Marcus UdokangProject Manager| Aivaz ConsultingCalgary, Alberta, Canada
What are some not so favorable things out there that you hear about project managers, and how do you suggest we overcome the issues? Would be keen to hear your experiences in this realm. Saving Changes...
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Hi Marcus, Project managers are too bossy! I personally think that more communication and trust in collaborators will reduce this negative rhetoric Saving Changes...
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Hi Kiron,
Many thanks for your insightful feedback... #6 Saving Changes...
Andrew SoswaTechnology leader| Leading global financial institutionElk Grove Village, Il, United States
1. Paper pusher (aka Office Space)
2. Neck-to-choke
3. Constant complainer
4. Pie in the sky (speaking so high level - there is no connection to a project)
5. Babysitter
6. Note-taker
More subtle sub-types:
- Hard-a** on people below and kiss-a** above
- Parachuter (flying high level without caring about project until needs to drop on someone's head if things don't go well)
And my personal favorite - Know-it-all Saving Changes...
Marcus UdokangProject Manager| Aivaz ConsultingCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Beautiful. Love these lists.
Marcus Saving Changes...
David BrezlerOwner| Brezler, LLCWhite Plains, Ny, United States
Negative assumptions:
1) Project managers exist only to add technical debt
Solution: design a strategy with broader buy-in that still works
2) We should adopt a "no more projects" philosophy
Solution: Sorry, rules exist in life. Even if you self organize and self regulate, organization and regulation are based on rules. Let's all cooperate and get the project(s) done, hmmm?
3) "There's an app for that!"
Solution: Nope, the app is a tool. It can't effectively manage projects/stakeholders/decision making for you. In fact, over-reliance on a technological solution may have in fact brought you to the point where you need a change management project to correct the problems that were caused... Saving Changes...
The problem in my opinion is that in many companies the Project Manager is not a managerial position. Many companies have project management internships and entry level project management positions.
So many PMs are peers with the project team members, in fact it is very common for senior team members to be more senior and at a much higher pay than the PM.
Despite being at the same level as the team members many PMs see themselves superior some really try to treat their peers with superiority others don't but describe themselves as leaders, mentors, captains, etc for the team members. Obviously this creates adversity especially when the PM is not an experienced SME in a relevant line of work for the project.
The solution is: - either for the PMs that are in this situation to accept the fact that they are not real managers and to treat the team members as peers and not as subordinates (they really aren't subordinates) - or the companies to remove non-managerial Project Management positions.
For many companies however Project Manager means individual contributor specialist in project management and not Manager in the sense of an employee with formal authority. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Many of the concerns related to project managers is a failure to define and understand the PM role and responsibilities. Failure by the PM, the company and the project team members. Every one seems to have their own understanding and these understandings are at odds with each other. An incubator of conflict and distrust.
The roles and responsibilities of the PM are company and project specific from "administrator" to "complete project authority" including managerial functions and subject matter expertise.
The solution of course is to define roles and responsibilities in the Project Charter and get a buy-in or consensus. Saving Changes...
Marcus UdokangProject Manager| Aivaz ConsultingCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Much appreciate the input from all of you. These responses are fabulous.
Marcus Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
Marcus,
The RIFability, that is, the perception of the value of a given role to an organization, and thus their likelihood to be easily included in (R)eduction (I)n (F)orce waves, is one of the strongest unfavorable’s one can have.
Stated differently, PM’s that are not “PMI Talent Triangle” grounded and recognized, are “cannon fodder” for RIF’ing actions when an enterprise is under financial stress. Obviously, anyone at any time can be RIF’d, but the perception of PM’s by executive management is key if one expects to have the longevity that perseveres over time within a given organization.
...
1 reply by Peter Rapin
Aug 11, 2020 2:16 PM
Peter Rapin
...
A PM's immediate value is grounded on the ability to deliver the project. Once the project has been delivered, successfully or otherwise, the role disappears thus so does one's immediate value.
There has to be a new project, internal or external to the organization, to re-establish one's immediate value as a PM. The better the PM's past performance the greater the probability of landing the next project extending one's value beyond immediate.
The other option is to establish one's value outside of the project management environment. Many of the PM's skills are transferable with a little refocusing however you may be competing with subject matter experts.
This brings us to a company's ability to see PM skills and experience as valuable assets in the operational environment. Many companies do not see an easy transition from project to operations.
"S(he) did a fine job delivering the project but its done, we have no more projects in the pipe and operations does not need that skill set so we have no choice but ..."
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