I have been a PM at a new job for 6 months. Since starting, it seems that everything I suggest or recommend is not wanted. My supervisor said that she doesn't believe in a RACI chart, we don't need

Focus on adding value. You are not being perceived as a value added asset to the team.

1) figure out what the team needs to improve project delivery
2) determine what talents/abilities can you bring to the table to enhance project delivery
3) go about showing what you can do, how you can help them.

Seems to me you have a sense on entitlement, that the team (and boss) should just accept that 'you know best'. You have to earn your way.

A couple questions:

- Do you need permission to do your job?
- Are you trying to solve problems that others don't consider problems?

A few options:

Option 1 - Conduct a personal assessment of yourself. If you have friends at work, ask them for feedback. Is there something about the way you are approaching project management that is putting others off? Was there heavy handed project management in the past that turned others off to it? Or did they try to formalize project management, and fail, one or more occasions? The problem could be you, or you might just be the current face of an older problem.

Option 2 - to the best of your ability, use the tools that you need to do your job well, and only share what they want to see. Some of the stakeholders I've dealt with want there to be a project schedule, but they aren't interested in seeing it. They want risks to be managed, but they don't want formal risk meetings. They want project management to stay behind the scenes while the work gets done. There's plenty of work for you to do that only needs to be shared with those you need to involve.

I once inherited a project that was way over cost and schedule, and the scope was unclear. I wanted to put the project on hold so we could figure out what was really needed and how to get it done. I was told no. So, I identified a deliverable that part of the team could work on and reported status on that, while the rest of us stopped actively working on the project and focused on rescoping it. I didn't tell my boss, and he congratulated me once we delivered the project with the right deliverables (we found some major issues with scope). I don't normally endorse dishonesty. My point - sometimes you have to be successful before people will believe what is needed to be successful.

Option 3 - if you're really struggling and there is no hope of change, it might be time to consider looking for a career somewhere else. I'm not saying you should. If you choose this path, don't tell anyone, try to find a new job before leaving your current job, and don't discuss your frustrations with your current job in the job interviews. They want to know what you can do for them, not what's wrong at your current employer, even if they ask why you are leaving the company.

These options are just suggestions without a guarantee, based on a little bit of information you provided. You know your situation better than I do. Take a step back and try to see the bigger picture, then come up with your own plan of action. Best wishes.

Hi Anonymous,
It seems to me they have no clue of what they are doing or looking for. They hired you as a PM and don't let you do your job????!!!!!
I have been in a similar situation before and don't think there is anything you can do to help them understand and learn from you, simply because they don't want to.
Here is my advice:Get out of that toxic company as soon as you possibly can find another job. The sooner the better for you.
Best of luck.

Unfortunately this problem is not uncommon, nor is it always fixable.

It sounds like your organization lacks role clarity. Managers often want to be in control and act as PMs so they can brag to their bosses about how they were responsible for success. Usually that makes them perform poorly both as the PM, and as a functional manager. They don't have the bandwidth so they don't listen and provide poorly thought out direction.

Technical experts often don't want anyone looking over their shoulders, or steering their work. That becomes a control issue for them. Often they focus on their own area of technical expertise, sub-optimize solutions to their own KPIs and not that of the overall project, and ignore the business realities like cost and schedule.

In that type of culture, PMs are often regarded as an administrative role. Other stakeholders want you to do their busy work, but not help chart the course to success. If you don't have any ownership of the plan, then you're just reporting out on other people's problems. That is a reason many PMs change jobs.

I would strongly suggest you talk to your manager about what their expectations are for your job role. It is difficult to change a culture from the PM level, but at least you can better understand the culture through their eyes.

I have sometimes been effective about changing that PM role perception. Often this is done by with a formula of "Here is the problem I see and here is a good solution". Score a couple wins this way and people start seeing that you make them look better, not worse. That doesn't always work. Some people are stubborn and just want things done their way, and try to justify their way even if it produces poor results.

If your manager wants a real PM, then they need to back you up for you to be successful. If your manager wants a chart monkey, then you need to consider whether you can change their mind, whether you can tolerate that job role, or whether you need to look elsewhere.