Project Management Chapter 2 Manager, Organization, and the Team

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Project ManagementChapter 2Manager,
Organization, and the Team
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Factors Increasing the Importance of Projects

• Emphasis on time-to-market
• Need for specialized knowledge from a variety of
  areas
• Explosive rate of technological change
• Accountability and control

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Appointing the Project Manager

• Who should be appointed as the PM?
• A technical expert?
• Whoever is available at the moment?
• Someone with good organizational skills?
• A senior manager meets with PM, describes
• the project
• its importance to the parent organization
• its importance to the future career of the PM.
• Project Manager is announced.
• Launch meeting to initiate the project team.

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Who is the PM responsible to?

• PM is responsible to Project Stakeholders
• Customer/Client
• Project sponsors
• Top management (especially project champion)
• Project team
• Subcontractors and vendors
• Functional managers
• Other project managers in the company
• Government agencies and other organizations
• Related communities

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Functional vs. Project Managers

• Functional Manager
• Expert in functional area
• Full authority over employees
• Competes for resources with other functional
  dept.
• Knows subordinates very well
• Functional environment is fairly stable people
  are comfortable in their jobs

• Project Manager
• May not be expert in any area
• May have limited authority over employees
• Competes for resources with other projects
• May not have known subordinates very long
• Project environment is temporary people expect
  changes

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Roles of a PM

• Manager planning, organizing, staffing,
  budgeting, directing, and controlling.
• Facilitator facilitator vs. supervisor.
• System Thinker 2gt11.
• Communicator with senior management, client,
  project team, vendors, functional managers.
• Negotiator with senior mgmt. for more human and
  capital resources, with functional manager to get
  a particular skills, with vendor for shorter lead
  time, with client about project changes (scope
  creep).
• Politician knows how to get things done, how
  to work the system.

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Facilitator vs. Supervisor

• Ensures that all resources and work are available
  when needed, problems are resolved, each task is
  properly concluded.
• Resolves conflict with functional managers, the
  client and others. Manages conflicts by
  negotiation.
• Assigns the responsibility for the planning and
  organization of tasks to team members.
• Avoids Micromanagement which is one of the deadly
  managerial sins where s/he closely supervises and
  second-guesses (and instructs on) every decision
  a project member makes. The same is true for the
  relationship between the program manager and PM.

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Systems Approach

• System
• What parts
• What goal
• Relationships
• How it affects and is affected by the
  environment.
• A system approach in defining the tasks and their
  relationships, the resources and the way they are
  allocated, and the deliverable and they way they
  are evaluated is essential for PM.
• A project is a system composed of subsystems such
  as a group of activities leading to a milestone,
  individual activities, subactivities, .

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Facilitator Systems Approach

• Project's objectives influence the nature of the
  tasks and the tasks influence the nature of the
  subtasks. Similarly, the program and, above it,
  the organization influence the nature of the
  project the system.
• Optimization of design and operations of a
  subsystem - suboptimization usually is not in
  the line (and perhaps against) optimization of
  the total system. Ex. two sequential stations.
  Ex. marketing, operation, and purchasing under
  seasonality.
• Efficiency of subsystems should be evaluated only
  based on their impact of efficiency of the total
  system.

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• The elephant was in a dark house some Hindus had
  brought it for exhibition. In order to see it,
  many people were going, every one, into that
  darkness. As seeing it with the eye was
  impossible, each one was feeling it in the dark
  with the palm of his hand.
• The first approached the elephant, and happening
  to fall
• Against his broad and sturdy side, at once began
  to bawl
• "God bless me! but the elephant is very like a
  wall!"
• The second, feeling of the tusk, cried, "Ho! what
  have we here
• So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis
  mighty clear
• This wonder of an elephant is very like a spear!"
• The third approached the animal, and happening to
  take
• The squirming trunk within his hands, thus boldly
  up and spake
• "I see," quoth he, "the elephant Is very like a
  snake!"

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• The fourth reached out an eager hand, and felt
  about the knee.
• "What most this wondrous beast is like, is mighty
  plain," quoth he
• " 'Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a
  tree!"
• The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, said
  "E'en the blindest man
• Can tell what this resembles most Deny the fact
  who can
• This marvel of an elephant , is very like a fan!"
•  The sixth no sooner had begun , about the beast
  to grope,
• Than, seizing on the swinging tail , that fell
  within his scope,
• "I see," quoth he, "the elephant Is very like a
  rope!
• Similarly, whenever anyone heard a description
  of the elephant, he understood it only in
  respect of the part that he had touched.
• On account of the diverse place object of
  view, their statements differed
• If there had been a candle in each one's hand,
  the difference would have gone out of their words.

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Communicator

• Must effectively communicate with senior
  management, client, project team, vendors,
  department managers, , and to anyone else who may
  have a stake in the project's performance as
  needed

Senior Management
Project Team
Client
PM
Outside Interested Party
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Communicator

• Must communicate with senior management, client,
  project team, vendors, functional managers, and
  other stakeholders.
• Some of these parties may create informal
  communication paths that may mislead others, or
  conflict with other messages in the system. PM
  has to introduce order into destructive
  communication lines.
• Never let the boss be surprised! Build trust
  between the PM and senior managers (the project
  champion).
• Formal and routine progress reports aside, the PM
  must keep senior management up to date on any
  problem or potential problem affecting time,
  budget, and scope of the project.

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Communicator

• The relationship between the project team and the
  PM may be closer to boss-subordinate.
• The PM facilitates the work of the team, and
  helps them succeed. S/he serves as advisor,
  counselor, confessor, and interested friend. S/he
  also takes an active interest in fostering
  members' future careers.
• Team members of a Virtual Project are in
  different divisions or organizations in different
  locations. Communication between PM and virtual
  project team members must be frequent, open, and
  more importantly, two-way real time-- telephone
  or video conferencing, etc.

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Managing meetings efficiently and effectively

• PM is responsible for the meeting being effective
  and efficient. Meetings can serve a useful
  purpose. Meetings can also be a waste of time.
• Dont hold meetings for the purpose of sharing
  information that can be provided in a report.
• Distribute agenda in advance. Why?
• Start and stop on time. Why?
• Avoid excessive formality at project meetings
• List informational, for discussion, and
  action items.
• Identify what should be the outputs of the
  meeting.

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Structuring Discussion of an Item

• What is the problem?
• What is the background information?
• What might have caused the problem?
• What are some potential solutions?
• Select the best solution.
• The chair should keep discussion focused.

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Minutes of the Meeting

• Chair is responsible for taking minutes.
• All attendees and absentees at the meeting should
  be listed. Why?
• Minutes should list results of each item
  discussed. Why?
• Items requiring action should be indicated, along
  with who is responsible for follow-up
• Minutes should be distributed reasonably soon
  after the meeting. Why?

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PMs Responsibilities

• Doing whatever it takes to get the job done
• Acquiring human and capital resources
• Fighting fires and obstacles
• Providing leadership
• Making tradeoffs between project goals
• Negotiating and persuading
• Resolving conflicts

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Helpful Skills for a PM

• Leadership ability
• Communication skills
• Ability to develop people
• Team-building skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Ability to handle stress

• Planning skills
• Organizational skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Administrative skills
• Conflict resolution skills
• Time management skills

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Desirable Characteristics of a PM

• Strong focus on finishing the job
• Good at flexibility and adaptability
• Willing to make decisions
• Technical and administrative credibility
• Strong sense of ethics
• Political and personal sensitivity
• Effective leadership skills (can motivate)
• Participative style of management
• Ability to handle stress

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How To Develop Good PM Skills

• Gain experience on the job
• work on project teams, manage small projects,
  work in different job areas to get breadth of
  experience
• Seek out feedback from others look for a mentor
• Conduct a self-evaluation learn from mistakes
• Interview senior or star project managers
• Participate in training programs
• Join PMI, Toastmasters, other organizations
• Read journals, magazines, books on Project Mgmt.
• Volunteer with charities to gain some skills

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Project Manager Challenges

• Dealing with many conflicts of opinions
  interests
• Handling job stress
• Making goal tradeoffs when things go poorly
• Staying within the budget
• Meeting the project deadline
• Achieving all desired project outcomes
• Keeping all stakeholders happy
• Time management
• Balancing work time and family time (hrs/week)

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Project Manager Rewards

• Satisfaction of seeing final outcome and
  resulting benefits to the company
• Satisfaction of making stakeholders happy
• Good visibility for successful project manager
• Opportunities for advancement, more
  responsibilities
• Professional growth enhanced career value
• Financial rewards bonus, salary increase

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12 Rules for Project Managers

• Two researchers conducted many interviews with
  senior project managers in which they asked a
  simple question
• What information were you never given as a
  novice project manager that, in retrospect, could
  have made your job easier?
• The results were summarized into 12 rules for new
  PMs.
• Source J. Pinto and O. Kharbanda, Lessons for
  an Accidental Profession, Business Horizons,
  March-April 1995.

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12 Rules for Project Managers

1. Understand the problems, opportunities, and
   expectations of a project manager.
2. Recognize that project teams will have conflicts,
   but this is a natural part of group development.
3. Understand who the stakeholders are and their
   agendas.
4. Realize that organizations are very political and
   use politics to your advantage.
5. Realize that project management is leader
   intensive but that you must be flexible.

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12 Rules for Project Managers

1. Understand that project success is defined by
   four components budget, schedule, performance
   criteria, and customer satisfaction.
2. Realize that you must build a cohesive team by
   being a motivator, coach, cheerleader,
   peacemaker, and conflict resolver.
3. Notice that your team will develop attitudes
   based on the emotions you exhibitboth positive
   and negative.

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12 Rules for Project Managers

1. Always ask what-if questions and avoid becoming
   comfortable with the status of the project.
2. Dont get bogged down in details and lose sight
   of the purpose of the project.
3. Manage your time efficiently.
4. Above all, plan, plan, plan.

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Project Management Institute (PMI)

• Purpose PMI is a professional organization
  dedicated to the development and promotion of the
  field of project management.
• Founded in 1969
• 1990 7,500 members
• 1995 17,000
• 2000 60,000
• 2003 100,000 (reached this in Jan.
  2003)
• Now gt100,000 in more than 135 countries

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PMI Available Resources

• PMP Certification (Project Mgmt. Professional)
• LA has a PMI chapter
• www.pmi.org
• Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
  Guidebook that you can download
• Job listings, publications, web links
• Code of Ethics for Project Management

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PMI Code of Ethics

• In the pursuit of the project management
  profession, it is vital that PMI members conduct
  their work in an ethical manner in order to earn
  and maintain the confidence of team members,
  colleagues, employees, employers,
  customers/clients, the public, and the global
  community.

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PMI Code of Ethics

• As professionals in the field of project
  management, PMI members pledge to uphold and
  abide by the following
• I will maintain high standards of integrity and
  professional conduct
• I will accept responsibility for my actions
• I will continually seek to enhance my
  professional capabilities
• I will practice with fairness and honesty
• I will encourage others in the profession to act
  in an ethical and professional manner

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The Pure Project Organization
Marketing Manufacturing RD Human Resources
Marketing Manufacturing RD Human Resources
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The Pure Project Organization

• Advantages
• Effective and efficient for large projects
• Resources available as needed
• Broad range of specialists
• Short lines of communication
• Drawbacks
• Expensive for small projects
• May have limited technological depth
• May require high levels of duplication for
  certain specialties

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Functional Project Organization
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Functional Project Organization

• Advantages
• technological depth
• Drawbacks
• slow lines of communication outside functional
  departments
• technological breadth
• project rarely given high priority

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Matrix Project Organization
Hard and soft matrix organization?
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Matrix Project Organization

• Advantages
• flexibility in the way it can interface with
  parent organization
• strong focus on the project itself
• contact with functional groups minimizes
  projectitis
• ability to manage fundamental trade-offs across
  several projects
• Drawbacks
• violation of the unity of command principle
• complexity of managing full set of projects
• conflict between PM and other PMs, PM and FM

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Mixed Project Organization
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Project Team Members

• Effective project team members
• Technically competent
• Politically sensitive
• Problem oriented
• Goal oriented
• High self-esteem
• Causes of Intra-team Conflict
• Life cycle phase
• Name-Only Team (NOT)
• Functional interests
• Interpersonal barriers

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Assignments

• Review Questions 1,3,5,6,7,8,9
• Discussion Questions 11,12,13,15,20
• Incidents for Discussion 1
• Problems None
• Cases 1,2

12/28/2015
Ardavan Asef-Vaziri
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