OPMA 5364 Project Management Part 2 Project Managers
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Topic Outline: Project Managers
• Selecting the project manager• Roles of a project manager• Project manager responsibilities• Characteristics of an effective project manager• Project manager challenges• Project manager rewards• Project manager selection exercise• Project Management Institute (PMI)• Tips for managing meetings
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Project Manager (PM)
When is the PM appointed?
Who is the PM responsible to?
Who should be appointed as the PM?• a technical expert?• whoever is available at the moment?• someone with good organizational skills?
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Project Stakeholders & Participants
• Customer/Client• Project sponsors• Top management• Project team• Subcontractors and vendors• Administrative support groups (HR, IT, Purchasing)• Functional managers• Other project managers in the company• Government agencies and other organizations
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Functional vs. Project ManagersFunctional Manager• Expert in functional area
• Full authority over employees
• Competes for resources with other functional dept.
• Knows subordinates very well
• Functional environment is fairly stable & people are comfortable in their jobs
Project Manager• May not be expert in any
area• May have limited authority
over employees• Competes for resources
with other projects• May not have known
subordinates very long• Project environment is
temporary & people expect changes
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Roles of a PM
• Manager– oversees and manages the work and the employees
• Facilitator– ensures that all resources and work are available
when needed and that any problems are resolved• Communicator
– must effectively communicate with senior management, client, project team, and other participants (vendors, dept. managers, etc.) as needed (which is frequently)
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Roles of a PM
• Politician– knows how to “get things done”, how to “work the
system”, how to get people to cooperate, how to influence others
• Negotiator– skilled at getting what is needed for the project to
succeed: negotiate with senior mgmt. for more resources, negotiate with functional manager to get a particular project team member or to use a functional resource, negotiate with vendor for shorter lead time, negotiate with client about project goal changes
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PM’s Responsibilities
• Doing whatever it takes to get the job done• Acquiring resources
– Funds, personnel, other resources• Fighting fires and obstacles• Providing leadership• Making tradeoffs between project goals• Negotiating and persuading• Resolving conflicts
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Helpful Skills for a PM
• Leadership ability• Communication skills• Ability to develop
people• Team-building skills• Interpersonal skills• Ability to handle
stress
• Planning skills• Organizational skills• Problem-solving skills• Administrative skills• Conflict resolution
skills• Time management
skills
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Desirable Characteristics of a PM
• Strong focus on “finishing the job”• Good at flexibility and adaptability• Willing to make decisions• Credibility is critical (technical & administrative)• Strong sense of ethics• Political and personal sensitivity• Effective leadership skills (can motivate)• Participative style of management• Ability to handle stress
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How To Develop Good PM Skills
• Gain experience on the job– work on project teams, manage small projects, work
in different job areas to get breadth of experience• Seek out feedback from others; look for a mentor• Conduct a self-evaluation; learn from mistakes• Interview senior or star project managers• Participate in training programs• Join PMI, Toastmasters, other organizations• Read journals, magazines, books on Project Mgmt.• Volunteer with charities to gain some skills
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Project Manager Challenges
• Dealing with many conflicts of opinions & interests• Handling job stress• Making goal tradeoffs when things go poorly• Staying within the budget• Meeting the project deadline• Achieving all desired project outcomes• Keeping all stakeholders happy• Time management• Balancing work time and family time (hrs/week)
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Project Manager Rewards
• Satisfaction of seeing final outcome and resulting benefits to the company
• Satisfaction of making stakeholders happy• Good visibility for successful project manager• Opportunities for advancement, more
responsibilities• Professional growth; enhanced career value• Financial rewards: bonus, salary increase
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12 Rules for Project Managers
Two researchers conducted many interviews with senior project managers in which they asked a simple question:
“What information were you never given as a novice project manager that, in retrospect, could have made your job easier?”
The results were summarized into 12 rules for new PMs.
Source: J. Pinto and O. Kharbanda, “Lessons for an Accidental Profession,” Business Horizons, March-April 1995.
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12 Rules for Project Managers
1. Understand the problems, opportunities, and expectations of a project manager.
2. Recognize that project teams will have conflicts, but this is a natural part of group development.
3. Understand who the stakeholders are and their agendas.
4. Realize that organizations are very political and use politics to your advantage.
5. Realize that project management is “leader intensive” but that you must be flexible.
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12 Rules for Project Managers
6. Understand that project success is defined by four components: budget, schedule, performance criteria, and customer satisfaction.
7. Realize that you must build a cohesive team by being a motivator, coach, cheerleader, peacemaker, and conflict resolver.
8. Notice that your team will develop attitudes based on the emotions you exhibit—both positive and negative.
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12 Rules for Project Managers
9. Always ask “what-if” questions and avoid becoming comfortable with the status of the project.
10. Don’t get bogged down in minutiae and lose sight of the purpose of the project.
11. Manage your time efficiently.12. Above all, plan, plan, plan.
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PM Selection Exercise
First State Bank case• Divide into small groups• Each group assigned Bob Dixon or Jim Mason• Read first 2 paragraphs plus section on your
assigned person (5 min.)• Within your group, develop a set of reasons
supporting why your assigned person (Bob or Jim) should be the project manager (20 min.)
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Project Management Institute (PMI)
Purpose: PMI is a professional organization dedicated to the development and promotion of the field of project management.
Founded in 19691990 7,500 members1995 17,0002000 60,0002003 100,000 (reached this # in Jan. 2003)Now >100,000 in more than 135 countries
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PMI Available Resources
• PMP Certification (Project Mgmt. Professional)• Dallas and Fort Worth each have a PMI chapter• www.pmi.org• Project Management Body of Knowledge
– PMBOK Guidebook—2004 edition, 250 pages– currently in draft form that you can download
• Job listings, publications, web links• Code of Ethics for Project Management
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PMI Code of Ethics
Preamble:
In the pursuit of the project management profession, it is vital that PMI members conduct their work in an ethical manner in order to earn and maintain the confidence of team members, colleagues, employees, employers, customers/clients, the public, and the global community.
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PMI Code of Ethics
As professionals in the field of project management, PMI members pledge to uphold and abide by the following:
• I will maintain high standards of integrity and professional conduct
• I will accept responsibility for my actions• I will continually seek to enhance my professional
capabilities• I will practice with fairness and honesty• I will encourage others in the profession to act in an
ethical and professional manner
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Meetings
The PM attends many meetings, some of which they lead, or manage
Since a PM’s time is valuable, managing meetings efficiently and effectively is a desirable skill
There are many tips that are helpful in becoming an effective meeting manager
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Meetings
• If run properly, meetings can be an effective way to discuss issues and make decisions
• Some guidelines for effective meetings:– Don’t hold meetings for the purpose of sharing
information that can be provided in a report– Distribute agenda in advance. Why?– Start and stop on time. Why?– How can you encourage people to be on time?– Chair of meeting is responsible for the minutes– Avoid excessive formality at project meetings
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Meetings
Assume that a project team is going to meet to discuss issues and recommend actions.
• Who should attend the meeting?• Who should chair the meeting?• Where should the meeting be held?• How long should the meeting last?• What should be the outputs of the meeting?• When should they meet again?
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Managing Meetings
• How should the meeting chair stop one person from dominating discussions?
• How can the meeting chair solicit input from quieter members? Why should they?
• Different points of view are beneficial to discuss, but what should the chair do if two people start arguing and create tension?
• How can chair handle “stupid” suggestions?
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Controlling the Meeting
• During a team meeting to discuss issues and make decisions, how much should the chair talk? Why?
• If the chair favors a particular point of view, when should that be made known in the discussion? Why?
• How can the chair bring each issue to a positive finish? Why is this important?
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The Meeting Agenda
• How long should it be?• How long before the meeting should it be
distributed?• What information should be included about each
agenda item?• How should agenda items be sequenced?• What is the benefit of labeling agenda items as
“informational”, “for discussion”, or “action item”?
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Structuring Discussion of an Item
For items needing discussion and a decision:• What is the problem?• What is the background information?• What might have caused the problem?• What are some potential solutions?• Select the best solution.Chair should keep discussion focused on this
framework
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Dealing with Discussions
• Questions seek and answers supply:– information– opinions– suggestions
• Which is usually most valuable? Why?• The more suggestions the better• No suggestions are “stupid”, but some may need
clarification or further development
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Minutes of the Meeting
• Chair is responsible that minutes be taken• All attendees and absentees at the meeting
should be listed. Why?• Minutes should list results of each item
discussed. Why?• Items requiring action should be indicated, along
with who is responsible for follow-up• Minutes should be distributed reasonably soon
after the meeting. Why?
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Final Thoughts on Meetings
• Meetings can serve a useful purpose• Meetings can also be a waste of time• The chair of the meeting is responsible for the
meeting being effective and efficient• The chair should value the time of everyone
involved• Effective meeting management is a skill• Attending workshops on managing meetings can
be helpful