Project Management

A Managerial Approach

Chapter 3

The Project Manager

 Leaders Vs. Managers
Managers have official titles in an organization

Leaders focus on interpersonal relationships

rather than administration

Important differences exist between the two on:

•Creation of purpose •Outcomes
•Network development •Execution
•Focus timeframe
4-2
Leaders Vs. Managers
Managers leaders
 Creation of purpose Creation of purpose
Focus on plans, budget, Create vision and strategies to
timetables. achieve them.
Developing network Developing network
Develop procedures to Create teams that understand
guide behavior. and share project vision.
Execution Execution
Monitor results Motivate and inspire; energize
people to overcome obstacles
 Leaders Vs. Managers
Managers Leaders
 Focus timeframe  Focus timeframe
Efficiency of operations Long term, taking risks,
Short-term, avoiding risks. innovating.
Selecting the Project Manager

Four major categories of skills that are

required for the project manager and
serve as the key criteria for selection:
Credibility
Sensitivity
Leadership and management style
Ability to handle stress

Chapter 3-24
Credibility
The project manager needs two kinds of credibility:
Technical credibility - perceived by the client, senior
executives, the functional departments, and the project
team as possessing sufficient technical knowledge to
direct the project. He must be able to understand the
technical needs and wants of the project.
Administrative credibility - keeping the project on
schedule and within costs and making sure reports are
accurate and timely. Must also make sure the project
team has material, equipment, and labor when needed.

Chapter 3-25
 Sensitivity
There are several ways for project managers to
display sensitivity:
Understanding the organization’s political structure
Sense interpersonal conflict on the project team or
between team members and outsiders
Does not avoid conflict, but confronts it and deals with it
before it escalates
Keeps team members “cool”
Sensitive set of technical sensors - ability to sense when
team members may try to “sweep things under the rug”
Chapter 3-26
Leadership and
Management Style
Leadership has been defined as:
“interpersonal influence, exercised in situation and directed through the
communication process, toward the attainment of a specified goal or
goals.”

Other attributes may include:

enthusiasm
Optimism (hopefulness)
energy
Tenacity (control)
courage
personal maturity Chapter 3-27
 Ethical Issues
 A project manager must also have a strong sense of ethics.
Some common ethical missteps are listed below:
“wired” bids and contracts (the winner has been predetermined)
“buy-in” (bidding low with the intention of cutting corners or forcing
subsequent contract changes)
“kickbacks” (An illegal payment made to someone in return for
facilitating a transaction or appointment)
“taking “shortcuts” (to meet deadlines or budgets)
using marginal (substandard) materials
compromising on safety
violating standards
consultant (e.g., auditors) loyalties (to employer or to client or to public)

Chapter 3-28
 Ability to Handle Stress
Four major causes of stress associated with the
management of projects:
1. some PM’s never developing a consistent set of
procedures and techniques with which to manage their
work
2. Many project managers have “too much on their
plates” (too much to cope with)
3. Some project managers have a high need to achieve
that is consistently frustrated

Chapter 3-29
ELEMENTS OF STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT..

• STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
• STAKEHOLDER PLANNING
 STEPS IN STAKEHOLDER
ANALYSIS..
• Identifying your stakeholders.
• Prioritizing your stakeholders
 IDENTIFYING YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
• 1st step (stakeholder analysis)
– brainstorm who your stakeholders are.
– Think of all the people who are affected by your work, who have influence
or power over it, or have an interest in its successful or unsuccessful
conclusion.
• For example:
– Engineers
– Marketing Executive
– Public Relations Officer
– Risk Management Officer
 PRIORITIZE YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
• After getting the long list of names.
– Some of these may have the power either to block
or advance it. Some may be interested in what you
are doing, others may not care.
• Map out your stakeholders on a
Power/Interest Grid and classify them by their
power over your work and by their interest in
your work.
 UNDERSTANDING YOUR STAKEHOLDERS

1. You now need to know more about your key

stakeholders. You need to know how they are
likely to feel about and react to your project.
You also need to know how best to engage
them in your project and how best to
communicate with them.
2. Plan Your Approach to
Stakeholder Management

– allocate time depends on the size and difficulty of

your projects and goals,
• the time you have available for communication
• the amount of help you need to achieve the results you
want.
 3. Think Through What You Want
from Each Stakeholder

– Work through your list of stakeholders thinking

through the levels of support you want from them
and the roles you would like them to play (if any).
Think through the actions you would like them to
perform. Write this information down in the
‘Desired Support’, ‘Desired Project Role’ and
‘Actions Desired’ columns.
4. Identify the Messages You
Need to Convey:
– Identify the messages that you need to convey to
your stakeholders to persuade them to support
you and engage with your projects or goals.
Typical messages will show the benefits to the
person or organization of what you are doing, and
will focus on key performance drivers like
increasing profitability or delivering real
improvements.
5. Identify Actions and
Communications:
– work out what you need to do to win and manage
the support of these stakeholders.
– Focusing on the high-power/high-interest
stakeholders first and the low-interest/low-power
stakeholders last, devise a practical plan that
communicates with people as effectively as
possible and that communicates the right amount
of information in a way that neither under nor
over-communicates ….