THE PROJECT MANAGER AND LEADERSHIP
5.2 PROJECT MANAGER ATTRIBUTES
The first place to look in terms of exploring the desired attributes of a PM is the set of tasks that a PM must be able to carry out. These tasks, reiterated from Chapter 1, are:
1. Planning 2. Organizing 3. Directing 4. Monitoring
Planning and organizing are important tasks of the PM and tend to be done well by a person who enjoys process. Although a good plan is more often than not the results of a team effort, a PM who likes to plan may have a tendency to take on the entire plan. The PM who enjoys planning will see organizing as just another part of a good plan, which indeed it is. Such a person may tend toward introversion and requires considerable order and discipline.
When we move on to the tasks of directing and monitoring, however, we see a requirement for another type of perspective. These tasks involve interactions with people. Directing requires that people be given assignments and that they be guided through these assignments through monitoring and feedback. These
“people” interactions are often best accomplished by an extroverted type of person who likes to discuss situations with people and may not enjoy the paperwork associated with planning and reporting. Through this simple discussion, we note that the PM is called upon to do many things that require a balanced personality. The PM is a well-integrated person who can shift gears as well as pay attention to and keep in balance the many issues that inevitably come across the desk.
Although it is possible to further analyze the attributes of a good project manager in terms of the required skills associated with planning, organizing, directing, and monitoring, we prefer to list, in Exhibit 5.1, twenty critical aspects of a PM. A brief discussion of each follows. These same twenty attributes may also be interpreted as the characteristics of a good boss.
Exhibit 5.1: Twenty Attributes of a Project Manager 1. Communicates well and shares information
2. Delegates appropriately 3. Is well-organized
4. Supports and motivates people 5. Is a good listener
6. Is open-minded and flexible 7. Gives constructive criticism 8. Has a positive attitude 9. Is technically competent
10. Is disciplined
11. Is a team builder and player
12. Is able to evaluate and select people 13. Is dedicated to accomplishing goals
14. Has the courage and skill to resolve conflicts 15. Is balanced
16. Is a problem solver 17. Takes initiative 18. Is creative 19. Is an integrator 20. Makes decisions
5.2.1 Communication and Sharing Information
One of the major complaints of people working on a project is that they are not kept informed. The Project Manager must pay special attention to letting people know what is happening on the project, in all of its dimensions. The PM must also try to assure that the cross-communication between members of the project team is effective and that all personnel share important information.
5.2.2 Delegation
The effective PM must be careful not to take on all the key tasks. If this is done, the project team members will quickly learn that they are not trusted to do anything important, which will soon lead to nonteam playing and disaster.
Effective delegation is a critical task of the PM, and it is coupled with resisting any temptation to “micromanage.” Once a task is delegated, the PM should stay in touch and guide rather than hover over, criticize, and redo.
5.2.3 Organization
In this context, being well-organized is to know where everything is (project status), know where it is going, assure that all members of the project have what they need to do their jobs, and to be prepared to solve problems. Some project managers take on too many internal project tasks and cannot pay atten- tion to the project as a whole. From this position, they become disorganized and struggle to keep up with the overall project needs. Being well-organized will keep the overall project moving forward and will help assure that other people’s efforts are efficiently performed.
5.2.4 Support and Motivation
Project managers sometimes underestimate the power that they have in the eyes of the project team. Team members usually look to the PM for attention
and support. Without this, some personnel begin to feel that nobody cares what they do or don’t do. In some cases, the PM may have to use special motivations to assure performance, recognizing that all people are different and respond in different ways to the pressures of a project. The PM must also behave impartially so that all members feel they are being fairly treated.
5.2.5 Listening
Effective listening is so important that it is singled out as a separate attribute.
Listening, or not listening, can be very subtly executed. A good listener sus- tains eye contact and responds at the right times with a nod of the head or appropriate words. Good listening conveys the message that what is being said is important, and also that the person is important enough to be lis- tened to. This helps to build trust and encourages further communication and sharing of information. Not listening leads to frustration and gives the message that you and what you are trying to say are not significant. This can be devastating, especially to a young project member, and often leads to poor performance.
5.2.6 Open-Mindedness and Flexibility
Open-mindedness relates to listening but is the next step in the process. It implies that new information is received appropriately and used to make adjustments. Studies by psychologists have shown that some managers work on mental models based only on past experiences and are not able to absorb new information. Complaints about such managers are that their “minds are already made up.” In this context, the PM must be aware of prior prejudices and be open to the input of new data. Such a person will then be able to respond to each situation on its own merits and will be able to behave in a much more flexible manner.
5.2.7 Constructive Criticism
Giving constructive criticism is a crucial job of the PM and it is surprisingly difficult to do. If a project task is not being adequately performed, it is often up to the PM to critique the work in such a way as to encourage change without destroying the ego and motivation of the person working on the task. This is usually best achieved one on one, but at times may be accomplished through peer pressure in a group setting. All of this requires careful consideration of the recipient of the criticism and the most effective way of reaching him or her. Words must be chosen with considerable skill so as to get the message across in a supportive and encouraging manner.
5.2.8 Positive Attitude
The PM must be a positive person who reflects a “can-do” attitude to the project team, the boss, and the customer. This helps to propagate such a perspective to all parties and generally leads to an overall sense of accom- plishment and moving forward. There are many hurdles that the project team has to deal with and a positive PM makes the job of getting over these hurdles a learning experience. Conversely, a negative attitude on the part of the PM likewise tends to spread like wildfire and the team members find themselves either preferring to be victimized or intensely frustrated.
5.2.9 Technical Competence
This attribute refers to the nuts and bolts of the project demands, from the domain knowledge of the project to the skills required to read and understand schedules and cost reports. Without these capabilities, the PM soon drowns and loses the confidence of the entire project team. A person without these basic skills should not take on the difficult job of Project Manager.
5.2.10 Discipline
Many projects go astray simply because the PM has not assured a disciplined approach on the part of all team members. Each and every task must be viewed as critical in terms of adherence to schedule, cost, and technical performance requirements as well as the impact that they have on other tasks. Company and project standards, methods, and procedures should be followed unless there is an excellent reason not to. Experience has shown that projects with a large component of software development have to be particularly well-disciplined in order to be successful. If there ever was a “silver bullet” for the process of developing software, discipline is its name.
5.2.11 Team Builder and Team Player
We explore the matter of team building in the next chapter because it plays such a central role in the success of a project. Given that perspective, a critical skill of the PM is to build a team as an effective and organic element of a project that succeeds. At the same time, the PM must assume the position of being part of a larger team, the enterprise within which the project is being executed. Project Managers who take the view that the project is “we” and the rest of the enterprise are “they,” and that “we” do everything right and “they”
are incompetent are very likely to fail. The project exists and works within the context of the corporate enterprise and, ideally, the two entities should be mutually supportive.
5.2.12 Evaluation and Selection of People
A key activity of the project is to staff it with people who function as a team and who are competent in the various disciplines required by the project.
The PM should have a special eye for this activity, knowing whom to select and where to have them assigned. A weak team member tends to pull the entire project down as people spend their valuable time fixing problems that have been created by such a person. Work elements or tasks that have to be continually redone create resentment as well as schedule and cost problems.
In addition, when a weak person cannot be brought up to minimum standards of performance, the PM also has to recognize that action has to be taken to fix the problem.
5.2.13 Dedication to Accomplishing Goals
This attribute might also be called determination. Because it is the rule rather than the exception that problems will arise on essentially every project, the PM must be dedicated to getting through each and every problem in order to accomplish the stated project goals. This means not allowing oneself to be victimized by the “system,” management, or the customer. After a frustrating day, the PM should have the energy and determination to come back the next day with a renewed sense of how to relieve the frustration and find effective work-arounds, if necessary.
5.2.14 Courage and Skill to Resolve Conflicts
Because projects are staffed by people, and people have conflicts, then it is expected that projects will experience and be affected by conflicts. These can be internal conflicts, as with two members of the project team not getting along, or external conflicts, as between a member of the team and a support organization such as accounting/finance, contracts, human resources, and so forth. The management of conflict, which is examined in some detail in the next chapter, requires both courage and skill. Courage is necessary because it can be quite difficult to confront the conflict, especially if the PM is part of the conflict situation. Skill is needed because conflict is delicate and wrong moves can exacerbate the conflict rather than calm it down and resolve it.
5.2.15 Balanced
The PM must be balanced, as a minimum, in terms of handling people with a basic sense of fairness and equity, and also in terms of balancing the effort that goes into satisfying cost, schedule, and performance requirements. In the former area, for example, prima donna behavior should not be accepted while other personnel are working with dedication for the common good of the
project. In the latter domain, balance involves understanding how to respond with equilibrium to the forces that would tend to push the project off course.
The PM is “steering the ship,” and demands come from many directions. A balanced approach to these often conflicting demands will be respected and supported and will increase the likelihood of success.
5.2.16 Problem Solver
The PM must be a problem solver. This means going beyond the discussion of a problem and its symptoms and causes. It also requires driving toward a solution and then implementing that solution. Too many PMs behave as if the mere examination of a problem is the same as taking the actions necessary to solve the problem. Also, too many PMs develop a series of solutions but then procrastinate in the implementation because the solution involves doing some difficult things such as confronting a supervisor or approaching the customer. A problem solver is action-oriented and is not fearful of making a mistake.
5.2.17 Initiative
The PM is active rather than passive and is always aware of the need to take action when it is appropriate to do so. This can apply to interactions with the customer as well as with the project team. The PM is always asking the question: What can be done to improve the project and the situation in which the project is being carried out? Opportunities do not pass by the PM with initiative. Such a PM is also on the lookout for ways and means to achieve continuous improvement.
5.2.18 Creative
The best PMs are creative people who look for new ways of solving problems or new approaches to the project tasks. This type of creativity is disciplined and does not resort to new methods unless they show promise of bringing higher efficiency and productivity to the project. This type of PM also does not impose his or her creativity on the project team. Rather, there is an understanding that creativity can and should be expressed by any member of the project, and all good ideas are solicited and welcomed. By being a creative person, creativity in others is recognized and valued. This attitude pervades the project and the excitement of creative solutions is experienced by the entire team.
5.2.19 An Integrator
The PM must be able to integrate in many dimensions. One such dimension is the synthesis of technical inputs, finding ways to blend such inputs to
construct an overall solution. Another dimension is to see where and how people can be utilized so that they are challenged rather than bored. A third dimension is to see the project as a whole, seeking balance in terms of cost, schedule, and performance. Yet another dimension is to integrate the human side of managing with the nuts and bolts of planning, organizing, directing, and monitoring. This type of person is able to perceive relationships between different parts of a project.
5.2.20 Decision Maker
Finally, but not by any means last in importance, is that the capable PM makes decisions when it is necessary to do so. The PM knows when it is time to stop analyzing the problem at hand and bring any given situation to closure. This type of PM has a sense of when further examination of an issue brings diminishing returns. The PM is also keenly aware of the level of urgency associated with all situations and behaves accordingly. Project personnel react particularly well to a PM who makes decisions and moves forward. If a decision was made that later is shown to be incorrect, the effective decision maker is not afraid to admit to a mistake and backtrack, as necessary, to rectify a bad decision.
Whereas the preceding attributes have been associated with the Project Manager, it should be recognized that the Chief Systems Engineer (CSE) is also a manager, taking responsibility for the system design team and the overall engineering effort. Therefore, most of the attributes discussed here apply as well to the CSE. The difference lies mostly in the scope, orientation, and focus of the work to be performed. Above all, the PM and the CSE must be able to work harmoniously together and both be dedicated to the success of the project.
5.2.21 Learning from the Negative
The above text described and briefly discussed twenty positive attributes of a Project Manager. A study of the leadership characteristics of American Project Managers [5.1] explored significant aspects of effective PMs, but also looked at factors that contribute to making a PM ineffective. These factors give us some insight into what the current or prospective PM needs to avoid where and whenever possible. At times, we learn more from the negative than we do from a long list of positives. Thus, the top five negative factors for the PM are, with the top-listed item the worst:
r Sets a bad example for the team r Is not self-assured
r Does not have sufficient technical expertise r Is a poor communicator
r Is a less than acceptable motivator
Thus, if these problems have been related to issues that you have had to struggle with as a PM, you probably would do well to commit yourself to making improvements in these areas. If you do not do so, you may well be on the road to failure as a PM.
In addition to the above personal attributes that a PM might have, the cited study [5.1] also explored organizational factors that had a negative effect upon the effectiveness of the PM. These factors are, with the most negative listed first:
r Lack of the commitment and support of top management r Overall resistance to change
r A reward system that is inconsistent
r Reactive behavior instead of planning in advance r Insufficient resources
The implication of the above listing is that if you, as a PM, find yourself in an organization that exhibits these types of behavior patterns, you have an increased likelihood of getting into trouble. It also may be that efforts you put forward toward solving these types of organizational problems may serve you and others in good stead. However, for a PM to be the force behind the solution of rather large organizational problems is a rather daunting task.
Finally, and in relation to the same study cited above, we can look at reasons why projects may tend to experience problems in terms of completion within budget and schedule. The top five reasons identified, with the most cited at the top of the list, are:
r Tools to manage the project in a systematic manner are not employed.
r The PM is a poor leader.
r The customer/client is slow to respond.
r Decisions and corrective actions are not taken in a timely manner.
r Interorganizational communication is poor.
Here again, the above items provide a “view of the negative” that might be helpful to the project triumvirate in terms of trying to increase the chances of success.