Project Manager Perceptions

Interesting. I have the same issue with engineers (I'm one who is licensed), but I suspect that the same issue exist elsewhere. Engineering is one of the true original "professions", and has been for hundreds, if not thousands of years. At least recently, say within the last 150 years, it was recognized with an accompanying accreditation from a governing body. The problem, unlike with other modern "professionals" say like, doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, etc. you are NOT required to be licensed (at least in Canada unless it is civil engineering). So then how is that engineers who graduate with a recognized degree are permitted to "practice" engineering without being licensed? It is a travesty what these so called "professional bodies" have done to the engineering profession.
The Federal Government in Canada is at least taking steps to formally recognize the roles of PM, and are now going to require that any PM has at least some mandatory competencies, skills, experience, etc. Long over due, especially considering the size and complexity of some of our larger projects.
Like a recent employee (PMI-SP) I hired said, scheduling is a profession, and NOT an admin assistant job. So, I'll turn the tables a bit, and play devil's advocate, and ask how many of you have PMI-SP certified schedulers working on your project, or it delegated to someone who is not a scheduling professional?

An person or firm providing engineering services could result in unacceptable risk of injury to the public as a direct result of errors and omissions in providing that service - collapse of structures, electrical failures, environmental impairment, etc.

Government intervention or control is there to protect the public, not the employer.

In Canada the professions are regulated by the provinces. In Ontario, engineering services fall under the Professional Engineers Act. The Act requires that both the firm and the engineer providing professional engineering services are to be respectively certified and licensed. What constitutes professional engineering services is defined.

The Act specifically makes it illegal for an unlicensed person to called themselves Professional Engineers or claim to be Professional Engineers and offer engineering services as defined under the Act.

The use of the term "engineer" in a generic sense cannot be controlled.

Yes, and your point is?

While working for General Motors Diesel Division when I first graduated, they were designing and building the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), and Diesel Electric Locomotives. There was no requirement for any of the engineers working there to be licensed. In fact someone complained, and the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) (back then I think it was the APEO) investigated and ruled that anyone who was NOT licensed by them could not sign the drawing "Engineer" signature block, unless it was stuck out with two parallel lines. Fine - so what??

I don't want this discussion to be sidetracked with my own personal views on the engineering profession, so this is the last comment I'll leave on this particular point I raised. I'm more interested in how many PMI-SP schedulers are out there doing scheduling vs non-certified schedulers.

Adrian,

In my opinion, having direct reports or not as a project manager is irrelevant to this discussion.

In an appropriately chartered project (PMI, Prince2, or other), the team is adopted/drafted into a “logical entity.” Think of this entity as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company authorizing the project. The team members are then transiently transferred to this entity (both full-time and part-time workers), whose head, or president, is the project manager. The project manager then reports to a committee (e.g., a steering committee), which can be viewed as the board of directors in this analogy. There are countless variations of this structure, but they are all built around an empowered/accountable PM.

So, if you would allow me, I would like to “cut through” to what I believe is the core issue that is preventing us reconciling our viewpoints (notice that I didn’t say agreeing):

--- You find it unconscionable to have a non-expert (i.e., not domain literate on either the IT or business side) be in charge of a project. As you believe they would NOT be viewed as the real person in charge, and thus not respected for their role – among other things.

So again, if you would allow -- I have found that this opinion is almost always rooted in one’s personal experience. Specifically, the experience wherein a less-knowledgeable individual on a given subject provides direction to one who is more-knowledgable. This, “I know better than you” setup is something we ALL have experienced and can relate to., but seemingly becomes a “justifiable bias” in systems engineering circles.

Please recognize that a knowledgable empowered/accountable PM is NOT going to intrude and make technical dictates to their teams, as they recognize that they are ultimately responsible for the project and that such moves are counterproductive to objective-success. I’m a firm believer that PM’s should endeavor to have extended domain knowledge, but that knowledge is not for controlling technical details, it’s instead knowledge that helps one’s internal compass point to success. So, if you were exposed to a PM who “crossed the line,” then please recognize it as such.

Whether agile, hybrid, or waterfall, Project Managers have a pivotal role, that is, to direct their project as the one accountable for its success or failure. Or stated from an executive’s point of view, “the project manager is the one-throat-to-choke” if the project misses its objectives. Recognizing that their job is on the line, empowered/accountable project managers build the best team possible, and then empower those teams to accomplish the goals and objectives of the project. It’s as simpledifficult as that.

If the project system comprised of SMEs, the customer(s), the sponsor, other key stakeholders reaches a certain level of complexity (as determined by number of elements and connections), the task of a PM is to reduce this complexity and make the lives of all more comfortable (OR: make them efficient in the context of the project).

Practically this means if you can help the SMEs to reduce their insecurity by planning, their inbox by channeling communication, their progress by strengthening the supply of materials and information so they do not have to wait so long, you are reducing their perceived complexity and enable them to focus on what they are paid for.