Who Wants To Be A Project Manager Anyway? Please Count Me In!

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by Bas de Baar
Who Wants To Be A Project Manager Anyway? Please Count Me In!01. Jul, 2008 7
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Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress PluginThis is a guest post by Richard C.
Bernheim. He is a SAP/IT Project Management Consultant since 1991, with a
Financial/Cost Management background. Richard is both a Certified PMP & he has
an MBA degree in Finance.
Photography by Alan Light.
Given the tremendous global growth in the profession of Project Management,
there are ample opportunities to make your own mark. But before doing so, it
might be a good idea to pause for a moment and ponder the following Project
Management performance statistics:
KPMG’s survey results which contrasted 2005 with 2003 revealed the following:
There was an 81% increase in the number of projects globally
 There was an 88% increase in project complexity globally
There was an 79% increase in project budgets globally
The Standish Group survey results for 2004 revealed that only 35% of
Information Technology projects were deemed to be successful as measured by
being within their original budget, on schedule, and delivering all user
requirements satisfactorily
Ernst & Young and numerous others state that there are three categories of
Project Management issues:
People-related issues which on average represent 80%
Process-related issues which on average represent 10%
Technology-related issues which on average represent 10%
O’Neill’s 1999 study results revealed that on average the typical Project
Manager spends 70% of his time on Non-Value-Added project activities.
With statistics such as these, people who practice or those who seek to practice
Project Management need to seriously consider their own ability to contribute to
a successful project result. Then what about the many academic disciplines that
need to be mastered in the performance of Project Management activities such as:
Business and Strategic Management
Financial and Cost Management, including Budgeting/Planning and Statistics
Information Technology Management
Project Management Process Methodologies and Phases
Human Resource and Communications Management
Procurement and Vendor Relations
Time Management and Scheduling
Scope Management
Risk Management
Quality Management
Performance Management
Project Leadership
Professional and Social Responsibilities
To all of what has been stated above, one needs to recognize all of the personal
stress and many long hours which come with the territory in the performance of
Project Management work. Then don’t forget to take into account the often very
challenging nature of dealing with new technologies and considering the many new
ways of performing business processes. Also, what about dealing with the
numerous cross-functional experts who often have never worked together and all
of the required efforts in building them into a high performance team. Finally,
there is the most difficult matter of all which is effectively dealing with
people who are in a state of conflict regarding the many project decisions and
alternative solutions to problems that arise throughout the duration of a
project.
With all of this said, why would any sane individual subject oneself to this
punishment?
I was actually asked this very question many years ago by a University student
in my “Introduction to Project Management” class. The only answer I could come
up with both then and now is this – it takes a certain kind of person who is
completely willing to take on these many significant hurdles. I sincerely
believe that Project Management work is not meant for everyone. While the field
clearly needs a growing number of professionals to satisfy the ever increasing
demand as was mentioned above, not everyone is up for all that is required. When
you factor in the low project success rate to-date, this challenge looms even
larger than it first appears. Despite all of this, it is possible to perform
Project Management activities successfully. It takes a lot of hard work,
self-discipline, full dedication, intense focus, and a good measure of luck
thrown in. One must be able to preserve under very demanding circumstances and
rise to the occasion.
Now here are some of the ingredients necessary for project success, including
one’s own self-preservation:
First, one must be willing to do what it takes to achieve a level of
professional Project Management certification, which requires, at a minimum,
mastering the nine knowledge areas and five traditional phases of a project as
defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Further, being dedicated to
continuous Project Management learning is another serious requirement, aside
from fulfilling the need for acquiring a certain amount of Professional
Development Units (PDU’s) within a specified period of time.
Secondly, one must learn how to deal with and manage people, along with their
expectations, in a project situation. This is very different from managing
people performing routine, repetitive, and ongoing work activities. A project
is for a fixed duration of time, and is dedicated to producing some specific
final product and/or service. Instead of working with a homogeneous group of
people who typically share a similar skill or set of skills and background,
projects usually require a vast array of functionally and technically skilled
people who more often than not have never interacted with each other. Getting
such a group of diverse people to march to the same drummer’s beat is neither
easy, nor is it quick in coming. Also, a Project Manager only has limited
authority over his people resources, which only complicates matters. The
people involved not only include the members of the project team reporting to
the Project Manager, but all of the stakeholders with an interest in the
project’s progress and outcome. This then includes internal parties (e.g.
business executive and middle managers); and external parties (e.g.
consultants, suppliers, creditors, auditors, etc.).
Thirdly, one must be willing to learn about and regularly apply “Best
Practices” in terms of Business Process Management (BPM) and interpersonal
relationships, most particularly Communications. While BPM is very important
to the future of the business, Communications is even more significant since
it impacts right now upon everyone involved in the project. Communications is
a two-way process of both listening and speaking. Many people are rather good
at talking, while they are not so good at listening. Active listening is a
skill to be mastered and continually improved upon. In terms of Project
Management, it can make the difference between gathering accurate and complete
user requirements, avoiding as well as resolving conflicts, and understanding
people’s project expectations. As for speaking, the most important thing to
know is to send out a clear and consistent message. By not following this
rule, one can most assuredly get oneself into a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Fourthly, gathering sufficient amounts of good information about the
organizational environment is another critical project success factor. This
entails gaining an insight into any internal politics, a deep understanding of
the industry and regulatory nature of the business, the status of current
business processes and technology, and the organizational culture. More
information is better than less when it comes to these important matters. The
Project Manager can use this good information to aid the project in navigating
through the various challenges that will surely come along throughout the
project’s lifecycle. Being able to understand and apply the dynamics of what
makes the business tick will definitely increase the chances for a successful
project result.
Fifthly, paying attention to the early warning signs of a project in distress
is very important as well. These early warning signs include such discernable
things as:
Significant amounts of project overtime hours and cost
Project resources being diverted elsewhere, or simply not operating on the
 project’s activities at a 100% level of effort
Project performance ratios are trending downward
Project milestones are not being achieved
Project scope is subject to too many changes that either increase or
decrease the original project scope planned for.
Then there are the less obvious early warning signs such as these:
People’s general lack of interest as expressed by poor meeting attendance
and little meaningful communication at project meetings
A general lack of and/or rather poor project communications amongst
stakeholders and project team members
Inadequate deliverables coming at infrequent intervals, or expressed another
way – a lack of movement forward
All project news is only good news – there is an absence of any bad news
being reported
These early warning signs must be heeded by the Project Manager in order to
avert more serious and unrecoverable circumstances from killing any chance for
project success.
Sixthly, recognizing that being a Project Manager entails demonstrating on a
daily basis “Project Leadership”. This term does not just refer to the
specific nature of the project activities and deliverables, but to the
management of all the people, both internal and external, involved in the
project. No one can be nor is expected to be an expert in everything, but a
Project Manager is expected to:
Know when and how to delegate project work to people and take full advantage
of their expertise
Help people resolve any stumbling blocks that come their way
Reward good project performance appropriately, and in a fair and
consistently applied manner
Not ask anyone to do something they themselves would not be willing to do
As one reviews all that is stated above, it is rather obvious that
Process-related and Technically-related activities are mentioned in very short
supply. This is not done to indicate that they do not count for any project or
personal benefits, for they indeed do. Rather, I seek to demonstrate and
emphasize what is most important in achieving successful project processes and
outcomes. I personally, and most sincerely believe, having been a team member on
some 30 projects over my entire career, and a Project Manager in at least half a
dozen of these, that Process and Technical knowledge and experience will get you
only so far. What will get you the rest of the way is using your People-related
skills well. These skills too often are either neglected or given inadequate
time and attention by too many Project Managers, but the statistics shown above
very clearly reveal they are most critical. If only 30% of a Project Manager’s
time is spent on Value-Added project activities, which are more likely to be
centered around Process-related and Technically-related issues, then the
substantial remainder must require very good People-related skills and a good
deal of patience. If only 20% of all project issues are Process-related and
Technically-related, the significant remainder are People-related requiring
excellent interpersonal skills.
Finally, if the success rate for Information Technology projects is well below
50%, then it is not due to a lack of Process-related, nor Technically-related
information. There are any number of Project Management methodologies and
resources available to a Project Manager to use. In terms of Technology, there
is certainly no shortage of tools and techniques available today. Clearly
evaluating these many instruments takes time, and of course they cost money
requiring management approvals, but the profession lacks not from any
Process-related, nor Technically-related information resources. It is rather the
human element and how best to mange it during all of the endeavors involved with
performing project work that needs far greater attention and significant
improvement by all who practice the profession of Project Management. If this
happens, these project statistics will most likely begin to trend rather
differently. There will be a shift to more Value-Added time being spent by
Project Managers and more Process-related and Technical-related issues being
addressed by Project Managers. Correspondingly, the percentages for
Non-Value-Added time and People-related issues will decline. Finally, and above
all else, the project success rate will likely increase and shift to becoming
the norm instead of an infrequent result. This would be a most worthy
professional accomplishment.
So, count me in. I want to be a Project Manager many more times before my career
comes to an end upon retirement. Being a Project Manager is something I feel
very passionate about. I have done it with some relative successes along with
some disappointments, and I can only say that success is much more enjoyable. By
constantly learning about all aspects of Project Management, including the
critical Human Resource Management component, I expect to perform as a Project
Manager much better going forward. Learning by being under fire as a Project
Manager is one way, but by researching why projects fail and what to do about
this fact is yet another way. The combination of the two should serve me well
going forward, and I hope you all as well.
. . . . . . . . . .
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7 Responses to “Who Wants To Be A Project Manager Anyway? Please Count Me
In!”Steve Ingram 02. Jul, 2008 at 11:49 am
Excellent! What a great summary of what it means to be a Project Manager.Bas
02. Jul, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Yeah Steve, thanks for your comment. And yep, I love this entry from
Richard.Mike Cottmeyer 24. Feb, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Very nice entry. Recognizing the human element is essential. There have been
many times in my career where I have willed a project over the finish line
through leadership and had to throw the processes out the door. Sometimes they

get in the way.Laurent Mathieu 10. Jun, 2010 at 3:36 pm

Realy interesting post! Do you still have the sources of KPMG, E&Y and
Standish Group surveys?
Thank you.
LaurentBas de Baar 14. Jun, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Hi Laurent, thanks for the comment. I’ll try to contact the author, Richard C.
Bernheim, to see if he has some links or other refs.
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