Why Project Managers Need to Push Back

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Leadership  

There are many reasons that project managers exist, and they benefit organizations in numerous ways. (You know this, it’s why you are here.) But one thing that good project managers aren’t, never were, and never will be, is compliant. They don’t just do what they are told—whether by stakeholders, sponsors, team members, or anyone else. They have independent thoughts and opinions, and they use their judgement when making decisions around the project.

Sometimes that means going along with what a particular group or individual wants. Sometimes it means pushing back and doing something different. And inevitably, at times, it means siding with one particular group’s opinion over another.

But that’s the role. If PMs were to just always go along with what they were asked or told to do, then there really isn’t a lot of point in them being there. Just automate the function and be done with it.

And I don’t think that any of us thinks that’s a good idea.

Project management is about creating an environment where people can give of their best. It’s about encouraging team members to find the best solutions, to determine the most effective and efficient approaches, and to enable teams to deliver success on projects that frequently present significant challenges. As we all know, that isn’t a smooth path, and there …

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