Being an Effective Project Manager Text by Stanley E. Portny, Samuel J Mantel, Jack R. Meredith, Scott M. Shaffer, Margaret M. Sutton with Brian Kramer. PowerPoints by Christine Mooney 8-1

Selecting a Project Manager Project managers are responsible for: a.Exercising leadership b.Dealing with obstacles c.Making tradeoffs Selecting a project manager is a difficult task for upper management. 8-2

Critical characteristics Focused on finishing – project maanger must be a closer. Credibility – project managers must be believable. Sensitivity – project manager needs a finely tuned set of antennae. Leadership – a project manager must be a leader. Ethics – a project manager must have and communicate a strong sense of ethics. 8-3

Code of Ethics The Project Management Institute developed a code of ethics for the project management profession. The code was established to promote honesty and integrity amongst the profession. The code is divided into four separate articles. Each article deals with a different topic in the code. 8-4

Leading in a Project Environment A project manager’s success on a project depends on his or her ability to organize, coordinate, and support a diverse team working toward a goal. Management and leadership are related but distinct sets of behavior that project managers utilize. 8-5

Comparing management & Leadership Table 8-2 illustrates leadership and management approaches to support the key stages of a project. INSERT TABLE

Response to project Managers  People respond to project manager’s requests for different reasons:  Rewards  Punishments  Position  Personality  Expertise 8-7

Skills of a project manager A project manager needs to be able to do the following: a.Command the respect of team members b.Ability to control and plan the project c.Encourage effective communication d.Ability to encourage a positive and productive work environment 8-8

Power over Others General power over others can be described in two ways: a.Ascribed – someone gives the project manager the authority to reward and punish those whom he or she wants to influence. b.Achieved – the project manager earns the respect and allegiance of those whom he or she wants to influence. 8-9

Forms of Power Alvin Toffler asserts that power has always existed in three forms: a.Violence b.Wealth c.Knowledge – also referred to as the third wave of power. According to Toffler, this is emerging as the dominant and preferred source of power. 8-10

Establishing Power Project managers can take the following steps to increase their ability to influence team members: a.Find out who else has authority over the person.. b.Get to know others and understand and appreciate their special talents. c.Let others get to know your good side. 8-11

Holding Others Accountable 8-12 Project success requires that project managers can count on the help promised to them by people throughout the organization. Project managers need to confirm at the outset with a team member’s supervisor that they can spend the time on the project that is required. Getting this agreement at the outset reduces: a.Reduces the chances the supervisor will assign them to some other project b.Establishes a relationship with the person’s supervisor so the project manager can ask for help if work isn’t being done in a timely manner. c.Elicits a commitment to perform from someone

Getting results To get the most from project participants, project manager should: a.Be specific b.Get a commitment c.Put it in writing d.Emphasize the urgency e.Tell other’s about the commitment f. Act with authority 8-13

Monitoring Follow-up To effectively monitor a project’s follow-up activities, the project manager:  Schedule follow-up times when clearly definable intermediate milestones should have been reached  Check to see when team members plan to start and finish a project  Utilize any appropriate check-in method, including phone calls and

Micromanagement Micromanagement is a person’s excessive, inappropriate, and unnecessary involvement in the details of a task he or she asks another to perform. People micromanage because they feel they can do the job best or they may have the expertise. Or they micromanage because they feel threatened. It is best to find effective ways to deal with people, not micromanage. 8-15

Working with a Micromanager Micromanagement can be reduced or eliminated by strengthening interpersonal relationships, by not jumping to conclusions, by listening to a project manager. The first step toward fixing a problem is understanding it. Project managers need to take the time to figure out why projects are off track and then to find ways to fix it. 8-16

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