Role of Project Manager

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 1

 According to Rear Admiral Grace Hopper,
inventor of COBOL and a computer
visionary
“Leadership and management are two
different things. You lead people and you
manage projects.”

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 2

 Leadership and Management
• Leadership is a talent only a few are born
with
• Management is a skill that anyone can
acquire
 Projects are Riskier
1. Expectations are more specific
2. The resources are more diverse–and many
are not even in your department
3. Deadlines are shorter
4. No chance to do better next time if there is
a problem
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 5
 Project Management and the Project
Manager
• The project manager functions as a mini-CEO
• The project manager must have a clear
understanding of how the project fits into the
overall organization
• This is why broad knowledge is more valuable
than technical knowledge
• Budgets, timetables, and criteria, magnify
management problems on projects

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 6

 The Project Manager
• The project manager should come into the project
early
• We want him to help produce as much of the
project plan as possible
• This helps insure that the project manager “buys
into” the plans
• Over time, plans are refined and people are added
to the project staff

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 7

Functional Management

Figure
 Functional Management
• Department heads are usually functional
specialists
• They have the technical skills to evaluate all
members of their organization
• They decide who performs each task and, to a
certain degree, how the task is performed
• That is, they exercise a great deal of control over
every aspect of the work that gets performed
within their area
Project Management

Figure
 Project Management
• Project managers are usually generalists
• It would be very unusual for a project manager to have all
the technical skills that are used on their projects
• The project manager rarely decides who performs each
task and lacks the technical skills to evaluate much of the
work performed on the project
• That is, they exercise very little control over most aspects
of the work that gets performed on the project
 Comparing Functional & Project
Managers
• Functional manager needs technical skills while project
manager need negotiation skills
• Functional manager must be skilled at analysis while
project manager must be skilled at synthesis
• Functional manager uses the analytic approach while
project manager uses the systems approach
• Functional manager is responsible for a small area while
project manager is responsible for the big picture
• Functional manager is a manager while the project
manager is a facilitator

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 12

 Special Cases
1. When a project is small, line personnel may be
assigned as manager. When conflicts between
the line position and the project arise, the project
will suffer
2. When a line person is assigned as a project
manager, conflicts can arise between the line and
project for resource assignment
3. When projects are small, a project manager may
manage multiple project. This can be a problem
when the projects conflict

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 13

 Project Manager
Responsibilities
1. The parent company
2. The project/client
3. The project staff

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 14

 The Parent Company
• Proper usage of resources
• Timely and accurate reports
– Covered in detail later
• Keep project sponsor informed

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 15

 The Project / Client
• Preserve the integrity of the project
– This may be difficult with all sides wanting
changes
• Keep the client informed of major changes

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 16

 The Project Staff
• Very few people will work for the project manager
• The “team” will disband at the end of the project
• The project manager must look out for everyone’s
future
• This is in the best interest of the project, otherwise
as the project winds down, everyone will be
looking after themselves

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 17

 Special Demands on Project
Manager
• Acquiring adequate resources
• Acquiring and motivating personnel
• Dealing with obstacles
• Making project goal trade-offs
• Failure and the risk and fear of failure
• Breadth of communication
• Negotiation
Project Manager’s Health

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 19

Acquiring Adequate Resources
• Project budgets are usually inadequate
• There are resource trade-offs that must be
considered
• Crises occur that require special resources
 Acquiring and Motivating
Personnel
• Most project workers are borrowed from
functional managers
• The project manager negotiates for the
desired worker but
– The project manager wants the best qualified
individual
– The functional manager decides who to assign
 Acquiring and Motivating Personnel

• The functional manager also decides…

– The skill level to assign
– The pay and promotion of the worker assigned
to the project
• Additionally, the worker will most likely
return to the functional manager once the
project is finished
 Acquiring and Motivating Personnel

• Once workers are assigned to a project, the

project manager must motivate them
– The project manager have little or no control
over pay and promotion
– This is especially true in shorter projects
 Dealing with Obstacles
• Every project is unique
• The project manager will face a series of
crises
• A big problem is “scope creep”
 Dealing with Obstacles
• Early problems associated with resources
• Later problems are associated with…
1. Last-minute schedule and technical changes
2. What happens to the team when the project is
completed
 Making Project Goal Trade-
Offs
• Trade-offs involve…
1. Cost
2. Time
3. Performance
• Multiple projects
• Project goals and organizational goals
• Project, firm, career
 Failure and the Risk and Fear of Failure

• Well understood projects (Type 1)…

– Appear simple
– Natural flow introduces problems
• Poorly understood project (Type 2)…
– Many difficulties early on
– Most are planning problem
– May have psychic consequences
 Breadth of Communication
1. Why the project exists
2. Some projects fail
3. Top management support needed
4. Information network needed
5. Must be flexible
 Negotiations
• Acquiring adequate resources
• Motivating personnel
• Dealing with obstacles
• Making project goal trade-offs
• Handing failure
• Maintaining communication
 Selecting the Project Manager
1. Credibility
2. Sensitivity
3. Leadership, ethics, and management style
4. Ability to handle stress
 Creditability
1. Technical credibility
2. Administrative credibility
 Sensitivity
• Political sensitivity
• Interpersonal sensitivity
• Technically sensitivity
Leadership, Ethics, and Management Style

• Leadership
• Strong sense ethics
• A management style that fits the project
 Ability to Handle Stress
1. No consistent procedures
2. Too much to do
3. High need to achieve
4. Organizations in change
 Problems of Cultural
Differences
• Project managers must adapt to the social/cultural
environment in which they are workings
• This is especially true when the project is in
another country
• There can be real problems on international
projects when a culture’s opinion of some group
are different from the firm’s
 Aspects of Culture
• Technology
• Institutions
• Language
• Aesthetic values
 Culture and the Project
• Time
• Staffing projects
• Knowledge of people
 Impact of Institutional
Environments
1. Socioeconomic environment
2. Legal environment
3. Business cycle as an environment
4. Technologically environment
 Socioeconomic Environment
• Must deal with the local government
• Local government is interested in its
citizens
• Must honor local customs
 Legal Environment

• Different countries/regions have different

legal structures
• The project must conform to those laws
• Projects may also have to conform to US
laws
 Legal Environment

• Ownership of the project

• Patents
• Copyrights
• Trademarks
• Trade secrets
 The Business Cycle as an Environment

• The business environment can be very different in

various countries
• The general economic environment can also be
different
– Cost of living
– Unemployment
– Average income
– Work day
 Technological Environment
• The US is very technologically advanced
• Some other countries are less advanced
• This affects the technology available for the
project
• It affects the local worker’s ability to understand
and use technology
 Multicultural Communications and
Management Behavior
• Cultural differences have a tremendous impact on project
personnel
• Differences in value systems present problems to project
personnel
• The logistics of relocating project personnel on
international projects is huge
• This is especially true in developing countries
– Large distances constrain travel
– Just getting to a meeting may take days
• Language and educational differences present
communication problems
 Selecting the Project Manager
1. Credibility
2. Sensitivity
3. Leadership, ethics, and management style
4. Ability to handle stress

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 45

10 Tips to become a BETTER Project Manager
1. If it is not documented, it doesn’t exist. As long as
information is retained in someone’s head, it is vulnerable
to loss
2. Why do so many professionals say they are project
managing, when what they are actually doing is fire
fighting.
3. Get the right people. Then, no matter what else you may
do wrong after that, the people will save you. That’s is
what management is all about.
4. You may con a person into committing to an unreasonable
deadline, but you cannot bully them into meeting it.
5. Don’t do anything you don’t have to do
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 46
10 Tips to become a BETTER Project Manager
6. Ensure your documentation is short and sharp and make
much more use of people-to-people communication
7. A well-constructed project management workshop should
give people a solid foundation to build on
8. A task is not done until it is done
9. Project proposals, business cases or cost benefit analyses
are probably being massaged (either by understanding
costs or timeframes or by being very optimistic about the
benefits) so projects will be approved (The best policy is
to be honest about your project and it will be approved
if it has merit)
10. Know when to cut your loses when it is necessary. Don’t
let your desire to succeed be the enemy of good judgment
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 47
 QUIZ

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 48

 Question 1

It is obvious that project managers need to be

good at ____________, as project success is
dependent on support of senior management.
• a) Politics
• b) Persuasion
• c) Win-lose competitions
• d) Strategy
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 49
 Answer 1
• a) Politics

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 50

 Question 2
The project manager's responsibilities are
broad and fall primarily into the three separate
areas of responsibilities to the ________, to
the project, to the client, and to the members
of the project team.
• a) Parent organization
• b) Investors
• c) Interveners
• d) Special-interest groups
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 51
 Answer 2
• a) Parent organization

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 52

 Question 3
The project manager must make tradeoffs
between project progress and process - that is,
between the _______________ functions.
• a) technical and managerial
• b) managerial and process
• c) technical and process
• d) process and project
Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 53
 Answer 3
a) technical and managerial

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 54

 Question 4
Which of the following is not one of the
environments in which projects are
conducted?
• a) political
• b) legal
• c) economic
• d) stress

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 55

 Answer 4
d) stress

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 56

 Question 5
The project manager is usually a facilitator
and a generalist possessing a reasonable level
of technical knowledge.

True or False

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 57

 Answer 5
• True

Dr. Jitesh J. Thakkar, IIT Kharagpur 58

Thank you

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