I don't think you know what makes a good project manager!
How do people decide whether they think a Project Manager is good?
When project teams, stakeholders and management see a Project Manager consistently in the dirt fixing problems they often perceive these people to be the best Project Managers they have and you can hear statements being made like:
“That person has always been great at resolving issues when they arise and unblocking them quickly. I know I can always rely on them when the sh#t hits the fan!”.
However, I would argue that in most cases these are the Project Managers who are likely to have consistently late and over-budget projects.
“How so?” I hear you cry!
Don’t get me wrong…being able to quickly resolve issues is a great trait for any Project Manager to have. However, there’s one fundamental flaw in the above scenario. If a Project Manager is continuously mitigating issues and ‘in the dirt’ fixing problems, they have not, and do not do enough risk and dependency management to stop things becoming issues in the first place.
MITIGATE ALL RISKS AND YOU SHALL HAVE NO ISSUES
So what is a good Project Manager?
A good project manager will be resolving potential risks way into the future and right from the outset of the project.
A passionate Project Manager will be aiming for zero (identifiable) issues throughout the entire project.
The result of this is that all their projects seem to tick along smoothly and give the perception that they always get the ‘easy’ projects.
They appear calm and to the outsider, they look like they don’t do much.
– how many times have you heard people say
“What does a PM do? Anyone could do their job!”.
In fact, this type of Project Manager is probably one of the busiest people on the entire project team, but they are conducting their art under the surface so as not to distract the team from delivery. And be under no misconceptions, Project Management is an art that needs practice and experience to become good at and those who choose not to constantly develop their skills will cost your business money over time.
Heed caution on the quiet ones!
But be careful! There are also those Project Managers who don’t actually care about the project and are just ticking along to earn a buck. They too can appear calm and they may have landed a really easy project that hides their incompetence. Another great example of this is when there is a really good project team around the Project Manager who resolve their own issues and are aware of the pitfalls to come which in turn makes the project run smoothly i.e. they are effectively carrying the Project Manager.
This misunderstanding about what makes a good Project Manager has led to a much wider issue around giving people Project Manager jobs that have little or no experience – but that’s a topic in itself which I will write about in a future post.
So how do you identify a good Project Manager? – especially when you’re looking to recruit one. There is one simple question that will give you a great indication of the type of Project Manager you are talking to,
“Let me give you a scenario. We are halfway through a project that you are managing. You have a full and detailed plan and a RAID log that is updated at least once a week. The project is on track but there are a few issues that are currently being managed. It is the start of a new week and you sit down at your desk on Monday morning to start work. Talk me through what activities you will be doing each day for the rest of that week”.
As they answer take notes on how many hours they are spending on each of the general activities e.g. producing status reports/ attending weekly meetings/ getting updates from people/ updating the plan etc. Then assess as follows;
- They spend most of their time getting updates, filling status reports, doing all the governance stuff and attending meetings – AVOID… these PM’s would be better suited to PMO
- They spend most of their time working on/ working their plan i.e. they set aside many hours a week to work their plan – CHALLENGE MORE…. Working the plan is a critical part of being a good PM. Ask them exactly how they work their plan. If its simply asking people where they are at and then updating it based on what they’ve been told then please refer to number 1 above. If they say things like they spend time looking at dependencies and making people aware of the impacts of delivering certain activities etc then you could be OK with this PM. But be aware that they are still not focusing on the most important things to ensure the best chance of a successful delivery (see number 3)
- They spend most of their time identifying, reviewing and mitigating risks – GOOD PROJECT MANAGER – HIRE THIS PERSON…this Project Manager will give you the best chance of delivering a project on time and within budget. If their main focus is on ‘clearing the tracks’ to enable the project to deliver then you know you’re giving the project the best chance of success. But ensure that you also clarify their ability to plan, communicate and all those other good traits of a PM.
But again – please be aware of people who ‘talk the talk’ but don’t actually do what they say – a good way to check once they are involved in a project with you is to look at what they are reporting back to you. ‘Number 3’ Project Managers will go out their way to show you the level of risk (delivery/ financial/ operational/ reputational etc) the project is currently holding and how they are managing that risk – the ‘talk the talk’ PM will naturally start falling into category 1 or 2 – but mainly 1.
Recruitment Agents and Hiring Managers Take Note!
Last message to recruitment agencies and hiring managers – you’re going to get inundated with C.V.’s for Project Manager roles. If you focus on finding out the ones that manage risk on a daily basis (and ask for evidence of how they carry out risk assessment and report on it) rather than ones who have the best technical skills, who have run the most projects, who know all about the various project management methodologies etc. you will stand a much better chance of getting the right person for the job!
Of course everything you've just read is based purely on my opinion and observations...
Do you agree with the above sentiment or do you think there other, more important traits to look for?