Resource Hiring
5.3 Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Manager
The project manager is the key to the success of the project. His abilities can lead a team to success and not for a performance anomaly. Examples of the project manager’s responsibilities are as follows:
Supervise the preparation and project plans.
• Define the relations between the different parties to execute the project.
• Take the necessary actions and procedures to obtain the project resources.
• Organize work between departments and supervise and coordinate among them.
• Follow up the project activities and make appropriate deci- sions to reform paths of execution.
• Monitor the costs and make decisions to ensure they match the plan costs.
• Take action to ensure the cash flows to and from the project is benefitting the project.
Ensure that the subcontractors are on the required level, and follow up their work.
• Preserve the rights of the company, which are represented in the contract, and oversee the administration of the contract.
• Send the deliverables for the project in a timely manner and review claims from the customer, which is the main way to know the degree of the project’s success.
• Establish a system of reports that links and coordinates the project internally, with the functions departments, and exter- nally, with the project owners, consultants, local authorities, sub-contractors, and suppliers.
• Attend the meetings of the project at a strategic level, in general, and executive level sometimes.
• Develop a policy to encourage employees in the project.
• The project manager is primarily responsible for achieving the project plan in terms of time, cost, and quality and, thus, should have powers to test assistants and subordinates and make all decisions within the project, including those not inconsistent with the policy of the company head office, reg- ulations, and laws.
• Ensure good construction management of the project on site in terms of administration, subsistence, regulating traf- fic, and securing the site and its employees against the risks.
This will be achieved if the project manager is visiting the site on a regular basis. If the project manager was located away from the site, there has to be an appointed director of the project on site.
• Ensure that the materials and equipment work and are in compliance with specifications.
This makes it clear that the project manager is the conductor in the band. If there is any fault on his or her part to lead in the implementa- tion of the business, the work will be done in a manner that is unsatis- factory to the client. In addition, he or she is responsible for clarifying the objectives of the project and what is required of them in accuracy and clarity.
The following figure illustrates the usefulness of the consensus of group work, setting goals as the business runs smoothly for the project as a whole. The second figure illustrates what happens with non- compliance and a lack of clarity. Time will be wasted and that would result in increased costs.
5.3.1 Project Manager as a Leader
A successful project manager has the ability to lead a team composed of individuals with different skill sets, personalities, and levels of experi- ence. The team members may have also worked on different projects and
Figure 5.3 Effects of clarity and cloudy for objective, vision and mission to the project team.
in different organizational structures. As a project manager, you must overcome different cultural barriers and create a spirit of cooperation and coordination of efforts.
It is clear that the project manager must have some qualities and skills, which can be clarified and summarized as follows:
• Excellent communication skills
• Flexibility in work and acceptance of changes
• Training on the tools and techniques of project management
• The potential to direct every member of the project to achieve the objectives of the project
• Respect from senior management
• The ability to make quick decisions
• The ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems
• An entrepreneur mentality and work ethic and a governing of the general rules as role models
• Self-confidence
• Experience in procedures and project management tools
• Motivation to achieve success
There are two ways to manage individuals: through direct orders and sharp resolution of a centralized dictatorship or through democracy, which is the dialogue and discussion of ideas and analysis to issue com- mands. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, but the project leader must determine how things will operate with the ability to change to another method easily.
Central decision or dictatorship is important in the case of a project that needs speed in implementation, depending on the importance and activity, which also generally depends on the nature of the project as a whole and must take into consideration the people who work with you and the nature of their personalities.
In many instances, this method is very successful, but it may fail with others, as well as by the general atmosphere of the project. For example, when there are good relations between individuals and there is a time for discussion, why not use the other way, a way of democracy to consider the views of individuals and make them reach the solution that you want. Control discussion, but let them feel that they are the owners of the idea. This would reach an amazing result, as the owner of the idea will try to forcefully demonstrate that it is a successful idea, and this is what serves the project as a whole and, thus, matches with the project goal.