Chapter 3

The Project Manager

Copyright 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chapter Objectives
Project

management and the project

manager functional manager vs. project
manager
Project managers responsibility
PM Career Path
Special Demands on the Project Manager
Selecting the Project Manager major
attributes and selection criteria

Continued
Problems

of cultural differences
Impact of institutional environment
Multicultural communications and
managerial behavior

Introduction
This

chapter is mainly concerned with

the Human Resource area of PMBOK.
The project manager is the CEO and
the leader of the project team.

Initial activities associated with the

selection of a PM
Appointment

of a Project Manager
Briefing the Project
Preliminary Tasks
Operational Mechanisms
Defining the Role and Responsibility of the PM
The Context of the Project
Required Skill and Normal Circumstances
Top
Management Support and General
Orientation of Team Members

Leadership and Management

Leadership

is a talent only a few are

born with
Management is a skill that anyone can
acquire

Projects are Riskier

1.
2.
3.
4.

Expectations are more specific

The resources are more diverseand
many are not even in your department
Deadlines are shorter
No chance to do better next time if
there is a problem

3.1 Project Management and the

Project Manager
The

project manager functions as a mini-

CEO
The project manager must have a clear
understanding of how the project fits into the
overall organization
This is why broad knowledge is more
valuable than technical knowledge
Budgets, timetables, and criteria, magnify
management problems on projects

The Project Manager

The

Continued

project manager should come into the

project early
We want him to help produce as much of the
project plan as possible
This helps insure that the project manager
buys into the plans
Over time, plans are refined and people are
added to the project staff

Functional Management

Figure 3-1

Functional Management

Continued

Department heads are usually functional specialists.

They have the technical skills and specialized
knowledge to evaluate all members of their
organization.
They decide who performs each task and, to a
certain degree, how the task is performed.
That is, they exercise a great deal of control over
every aspect of the work that gets performed within
their area.

Project Management

Figure 3-2

Project Management

Continued

Project managers are usually generalists.

It would be very unusual for a project manager to
have all the technical skills that are used on their
projects.
The project manager rarely decides who performs
each task and lacks the technical skills to evaluate
much of the work performed on the project.
That is, they exercise very little control over most
aspects of the work that gets performed on the
project.

Comparing Functional & Project

Managers

Functional manager needs technical skills while

project manager need negotiation skills.
Functional manager must be skilled at analysis while
project manager must be skilled at synthesis.
Functional manager uses the analytic approach
while project manager uses the systems approach.
Functional manager is responsible for a small area
while project manager is responsible for the big
picture.
Functional manager is a manager while the project
manager is a facilitator.

Special Cases
1.

2.

3.

When a project is small, line personnel may

be assigned as manager. When conflicts
between the line position and the project
arise, the project will suffer.
When a line person is assigned as a project
manager, conflicts can arise between the
line and project for resource assignment.
When projects are small, a project manager
may manage multiple project. This can be a
problem when the projects conflict.

3.2 Project Manager Responsibilities

1.
2.
3.

The parent company

The project/client
The project staff

The Parent Company

Proper

usage of resources
Timely and accurate reports
Keep project sponsor informed
Careful, competent management of the
project.
Protect the firm from high risk
Accurate reporting of project status with
regard to budget and schedule

The Project / Client

Preserve

the integrity of the project

Resolve conflict among interested
parties
Ensure performance, budgets, and
deadlines are met
Keep the client informed of major
changes

The Project Staff

Very

few people will work for the project

manager
The team will disband at the end of the
project
The project manager must look out for
everyones future
This is in the best interest of the project,
otherwise as the project winds down,
everyone will be looking after themselves

3.3 Project Management Career Paths

Most Project Managers get their training in one or more of

the following ways:

On-the-job

Project management seminars and workshops

Active participation in the programs of the local chapters of the

Project Management Institute

Formal education in degree/certificate programs

3.4 Special Demands on Project

Manager
Acquiring

adequate resources
Acquiring and motivating personnel
Dealing with obstacles
Making project goal trade-offs
Failure and the risk and fear of failure
Breadth of communication
Negotiation

Acquiring Adequate Resources

Project

budgets are usually inadequate

There are resource trade-offs that must
be considered
Crises occur that require special
resources

Acquiring and Motivating

Personnel
Most

project workers are borrowed from

functional managers
The project manager negotiates for the
desired worker but

The project manager wants the best

qualified individual
The functional manager decides who to
assign

Acquiring and Motivating Personnel

Continued

The

functional manager also decides

The skill level to assign

The pay and promotion of the worker
assigned to the project

Additionally,

the worker will most likely

return to the functional manager once
the project is finished

Acquiring and Motivating Personnel

Continued

Once

workers are assigned to a

project, the project manager must
motivate them

The project manager have little or no

control over pay and promotion
This is especially true in shorter projects

Dealing with Obstacles

Every

project is unique and this

characteristic means that the PM will
have to face and overcome a series of
crises.
A big problem is scope creep

Dealing with Obstacles

Continued

At the inception of a project, the fires tend

to be associated with resources
As a project nears completion, obstacles
tend to be clustered around two key issues:

Last minute schedule and technical changes

Uncertainty surrounding what happens to members
of the project team when the project is completed

Making Project Goal Trade-Offs

Trade-offs involve
1.
2.
3.

Cost
Time
Performance

Multiple projects
Project goals and organizational goals
Project, firm, career

Failure and the Risk and Fear of

Failure
Well

understood projects (Type 1)

Appear simple
Natural flow introduces problems

Poorly

understood project (Type 2)

Many difficulties early on

Most are planning problem
May have psychic consequences

Breadth of Communication
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Why the project exists

Some projects fail
Top management support needed
Information network needed
Must be flexible

Negotiations
Acquiring

adequate resources
Motivating personnel
Dealing with obstacles
Making project goal trade-offs
Handing failure
Maintaining communication

3.5 Selecting the Project Manager

Some key attributes, skills, and qualities that have been
sought in PM are:

Strong technical background

Assertive and successful functional manager
Mature and calm
Someone who is currently available
Someone on good terms with senior executives
Knows how to keep a team focused and inspired
Experience in several different functions
A person who can walk on (or part) the waters

Selection criteria
1.
2.
3.
4.

Credibility
Sensitivity
Leadership, ethics, and management
style
Ability to handle stress

Creditability
1.
2.

Technical credibility
Administrative credibility

Sensitivity
Political

sensitivity
Interpersonal sensitivity
Technically sensitivity

Leadership, Ethics, and Management

Style
Leadership
Strong

sense ethics
A management style that fits the project

Ability to Handle Stress

1.
2.
3.
4.

No consistent procedures
Too much to do
High need to achieve
Organizations in change

3.6 Problems of Cultural Differences

Project

managers must adapt to the

social/cultural environment in which they are
workings.
This is especially true when the project is in
another country.
There can be real problems on international
projects when a cultures opinion of some
group are different from the firms.

Aspects of Culture
Technology
Institutions
Language
Aesthetic

values

Technology
The

technology of a culture includes

such things as the tools used by
people, the material things they
produce and use, they way they
prepare food, their skills, and their
attitudes toward work. It embraces all
aspects of their material lives.

Structure

The institutions of a culture make up the

structure of the society. This category contains
the organization of the government, the nature of
the family, the way in which religion is organized
as well as the content of religious doctrine, the
division of labor, the kind of economic system
adopted, the system of education, and the way
in which voluntary associations are formed and
maintained.

Language

Language is another ingredient of all cultures. The

language of a culture is always unique because it is
developed in ways that meet the express needs of
the culture of which it is a part. The translation of one
cultures language into anothers is rarely precise.
Words carry connotative meanings as well as
denotative meanings. The English word apple may
denote a fruit, but it also connotes health (keeps the
doctor away) bribery (for my eye), New York city, a
color, a computer (Late 1930s), favoritism (of my
eye), as well as several other things.

Arts or Aesthetics
Finally,

the arts or aesthetic values of a culture

are as important to communication as the
cultures language. If communication is the glue
that binds a culture together, art is the most
efficient means of communicating. Aesthetic
values dictate what is found beautiful and
satisfying. If a society can be said to have
style, it is from the cultures aesthetic values
that style has its source.

Culture and the Project

Time
Staffing

projects
Knowledge of people

3.7 Impact of Institutional

Environments
1.
2.
3.
4.

Socioeconomic environment
Legal environment
Business cycle as an environment
Technologically environment

Socioeconomic Environment
Must

deal with the local government

Local government is interested in its
citizens
Must honor local customs

Legal Environment
Different

countries/regions
have
different legal structures
The project must conform to those laws
Projects may also have to conform to
US laws

Legal Environment
Ownership

of the project

Patents
Copyrights
Trademarks
Trade

Continued

secrets

The Business Cycle as an

Environment
The

business environment can be very

different in various countries
The general economic environment can also
be different

Cost of living
Unemployment
Average income
Work day

Technological Environment
The

US is very technologically advanced

Some other countries are less advanced
This affects the technology available for the
project
It affects the local workers ability to
understand and use technology

3.8 Multicultural Communications and

Management Behavior

Cultural differences have a tremendous impact on

project personnel
Differences in value systems present problems to
project personnel
The logistics of relocating project personnel on
international projects is huge
This is especially true in developing countries

Large distances constrain travel

Just getting to a meeting may take days

Language and educational differences present

communication problems

 Structure

and Style of Communications:

In the United States, delegation is a preferred

managerial style
In cultures where authority is highly centralized, it
becomes the project managers responsibility to
seek out information
The manager of an international project cannot
count on being voluntarily informed of problems
and potential problems by his or her subordinates

 Managerial

and Personal Behavior

In a society with highly structured social classes,

it is difficult to practice participative management
There is an assumption that the more educated,
higher-class managers authority will be
denigrated by using a participative style
The more structured a countrys social system,
the less direct managerial communication tends
to be