Project Manager Roles and

Responsibilities
 Planning and Defining
Scope
 Ensure there are  Focus on customer’s
measurable goals. needs, not the technical
 Do not rush the ones.
planning process.  Recognize that all the
 Use IS historical operational areas are of
data. equal importance.
 Permit all questions.  Remember the most
 Seek to understand. important word in project
management--customer.
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 Activity Planning and
Sequencing
 Be prepared to run  Define project activity
meetings. constraints and
 Assign resources. assumptions.
 Construct activity  Determine skill
sequences. requirements for critical
activities.
 Define procurement
requirements.  Develop cost estimates.
 Ensure the operational
managers gather
appropriate data.

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 Activity Planning and
Sequencing
 Establish a project  Identify standards that can
organization structure. impact the project.
 Establish project  Link budget items with
administrative activities.
benchmarks and  Remember customer
standards. needs come first.
 Identify potential risks.  Write the comprehensive
 Ensure there is a viable activity plan.
quality system program.

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 Resource Planning
 Assist operational  Ensure there are budget
managers on resource allocations for all resources.
issues.  Ensure there are criteria
 Assist the operational that establish resource
managers in identifying needs.
resource links.  Identify skills by labor
 Consider alternate classification, then by
resource types. name.
 Develop a people
 Consider the customer’s
availability formula. needs.

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 Resource Planning
 Know reasons for  Validate resource
resource uses. requirements.
 Resolve capital  Work with operational
spending. managers to balance
 Resolve resource resources.
availability issues.  Work with the strategic
 Emphasize skills over manager to identify
headcount. available resources.
 Write the resource plan.

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 Time Estimating
 Ensure there are
appropriate criteria for
doing estimates.
 Collect all the estimates
prior to totaling.
 Use technical support
from vendors.
 Establishing a scientific
approach to time
estimating.
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 Resolve estimates
beginning with the
smallest.
 Set daily priorities to
resolve time estimate
issues.
 Analyze time estimates
for impacts.
 Determine potential risks
because of estimates.
 Time Estimating
 Use project  Determine impact of
management software estimates on cost
estimates.
to do scenarios.
 Determine impact of
 Finish the time estimates on resource
estimating process availability.
before scheduling.  Remember the budget cycle
 Document issues. can affect time estimates.
 Include time estimates  Determine impact of
procurement on time
for quality control.
estimates.

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 Developing Schedules
 Align the schedule to the
customer’s expectations.
 Analyze the schedule for
various impacts.
 Communicate with
vendors on schedule
status.
 Create the schedule
against the project goals.
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 Define estimates to
average capabilities.
 Define the lag-lead time
relationships.
 Define the start-end
time dependencies.
 Determine how the
schedule is impacted
varying cost potentials.
 Developing Schedules
 Determine how the
acquisition of outside
resources affects the
schedule.
 Establish project
administrative benchmarks
and standards.
 Determine the budget
cycle’s impact.
 Determine potential risks
on the schedule.
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 Discuss with
procurement group
project requirements.
 Do resource and time
leveling.
 Document assumptions
and constraints.
 Documents issues and
discuss at meetings.
 Developing Schedules
 Ensure resource availability.
 Ensure the schedule has
realistic training and
documentation
requirements.
 Ensure that quality control
activities are scheduled
appropriately.
 Look for “forgotten”
activities, such as meetings.
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 Set daily priorities for
self to consider
schedule.
 Smooth the schedule
through a balancing of
activities, time, and
resources.
 Validate the schedule
by getting everyone’s
concurrence.
 Cost Estimating
 Ensure there are valid
estimating criteria.
 Analyze cost estimates
for potential impacts on
skills, equipment, and
materials.
 Collect all estimates
before totaling.
 Determine impacts on
time estimates.
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 Determine impact on
outside resource
acquisitions.
 Determine impacts of
budget cycle on
estimates.
 Determine potential
risks on estimates.
 Document issues and
discuss in meetings.
 Cost Estimating
 Have a “scientific” cost
estimating process.
 Factor in procurement
requirements.
 Finish cost estimating before
doing budgeting.
 Include quality control and
assurance cost.
 Look for “forgotten” activities.
 Resolve cost estimates
beginning with the least.
 Resolve cost issues well in
advance of the “spending” date.
 Set daily priority to consider
cost estimate issues .
 Use software to develop
scenarios before a “happening.”
 Use technical support of
vendors to define any
installation or configuration cost
estimates.
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 Developing a Budget
 Be aware of events that
can affect the budget’s
monthly reports.
 Be aware impacts of
vendor invoicing cycles.
 Ensure cost estimates
are entered into the
budget correctly.
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 Ensure that operational
managers do monthly
budget status reports.
 Ensure reliable cost
estimates.
 Ensure reliable
resource estimates.
 Ensure reliable time
estimates.
 Developing a Budget
 Ensure that predicted
spending is reliably
given by month.
 Ensure you have a
budget to manage
project administration.
 Hold a monthly meeting
on budgetary issues.
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 Identify funding for
contingencies, such as
emergency travel.
 Identify capital costs.
 Seek the lowest staff costs.
 Seek to reduce
extraordinary costs, such
as travel.
 Use software to do
scenarios.
 Controlling Quality
 Place quality planning at the top of the
project agenda.
 Ensure there is significant time allocated
for quality activities.
 Guarantee there is time estimates for
peer reviews.
 Have a configuration control mechanism.

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 Controlling Quality
 Create an appropriate reporting system on
quality issues.
 Assure that quality issues stay at the
deliverable level rather being consider personal.
 Have a separate line in the budget for quality
control and assurance.
 Have a location where all standards and other
quality related documentation is available to
everyone.

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 Managing Risks &
Opportunities
 Discuss risk potentials at  Ensure there is a distinctive
all meetings. budget line for risk management.
 Identify people to correct  Ensure there are skilled
quickly potential risks. personnel to handle risk
 Identify people that can evaluations.
do evaluations of issues.  Ensure there is a contingency
fund for risks.
 Ensure that risk
management has the
 Be responsible for risk
time in the schedule to management.
do a proper job.  Ensure that potential risks are
identified.

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 Project Modeling
 Answer the basic modeling question
with a yes.
 Ensure that appropriate historical data
are available.
 Be prepared to hire a consultant.
 Ensure any financial model is consistent
with any corporate one.
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 Network Optimization
 Determine budgetary source for any
network optimization.
 Have management and performance
tool strategies.
 Have a tools expert or two on staff.

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 Gantt Chart and Schedules
 Have contractors use a standardized
Gantt chart.
 Use as a part of executive summaries.
 Use for initial project planning.
 Use to refine project plan.
 Use to revise activity requirements.

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 PERT/CPM Techniques
 List activities; do not
consider resources.
 Revise activities list
by priority and
interdependency.
 Review activity
network diagrams
with appropriate
managers.
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 Convert the diagrams
to a PERT chart.
 Identify the critical
path.
 Identify the plan using
limited resources.
 Make the PERT chart a
living document.
 Risk Analysis
 Control risks, rather than risk controlling
you.
 Responsible for solving risks.
 Establish measurable objectives,
benchmarks and performance standards.
 Prepare for potential risks by using a risk
analysis tool.
 Handle risks in a positive manner.

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 Risk Analysis
 Discuss potential risks at meetings.
 Keep good historical documentation on
potential risks.
 Create regular status reports.
 Keep a neutral position.
 Ensure that upper-level management
comprehends the consequences of a
potential risk.
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 Learning Curve Analysis
 Consider long-term benefits.
 Consider learning curve analysis for
training activities and results.
 Factor into time and cost estimates the
implications of the learning curve.

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 Documentation
 Ensures consistency through templates
and standards.
 Develops executive summaries.
 Manages project administrative
documents.
 Keeps a daily project log.

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 Miscellaneous Software
Packages
 Ensure there are standards and
templates if general administrative
software is used.

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 Legacy Software and
Hardware Analysis
 Comprehend the implications on the
legacy software and hardware caused
by a project.
 Remember that legacy is the state of
the IS network one minute ago.

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 Profitability Analysis
 Use profitability analysis to prepare
executive summaries in terms of return
on investment.
 Identify sources for doing profitability
analysis.
 Answer pre-proposal questions.

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 Scalability, Interoperability
and Portability Analyses

 Make the abstract infrastructure

concrete for the customer when project
issues arise that might impact the
infrastructure.

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 Team Management
 You lead; the team succeeds.
 Communicate. Communicate.
Communicate.
 Praise in public; condemn in private.
 Software does not rule; it’s only your
guide.

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 Customer Involvement
 Spokesperson for the project.
 Listen to the managers’ issues on
customers and resolve them.