Ryan BakerProject Manager| Childrens HealthDallas, Tx, United States
Any recommendations for how performance reviews should be conducted for project managers? (Especially when the types of projects are diverse among project manager peers. It is difficult to compare performance when some projects may be doomed to fail for reasons outside of the control of the project manager.) How do you grade performance? How do you establish goals? Saving Changes...
While the success of a project might be affected by factors outside the control of a PM, you can judge their performance on how well they planned for the unknown and their ability to bounce back when surprises occurred.
I would also include some sort of 360 degree feedback involving sponsors & customers, functional managers and team members to gauge things like expectation management, team leadership and communications.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Carolyn FultonProject Manager| Amtis Inc.Orlando, Fl, United States
My first thought is the same as Kiron has suggested, a 360-degree feedback loop. At a minimum, it should involve the PM's team members. If you can obtain feedback from outside stakeholders, seek that as well. An online form is probably the best way to solicit stakeholder feedback be prepared for no better than a 50% response rate. Keep the survey short and to the point. 5 Likert scale questions or less.
I take pause when you indicate that a project is doomed to failure from the start. If this is true, the PM should have a risk mitigation plan, the project charter should be modified to account for this risk, and perhaps, the project should be rescoped and tailored to what can be done. These are the things that a PM should be evaluated on. I wish that every potentially "doomed project" that came my way was just accepted as such :) As a PM, it is my responsibility to assess the project, figure out what can be done, get stakeholder support, and move along. These are the things that I am evaluated on. Saving Changes...
I agree with Kiron. Success of the project is not the only measure than you can rely on. The organization of the project, communication channels, resource planning, scope management and etc. are the other factors.
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1 reply by DAYAKAR REDDY MANDALA
Jul 09, 2023 6:47 PM
DAYAKAR REDDY MANDALA
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Apart from the above mentioned, I also believe internal culture plays a major role in a project manager performance review. Any thoughts on this ?
At one employer we had a checklist of the minimum expectations for each project that was considered in our grading. Currently, we're getting sort of an NPS from project stakeholders (they're all internal).
Maybe do both - an objective assessment of PM skills and subjective assessment of how others feel about performance on their projects???
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1 reply by Ryan Baker
Jul 07, 2023 4:52 PM
Ryan Baker
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Hi Aaron and thank you for the response. Your comment about "an objective assessment of PM skills" caught my eye. In my mind, this would also be a subjective assessment. Can you elaborate on how you evaluate PM skills objectively? (Does this relate to the minimum expectations checklist?)
Saving Changes...
Julia HenbyFulcrum Concepts LLCProvidence Forge, Va, United States
We do a breakdown 40/40/30 to grade our PMs. 40% is project/program performance, 40% is 360 peer reviews, and 30% comes from strategic initiatives. These are more internal projects/goals/productivity that benefits the company. These strategic initiatives are a way to drive progress internally while also utilizing a specific skill or passion that the employee has that isn't directly tied to a program/project. A score of 75% is required to "pass" each year. This allows for primary focus to be on the project and the communication style within it, while still allowing for room if things don't go to plan. I recommend implementing something similar. The most important thing is setting these goals on an annual basis, checking in on them regularly in 1:1s, and then adjusting as needed throughout the year. This sets everyone in line with expectations and gives a clear goal to all team members. Saving Changes...
Ryan BakerProject Manager| Childrens HealthDallas, Tx, United States
Jul 07, 2023 10:28 AM
Replying to Aaron Porter
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At one employer we had a checklist of the minimum expectations for each project that was considered in our grading. Currently, we're getting sort of an NPS from project stakeholders (they're all internal).
Maybe do both - an objective assessment of PM skills and subjective assessment of how others feel about performance on their projects???
Hi Aaron and thank you for the response. Your comment about "an objective assessment of PM skills" caught my eye. In my mind, this would also be a subjective assessment. Can you elaborate on how you evaluate PM skills objectively? (Does this relate to the minimum expectations checklist?)
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1 reply by Aaron Porter
Oct 23, 2023 11:04 AM
Aaron Porter
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Ryan, my apologies, I didn't see that you had replied with a question. This was in relation to the checklist - more of a yes/no or pass/fail, if you will, whether the items on the list were completed.
For a little more context, partially evolved from project audits on capital projects - activities and deliverables that were expected for capital projects that could negatively impact the company if they weren't completed. It was easier to make it the minimum standard for all projects. I'd provide specific examples, but it's been several years since I've used that checklist.
Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
In my case, I was always evaluated in my performance as project/program manager with base in my annual objectives which are in line with business objectives. We used OKRs framework to assure that out objectives were in line with value to provide to business. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Success is in the eye of the beholder. Asking stakeholders of their satisfaction with the PM is a good idea and I would focus on the customer, the sponsor and the team members. This is more specific than a general 360.
Depending on the organisation's maturity, I have also seen criteria not directly related to own projects like
- own capability development (training, skill development but also personal),
- development of others (trainings, mentoring, suggestions for promotions)
- organisational knowledge extension (process updates, lessons learned, other assets)
- external representation of your organisation (e.g. speeches at conferences, articles published, volunteering). Some manager even asked me about publishing a book Saving Changes...
I agree with Kiron. Success of the project is not the only measure than you can rely on. The organization of the project, communication channels, resource planning, scope management and etc. are the other factors.
Apart from the above mentioned, I also believe internal culture plays a major role in a project manager performance review. Any thoughts on this ?
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1 reply by Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani
Jul 10, 2023 8:36 AM
Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani
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Yes and No.
It depends. could be a factor.
sometimes the internal culture may be affected by the organizational culture and ...
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