PROJECT PLANING & MANAGEMENT

RESEARCH TOPIC:

Impact of the Project Manager on Project

Management Planning Processes
SUMMARY

It is important to ensure that both the preparation and the implementation are properly
executed if a project is to be successfully completed. As the implementation of planning
continues, careful planning is of the utmost importance. Poor planning would not allow
adequate processes of execution and control, or achievement of the goals of the project. As
the project manager is fully responsible for the project's progress, it is responsible for
verifying the effective implementation of all planning processes.

The aim of the study described in this paper is to assess the impact of the project manager on
the quality of project planning processes within the nine areas of expertise identified by the
PMBOK, and to identify ways of enhancing the effectiveness of its intervention.

Study participants were asked to assess their use of the 21 planning-related processes, out of
the 39 processes needed for proper project management. Analysis of the results indicates that
the poor quality in these areas is a result of the insufficient know-how of the project manager
and the functional managers. The project manager lacks the formal tools and techniques for
dealing with communications, while the functional manager is not equipped with the tools
and techniques that will allow him to be an effective contributor to the process of risk
management.

Improving the poor quality planning processes requires the development of new tools in areas
such as communications, as well as organizational training programs designed for the
functional managers.