Should Project Managers get involved in their projects?
Hello,
One debate that broils is whether or not Project Managers should actually engage in work related to their projects. For example, if a PM knows Business Process Management, should the PM perform it or should a non-PM always get assigned? Would that distract from managing the project?
One camp says definitely not: Project Managers should manage and not perform project tasks. A PM that engages in project tasks emperils the project by taking away management time. The other camp says that it's ok if PMs actively engage thier projects or assign project tasks to themselves. My opinions fall in the latter camp.
Obviously some situations will call for a PM to step in (attrition, moving targets, etc.), but does anyone have any opinions on the fundamental issue of PM involvement? Saving Changes...
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Anonymous
This is indeed a topic that should stir up some controversy and discussion. I think that the audience out there will be able to argue both sides of this issue effectively. If your organization has the right people to work on a project, but the projects in your organization are waiting on project manager availability, then that might suggest the project manager should stay focused on leading the project, not doing it. That way they can manage more projects. Conversely, if project resources are short, and you can get a project underway because you have an available project manager with the right skills, then it may be the right thing to have the project manager assigned to tasks. I would also venture an opinion that project size may have a bearing on the decision. On a very large project, the project manager is unlikely to have time to do anything but lead and manage. My personal preference? I think that project managers always have opportunities to learn how to lead and manage better. If they are busy doing the technical project tasks, then they rob themselves of the opportunity and time to learn more about managing projects, and they rob their team of the opportunity to learn how to do the technical project work better. If the project manager is indeed a world class expert in some other technical domain, and they are managing a project focused on using skills in that domain, the project manager should probably mentor those assigned to do the work, rather than do it themselves. The project manager should leverage all opportunities to lead and it’s hard to do when you’re not out front. However, my bottom line answer like so many things involved in project management is: “it depends”. Saving Changes...
Hannah WolfSenior Program Manager| UbisoftSan Francisco, Ca, United States
I agree with Rich's "bottom line" answer - it really does depend on your circumstances. In my organization, which has a small PMO and a fairlysmall base of internal customers, the PMs are expected (and trained) to act as business analysts as necessary to deliver high-quality results to our customers. My experience has been that I learn a lot about the company's processes by virtue of engaging in a project in that fashion, and that knowledge informs my work in other projects. However, Ed's point is a good one - that learning is potentially at the expense of developing "pure PM" skills. Saving Changes...
