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A PM’s 'Recovery' Program
While there are various tools, classes and means to learn the craft of project management, most project managers must confront a basic dilemma: they have a high degree of accountability and a low-level of authority. Thomas Fruman, executive project director, Georgia Technology Authority, offers a 12-step “recovery” program.
1. Admit we are powerless over the things we cannot control.
One of the early mistakes I have seen, especially for new project managers, is the drive to control every damn thing related to the project. Stephen Covey provides the best guidance for this: you have to clearly understand what you can control, what you can influence and what you have no control over at all. Otherwise, you waste a lot of time and energy, both yours and others.
2. Realize there are higher (and lower) levels of authority.
As project managers learn the basics of managing schedule, cost and quality, they often get carried away with themselves and don’t clearly understand the level of authority within the project matrix. In other words they either overextend themselves in the scope of their decision-making or underexpose themselves to the decisions they should make.
3. Make decisions on behalf of the project.
As project managers get a better sense of their scope of control and level of authority, they embark on what I can only call “…
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"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." - Mark Twain |