Project Manager's Roles
The Project Manager is the person responsible for ensuring that the Project Team
completes the project. The Project Manager develops the Project Plan with the team
and manages the team’s performance of project tasks. It is also the responsibility of
the Project Manager to secure acceptance and approval of deliverables from the
Project Sponsor and Stakeholders. The Project Manager is responsible for
communication, including status reporting, risk management, escalation of issues that
cannot be resolved in the team, and, in general, making sure the project is delivered in
budget, on schedule, and within scope.
The PM plays a number of roles, i.e. as
o The Client/Customer Interface
o The Team Leader and Integrator
o Project Resource Manager
o The Acceptor of the Team's Deliverables
o The Delivery Executive
As Client/Customer Interface
o Maintains open communications with client
o Cultivates client's confidence and cooperation
o Reaffirms customer's commitment to project
To its priorities and deliverables
o Collects client's requirements
Synthesizing or interpreting the information
And getting it to the people who need it
o Identifies stakeholders
And their interpretation of project success !
o Ensure all areas defining project's scope are included
o Scope based on written statement
Of "Affordable Requirements"
o Highlights project risks
And ensures client properly shares responsibility
o Ensures changes are formally processed
So project gets paid for extra work
o Seeks to minimize effects of changes
Including watching for "scope creep"
I.e. Manages expectations
Tips on managing this interface
o A little praise can go a long way to smooth relations
Especially if you also want to criticize!
o Don't resent their taking credit for what you do
They are after all ultimately responsible
o If you can make them look good, do so
Benefits is what your project is about, isn't it?
o Share a good laugh now and again
It's a great stress reliever in tough situations
o Provide constructive help at all times, both up and down
That is, after all, your job!
As the Team's Leader and Integrator
o Plans, assembles resources
Directs and organizes output
o Ensures effective and open communication
And wide participation in decision making
And who does what and when
o Maintains "Open Door"
o Balances project objectives with conflicting objectives
o Leads the project team's planning efforts
o Helps team to identify potential risks
And mitigation responses
o Clearly identify tasks and responsibilities
Delegates, motivates, evaluates
Clarifies delegation levels
And manages responsibility and task interfaces
o Selects project's project management tools
o Manage conflicts
Questions blurry responsibilities
And solves problems
o Act as a catalyst
And a "Devil's Advocate", when necessary
o Chairs team meetings
o Sets reporting frequency
o Issues minutes of meeting, agreed action items
And expected dates !
o Obtains confirmation/agreement of action items
o Distributes progress & cost reports to team
I.e. How are we doing?
As Project Resource Manager
o Identifies resource skills required for project
o Estimates durations of personnel involvement
o Balances the needs of the project, client, organization
o Selects team members
Ideally, but not always possible !
o Makes sure all key players are on the project team
When needed and for how long
o Ensures project personnel are motivated
And well looked after
o Updates "home" departments on project status and resource release dates
As the Acceptor of the Team's Deliverables
o Conveys scope content, WBS, responsibilities, etc
To individual team members
o Establishes discrete delivery milestones
o Sets performance standards
o Seeks ways and means for productivity improvement
o Verifies milestone achievements
o Validates quality of deliverables against standards
As the Delivery Executive
o Verifies/confirms continued validity of project's constraints (scope, quality,
time & cost)
o Seeks sponsor's support in removing unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to
project progress
o Reports task progress and completion
To Sponsor/Senior Management
On exception basis
o Provides forecasts of
Cash flow, final costs, work-in-progress, performance/productivity
analysis, product delivery dates and project completion
o Provides cash flow or cash draw down requirements
To controller/finance department
o Obtains customer's acceptance of deliverables
o And finally, produces results
That satisfies the Stakeholders !