Authorized Accountability

 

• Even if you have been told, you failed to listen;
• Even if you have listened, you failed to understand;
• Even if you have understood, you failed to take action;
• Even if you have taken action, you failed to do it right;
• Even if you have done it right, you failed to deliver;
• Even if you have delivered, you failed to meet the expectation.

And so it goes on and on…

The above is a series of common breaking points that may lead to unfortunate project failures. You started to ask yourself if you could possibly prevent them from happening. It is not easy, you admitted. Yet, you are still expected to sail past them in all the projects you handle. This is because when a project fails, it is always the project manager’s fault. To many people, this statement holds true regardless of whatever creative reasons you can come up with to explain for yourself.

Blame it on the project manager if the project fails.

You have seen how a project manager was blamed for a project disaster when the actual problem lies with an incompetent vendor. You have also witnessed how a project manager was parachuted as a scapegoat to salvage a doomed project. There is a protesting voice inside you crying “It’s unfair!” But as a project manager, your job is to listen, understand and execute effectively to ensure you deliver the project that meets the stakeholders’ expectation. No wonder your mum has been warning you that project management is the most stressful job in the world. Damn it, you regretted not taking her advice.

Now back to the key question – “Should a project manager be fully accountable for the success or failure of a project?”

I can spot a few raised hands. In my opinion, the answer is ‘Yes’ but it depends. You can’t simply make someone accountable for something that he or she does not have the authority to work on. Forget about the question on fairness for a moment, the lack of authority will mean that the project manager has to grope across the political minefield barefooted. You don’t need an economist to tell you the survival rate for this. In general, it is easy for us to push all the responsibilities and accountabilities to the project manager. But without the right authority, there is very little thing the project manager can do. He will not have any decision-making power, not given any budget, and probably don’t even have any control over his own team. It is like sending a general into a battle without an army backing him up. Therefore, it is imperative for project managers to be given the necessary authority to run their shows. Unfortunately, most organizations failed to realize and understand this.

If I were to add on one more breaking point to the series above, it will be –

• Even if you have done everything you could, you failed to get the authority you need to get the job done.