lecture 3- defining role of project manager and team

7/21/2019 Lecture 3- Defining Role of Project Manager and Team

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LECTURE 3

Defining the Roles of theProject Manager and the Team



Introduction

The role of the project manager can be a

tricky one.

This is especially the case where the project

manager has no formal authority over thepeople they must work with to get the job

done.

This chapter defines the roles of the project

manager and the project team members.

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Introduction

Successful project management is only as good as

the individuals and leaders who are managing the key

functions dedicated to the achievement of a specific

goal, to the completion of the project

Project personnel includes:• Project manager

• Assistant project manager (if necessary)

• Project office

• Project team Fundamental project requirements:

• Customer liaison

• Project direction

• Project planning 3

• Project control

• Project evaluation

• Project reporting



The Role of a Project Manager

Planning

Organizing

Integrating Controlling

Leading

Decision-making Communicating, and

Building a supportive climate for the project

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The Basic Characteristics of PM

Honesty and integrity

Understanding of

personnel problems

Understanding of project

technology

Business management

competence

• Management principles

• Communications

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Alertness and quickness

Versatility

Energy and toughness

Decision-making ability

Ability to evaluate risk and

uncertainty



Project Management Skills

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People skills

Projectmanagement

skills

Knowledge oforganization

Technicalskills

Integrationskills

Basic project manager skills



People Skills

It is necessary for the project manager to use both

direct authority and persuasion and to know when to

use each.

S/he needs to be a master of communication and to

have the skills to manage conflict and change.

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Project Skills

Can you estimate costs and prepare workable schedulesand adequate budget plans?

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Integration Skills

One of the primary duties of a project

manager is coordination of the many project

elements.

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Technical Skills

A project manager must understand whatneeds to be done technically, but will not

have the same depth of understanding as

the subject matter experts working on the

project. However, they must know if potential pitfalls

exist.

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Technical Skills (continued)

Technology involved

Engineering tools and techniques employed

Specific markets, their customers, and requirements

Product applications

Technological trends and evolutions

Relationship among supporting technologies

People who are part of the technical community

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Knowledge of the Organisation

Without understanding of the organization’s:

• culture,

• policies,

• personalities and

politics,

the project will most likely fail.

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The Make Up of a Project Manager

Flexibility and adaptability.

Preference for significant initiative andleadership.

Assertiveness, confidence, persuasiveness,verbal fluency.

Ambition, activity, forcefulness.

Effectiveness as a communicator and

integrator. Broad scope of personal interests.

Poise, enthusiasm, imagination, spontaneity.

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The Make Up of a Project Manager

Able to balance technical solutions with time,cost, and human factors.

Well organized and disciplined.

A generalist rather than a specialist. Able and willing to devote most of his time to

planning and controlling.

Able to identify problems.

Willing to make decisions.

Able to maintain proper balance in the use of

time.14



Additional Skills Needed

Are feasibility and economic analysis necessary?

Is complex technical expertise required? If so, is it

within the individual’s capabilities?

If the individual is lacking expertise, will there be

sufficient backup strength in the line organisations? Is this the company’s or the individual’s first exposure

to this type of project and/or client? If so, what are the

risks to be considered?

What is the priority for this project, and what are the

risks?

With whom must the project manager interface, both

inside and outside the organisation?

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Responsibility, Authority and Accountability

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Responsibility

Accountability

Authority

Project managers must maintain good balance in

assigning responsibility, delegating authority and

holding people accountable.



Responsibility

While others are responsible for parts of the

project, the project manager still retains

FULL responsibility for the final result!

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Authority

Appropriate access to resources must begranted to team members, including the

project manager in order to complete the

project.

Without proper authority, the teamcannot be held accountable for

poor results.

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Accountability

Helps decrease poor performance andincrease good performance when the level

of accountability is in line with responsibility.

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Classroom Activity 3a

Do responsibility, authority, and accountability

function well in your organization?

What can you do to keep them in balance?

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Project Manager Selection

A project manager is given a license to cut across

several organizational lines. His activities, therefore,

take on a flavor of general management, and must be

done well.

Project management will not succeed without good

project managers. Thus, if general management

sees fit to establish a project, it should certainly see

fit to select a good person as its leader.

A project manager is far more likely to accomplishdesired goals if it is obvious that general

management has selected and appointed him.



Selection Process

Five basic questions:

1. What are the internal and external sources?

2. How do we select?

3. How we do provide career development in

project management?

4. How can we develop project management

skills?

5. How do we evaluate project management

performance?

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Project Management

Responsibilities

To produce the end-item with the available

resources and within the constraints of time, cost,

and performance/technology

To meet contractual profit objectives

To make all required decisions whether they be for

alternatives or termination

To act as the customer (external) and upper-level

and functional management (internal)

communications focal point



To “negotiate” with all functional disciplines for

accomplishment of the necessary work packages

within the constraints of time, cost, and

performance/technology

To resolve all conflicts, if possible

Project Management

Responsibilities (continued)



Classroom Activity 3b

Do you want to be effective project manager?

1. Are you more concerned about being everyone’s

friend or getting a job done right?

2. Do you prefer to do technical work or manage other

people doing technical work?3. Do you think the best way to get a tough task done

is to do it yourself?

4. Do you prefer your work to be predictable or

constantly changing?

5. Do you prefer to spend your time developing ideas

rather than explaining those ideas to other people?

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Classroom Activity 3b

6. Do you handle crisis well?

7. Do you prefer to work by yourself with others?

8. Do you think you shouldn’t have to monitor people

after they’ve promised to do a task for you?9. Do you believe people should be self-motivated to

perform their jobs?

10. Are you comfortable dealing with people at all

organizational levels?

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The Role of Team Members

They must know what they are supposed to do,

preferably in terms of an end product.

They must have a clear understanding of their

authority and its limits.

They must know what their relationship with other

people is.

They should know where and when they are falling

short.

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Recruiting Project Members

Factors affecting recruiting

• Importance of the project

• Management structure used to complete the project

How to recruit?

• Ask for volunteers

Who to recruit?

• Problem-solving ability

• Availability

• Technological expertise• Credibility

• Political connections

• Ambition, initiative, and energy28



Project Team Meetings

ConductingProject

Meetings

EstablishingGround Rules

PlanningDecisions

TrackingDecisions

ManagingChange

Decisions

RelationshipDecisions

ManagingSubsequent

Meetings



Managing Conflict within the Project Team

Encouraging Functional Conflict• Encourage dissent by asking tough questions.

• Bring in people with different points of view.

• Designate someone to be a devil’s advocate.

• Ask the team to consider an unthinkable alternative

Managing Dysfunctional Conflict

• Mediate the conflict.

• Arbitrate the conflict.

• Control the conflict.

• Accept the conflict.

• Eliminate the conflict.



Conflict Intensity Over the Project Life Cycle



Classroom Activity 3c

Are the roles of the team members in your

current projects well defined in writing?

Do team members understand and work

within these definitions? Could any current conflicts or confusion be

cleared up by better role definition?

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Questions?

lecture 3- defining role of project manager and team

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