is it a good PM?

Very interesting, basic but fundamental question. Yes, there are methods to judge a person PM capabilities. You have to first define criteria and expectations and accordingly check the person. You can always check the knowledge on IPECC methodology, Team Management, Risk, Communication and Vendor Management.

Hi Lukasz,

One particular scenario comes to mind, as a PM, he or she will need to manage conflicts between project team members, hence a useful way to assess if the potential PM has the ability to do so, would be to put him or her into a situation where 2 project team members reporting to him or her are in a massive conflict, and the conflict is due to a difference in technical opinion. Let him or her outline how and what approach would he or her take to manage or resolve this. It gets harder when the conflict is just due to a technical opinion difference.. for e.g. if 2 similarly qualified engineers decide that a structure is safe vs not safe.. how do we deal with that?

There is no right or wrong answer, but hearing the person out enables you to assess if he or she has the grit, tenacity and the right principles to manage the conflict and by extension be the right PM for the job..

Hope this helps..