Effective Project Manager
- 1. MBA 6941 PROJECT ESSAY TOPIC:BEIGN AN EFFECTIVEPROJECT MANAGER SUBMITTED BY: ADEPITAN FASORO SUBMITTED TO: DR. ANTONIOTOVAR JULY 6, 2015 COLUMBIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY,ORANGEBEACH, ALABAMA U.S.A
- 2. BEING AN EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGER. Introduction: This project essay is written as unit V111 class final assignment for the course MBA 9641, Managing Project Teams as required by tutor. I choose to write on this particular topic among other options given by the tutor because it is my dream and aspiration to be a professional Project manager after this MBA with specialization in Project Management program. I believe this project essay will surely be a medium for me to express what attributes, qualities, traits and skills a project manager should possess in order to be consider as an effective project manager. Who is the Project Manager? Project Management has been defined as a profession which accommodate professionals from various field, many engineers, financial experts, administrators, marketers, and Information technology specialists. Many organizations initiates projects to strengthen their strategic needs, seize opportunity to convert their available professionals into project managers and project team members, this therefore has turned many professionals from other profession into project management professionals. Project Management is an accidental Professionals. (Brown & Hyer, 2010). Project Manager Responsibility: It is the functions of the project managers to ensure customers satisfaction by working earnestly to make sure that the work scope is completed as per the scheduled, time, cost and budget. It is also the duties of the project manager to provide leadership in initiating, planning, executing, monitor and controlling and closing of the project. It is also the responsibility of the project manager to manage, organize and coordinate the project team in order to accomplish the project
- 3. objective. The project manager coordinates the activities of various project team to make that they perform tasks in a very organized and cohesive manner. (Gido, J. & Clements, J. (2012). Planning: The project manager makes decisions towards project objective and goals and agree with customers towards this objective. The project manager then passes this objective and goals to members of his project team in a manner that constitute successful accomplishment of this objective and goals to create overall vision for the project and the organization. The project manager develop the plan for the project and monitor and control the activities of the project. (Gido J. & Clement, J.2012). Organizing: Organizing is the securing the appropriate materials and other resources to perform the project work. The project manager makes decisions towards the tasks to be performed by both the internal and external staff. The project manager decides on which tasks should be outsourced to subcontractors or consultants. He also share job descriptions, work scope, deliverables and handles all contracts that concerns contractors and subcontractors. Project manager organize every activities of primary stakeholders and other stakeholders available in project environment. (Gido, J.& Clements, J. 2012). Controlling: Project manager have the capacity to implement the management information system to monitor the progress of the project and to compare it with planned designed for the project. This gives the project manager the opportunity to differentiate between accomplishment and actual work. The project manager duty of controlling project arises from the authority giving to him by the project
- 4. sponsor, this enable him to control the actual project activities, project team members and all the stakeholders applicable to the project.(Gido, J.& Clements, J. 2012) . The Project Manager’s Core Capabilities: The project manager’s core capabilities involved a diverse set of skills that enable him to perform his duty effectively, this capabilities are individual characteristics or personality traits. Some of this characteristics are inborn, talent or learned from trainings or accumulated job experience. This core characteristics enable project managers to perform his job effectively and efficiently, and also to make appropriate decisions in accomplishing project objective and goals.(Brown & Hyer 2010). Visionary leader and Detail-oriented Manager A professional project manager should know how to balance leadership and management roles together, acknowledging when each one is needed. The management roles include; planning, organizing, controlling and managing materials and other resources to achieve organizational strategic goals and objective, while the leadership role involves the ability to have vision and to channel people to accomplish this vision without being forced to do so. This skills enable the project manager to coordinate team members and the project activities successfully. (Brown & Hyer 2010). Technically Savvy and Interpersonally and Political Astute: A project manager who have an excellent technical knowledge of his job is often charged with the leadership of the project as a result of his expertise. The project manager must have an interpersonal skills to accomplish task through others. This is very essential in respective of the level of expertise possessed by the project manager, he or she must have this interpersonal skills
- 5. which is essential to be able to achieve desired result through people. Social and Political skills are very essential in managing project and this can be learned through trainings and education. Several skills for communicating, persuasion skills, team meeting management, and associating the project team members and stakeholders are all essential skills required from a project manager. (Brown & Hyer 2010). Disciplined and Flexible: An effective project manager must both be disciplined and flexible. It is expected of a good leader to be a leader by example by being disciplined, as this will be look upon by the subordinates and be emulated. An effective project manager should also be flexible in order to be able to relate with project stakeholder and project team members, this will enhances a positive relationship between him and all other personnel participating in the project. (Brown & Hyer, 2010). The Project Manager’s Skills and Tools: An effective project manager can enhances his or her skills and ability to efficiently initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control and close out a project by having the necessary set of skills and tools such as skills of persuasion and influence, communication, meeting management, negotiation skills, motivation and conflict management. All this skills and tools are necessary ingredients to be able to achieve a successful project.(Brown & Hyer 2010).
- 6. Communication: This is very important skills needed to be an effective project manager. The project manager should be to communicate with his project team members, senior management, project sponsor and all project stakeholders. Communication runs the project, as necessary information are passed from one person to another throughout the project period. An effective project manager is therefore expected to be at hub of all these project information exchange. (Brown & Hyer 2010). Listening: This is another very important skill to be possessed by the project manager in order to be an effective project manager. Project team members must listen to one another to be able to solve problems, collaborate with one another, and to be able to work in a very coordinated manner. The repercussion of poor listening can be very disastrous and also caused the possibility of project rework, mistakes and probably missed a project deadlines. ( Brown & Hyer, 2010). Persuasion and Influence: An effective project manager must also have the skill to influence people around him positively and to facilitate the use of personal energy to create an effort, to change outcome of or to redirect a course. This skills is very important to a project manager to covers up for the lapsed of the lack of appropriate authority to obtain resources needed. Some principles of influence includes: consistency, reciprocity, liking authority, social validation, loss and gain. (Brown & Hyer, 2010) Sending Information: It is also the responsibility of the project manager to send project information to all necessary people, the project manager must make present presentation, writing memos starting the status report of the project, ask for a decision, resources request. The project manager communicate, assessing audience, and choose appriopate
- 7. channel of communication, whether spoken or written or whether in a group or individuals. (Brown & Hyer 2010). Other effective Project Manager Skills are: i. Leadership Ability ii. Ability to develop People iii. Ability to handle stress iv. Interpersonal skills v. Problem Solving Skills and vi. Time management Skills How to develop Project Management Competence: i. Gain Experience ii. Learn from Others iii. Interview Project Manager iv. Conduct self-evaluation v. Get a mentorship vi. Participate in training and education vii. Join Organizations viii. Volunteers ix. Earned credentials, such as (CAMP, PMP, and MBA).
- 8. References 1. Brown, K. A., & Hyer, N.L. (2010): Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach. New York, NY, McGraw-Hill/Irwin. 2. Gido, J. & Clements J. (2012) Successful Project Management (5th Ed.) Mason, OH: South Western. 3. Meredith, J.R. & Mantel S.J (2011) Project Management: A Managerial Approach (8th Ed.) River Street, Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. 4. Pinto J.K (2010) Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage (2nd Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.