Having been in project management all my working life, (I am NOT an accidental project manager) I find the best project managers sweat the details. Yes, they delegate, but they also follow up and follow through. For a good example of someone I consider to be a "good" project manager, is Rudy Giuliani. Read his book "Leadership" to get a better sense of the big picture thinker, detail, action oriented executor.
Of all the major differences I've found between merely good and great projects managers, are those who are detail oriented end up with SUCCESSFUL projects. Leave the vision stuff to the MBA's..... If I want to see a successful project, give me a person who can see the forest, but has the ability to deal with each tree.
For those interested, I have been working with Dr. Dan Harrison, Harrison Assessments www.harrisonassessments.com to develop a profile of what most people would consider to be "successful" project managers. For the initial report, please feel free to email me, or for those who want to participate in further research on the topic, we would like to collaborate with you.
BR,
Dr. Paul Giammalvo, CDT, PMP, CCE, MScPM
Jakarta, Indonesia
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I think someone with the above characteristics isn't cut out to be a lot of things... #1 and #2 alone eliminate pretty much any position that involves interfacing with the public or any diverse group of people.
As always, I mostly agree with what Tom says. However, I do have a problem with two of the items .....
Item 10 ... sorry but project management is an overhead. An absolutely necessary and value-added overhead but an overhead ne'er-the-less. Unless you recognize that it is an overhead you'll never recognize when to cut back. Not all projects require a full-blown project management methodology ... and providing less than required is a good way to design a train wreck. (Besides, AP & Payroll are both overhead departments ... see how long your company lasts without either!)
Item #3 ... You like the details. The trick is in recognizing what constitutes a detail to a project manager. A project manager who ignores his own details is a failure waiting for a place to happen as has been stated by others (although, scarily enough, many do succeed for years). However, a detail to a project manager, a scheduler, an end-user/client, a business analyst and a programmer are all different. A project manager who falls into the someone-else's-details trap is also fated to fail (or is in definite need of more work).
Item 10 ... sorry but project management is an overhead. An absolutely necessary and value-added overhead but an overhead ne'er-the-less. Unless you recognize that it is an overhead you'll never recognize when to cut back. Not all projects require a full-blown project management methodology ... and providing less than required is a good way to design a train wreck. (Besides, AP & Payroll are both overhead departments ... see how long your company lasts without either!)
Item #3 ... You like the details. The trick is in recognizing what constitutes a detail to a project manager. A project manager who ignores his own details is a failure waiting for a place to happen as has been stated by others (although, scarily enough, many do succeed for years). However, a detail to a project manager, a scheduler, an end-user/client, a business analyst and a programmer are all different. A project manager who falls into the someone-else's-details trap is also fated to fail (or is in definite need of more work).
"The term overhead is usually used when grouping expenses that are necessary to the continued functioning of the business but cannot be immediately associated with the products or services being offered (i.e., do not directly generate profits)." - Wikipedia
My time as a project manager is client billable which means that I contribute to the profit by generating revenue. Even if that was not so, the management of the project directly impacts the expenses around the delivery of the product or service thereby affecting the profit made on the project.
My time as a project manager is client billable which means that I contribute to the profit by generating revenue. Even if that was not so, the management of the project directly impacts the expenses around the delivery of the product or service thereby affecting the profit made on the project.
To them you are a service, to the people paying the bill, you are an overhead...
IT people as cost centre versus revenue generator has been done to death. Don't want to go there.
If you don't realise business see us as an overhead, you've been asleep at the wheel.
IT people as cost centre versus revenue generator has been done to death. Don't want to go there.
If you don't realise business see us as an overhead, you've been asleep at the wheel.
I'm sorry, Tony, that you have only been exposed to businesses that see project management as an overhead.
I've been with companies ranging from SMB to Fortune 100 and they all understood the value of project management.
I worked as an organizational unit manager with a budget. I know the difference between direct, indirect and overhead costs. Project management was always a direct costs.
I've been with companies ranging from SMB to Fortune 100 and they all understood the value of project management.
I worked as an organizational unit manager with a budget. I know the difference between direct, indirect and overhead costs. Project management was always a direct costs.
Nice list. I think the "rising above details is a tough one for a lot of people who - dare I use the word "evolve"? - from the technical fields. I have two engineering degrees and that was tough for me...
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((Shameless Plug)) read more about this at my blog, Scope Crepe, http://scopecrepe.blogspot.com
In my experience, I have seen a lot of times Bad Project Managers doing a lot of overwork, checking all the work than other member of their teams should have done, only because they are the finally responsible of the success of the Project.
The Good Project Manager should trust in his team and understand than there are several ways to do the same things.
Making a clear map of responsibilities and accountabilities to all the team members, and good communication plan help to achive this
The Good Project Manager should trust in his team and understand than there are several ways to do the same things.
Making a clear map of responsibilities and accountabilities to all the team members, and good communication plan help to achive this
I have been managing projects for 20+ years and I think there are a couple things I would change in the list. First I have found that you have to sweat the details to have a clear view of your critical path and how much resources need to be added where to mitigate critical path items. Secondly, people management represents very different skills in Government sector vs. Private sector, and in addition I think your list should list can navigate politically charged environments. This goes beyond strong communication skills to stakeholders in management and staff, as a PM must understand how to navigate and get program champions from upper organizational channels. Accomplishing this may be comfortable for some in the private sector where cost and ROI are always good leverage tools for communication and buy in, but not in Government where delivery date is fare more important to management than the completeness of the accomplishment. For me this aspect is the hardest to mitigate in the Government sector.
Alston Davis
Baltimore, MD
Program Manager / SE Architect
Alston Davis
Baltimore, MD
Program Manager / SE Architect
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