The project manager or project manager has been arguing for a long time about how to correctly translate the English name of the project manager, while someone does not see the differences, and someone proves that there are a lot of these differences.
As Wikipedia says: “A project manager is a project management specialist who is responsible for planning, preparing and executing a specific project. Usually such a position and activity takes place in industries prone to design work, for example: IT-area, construction, etc. ".
An excellent definition, because, in my opinion, it is better than the definition that the international PMBOK standard gives, describing the current position of a project manager in a company. The key words here are "bears responsibility" as project managers of most domestic companies are responsible, but do not make decisions themselves.
In support of my words, tell me if your project manager can:
- Change project deadlines or at least one top-level task?
- Do you want to make a change to the content of the project or cancel the changes you make?
- Invite or expel a specialist from the project team?
- Motivate or demotivate a project team member?
- Change financing methods, timing and amount of financing?
- Interfere with the selection of contractors?
If you answered yes to most of the questions, congratulations, your company is on the right track. Alas, for most companies, the project manager turns into the main responsible for all project deviations with additional functions in the subject area (programming, coordinating construction documentation, looking for potential buyers).
The reason for this situation is the reluctance of managers to delegate decision-making, which can be understood, since the management of the company is not an easy burden and not everyone can decide to entrust even a small share of decisions to other specialists. Especially when you consider that the company does not have mechanisms to control the work of project managers. The presence of the simplest project management processes together with project schedules in professional project management information systems would provide tight control over project implementation.
Real use of the processes, methods and means of project management will free the head of the company from routine decisions for quality control and strategic planning. It is no secret that the head of the company must make decisions at the strategic level and the project manager at the tactical level. If everyone, even the leader, looks at his feet, who then chooses the path along which to go?
In the articles of this blog "Project management system without project managers" I considered the possibility of gradually developing the company's corporate culture in project management. And the article "Who is the project manager here" describes the functional responsibilities of the project manager.
Project management skills of a project manager can be strengthened online in the Mentoring on customize MS Project Online.
That's all. Successful projects to you.
