussed a set of traits that will assist any project manager to execute with skill, sensitivity and expertise.

Welcome back to the ‘What Makes a Successful Project Manager’ Series. So far we have discussed Leadership, Team Building, Motivation, Communication and Influence. Today we will talk about the skills needed for a project manager to read a situation and respond in an appropriate and effective manner.

Ok, let us recap the first few project managers’ traits that are instrumental to the success of any project.  We discussed how Leadership through respect and trust is critically important at the beginning stages of any project. We then introduced Team Building, which is an ongoing process that must be performed throughout the entire project lifecycle. The next trait we discussed was Motivation which is closely tied with the team’s commitment level to a project.

Thanks for checking out this week’s post in the Blog Series: What Makes a Great Project Manager. Last week we discussed a critical trait that any successful project manager must possess; Leadership. Let’s move on to today’s characteristics; Team Building and Motivation.

 Much has lately been written and said about the most critical success factors for projects. What all these insights have in common is the fact that the project manager’s personality is a critical and central success factor.

Now of all times, a complex era fraught with many business challenges is the project manager’s finest hour.