The World's Greatest Project Manager
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.
Every now and then I receive comments about how wonderful a specific project manager is because of the way that they handle a specific situation. In truth, this is a bit of a stretch. Just because they were very good at handling a specific situation on one project doesn’t mean that they are always a great project manager. But I have heard it often enough to realize that there is probably a profile that can be built of what makes a great PM, perhaps even the world’s best. Whether this person actually exists is debatable--at least on a consistent basis--but it’s a fun exploration.
Knowledge and skill
The two cornerstones of strong project management have to be a strong set of project management skills and a comprehensive knowledge of the specific project being managed--and how it fits into the overall organization. Without this foundation, we have little hope of building a great project manager. These are the basic entry requirements for consideration.
From a skill set standpoint, the project manager has to understand all of the various project management skills and abilities that a project requires, but I don’t believe that they have to be an expert on every discipline themselves. Rather, they have to understand what expertise looks like. That’s an important distinction, and I really think that it sets the great PMs apart from the …
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"I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." - Margaret Thatcher |
