Successful Project Managers in the 21st Century

“I got a project.  They got a project.  Wouldn’t you like to have a project too?”  Welcome to the 21st Century where everyone has a project.  Gone are the days when a project was just an excuse to do something different.  These days, projects move at the speed of light, and if you don’t hold on, you’ll be left behind.  There are so many variables as inputs, processes, and outputs, half the time, project managers don’t know if they’re coming or going.  Let me correct myself.  Successful Project Managers (SPMs)  know what they’re doing from project development through implementation and evaluation.  So, what do SPMs do?  They have Herculean persistence to ask questions and get answers.

Think to yourself about a time when you had to do a project.  How did it feel?  What were your challenges?  How did you face adversity – smiling or whining?  Who was on your team?  How did you motivate them?  What were the critical changes that were associated with your project?  How did those changes impact your organization’s strategic direction?  How did you know?  What were the next steps?  Were you and your project viewed as a success or just another project to be shelved in the proverbial filing cabinet?

It does not matter what sector you’re in – public, private, or nonprofit.  It is likely that at some point in your career you had to create, develop, and/or manage a project.  Projects are initiatives to solve an organizational problem, temporary in nature, with a start-end relationship.  Project managers are those individuals in between the front lines of the workforce and the strategic-direction oriented executives.  Project managers in hyper-drive are SPMs (SPMs).  SPMs balance the needs of their project, organization, team, and self to achieve the goals of the project, satisfying key stakeholders, and harnessing organizational capability toward the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Projects typically include a number of stages, including:

1. Initiate the Process – During this stage a problem is identified that results in the identification of a path to resolution.

2. Planning and Design – This stage involves a diagnostic assessment of the problem and a plan of attack to achieve project goals.

3. Implementation – At this stage, the identified solution is implemented, tested, and evaluated to determine success.

4. Study – The project ends when the goal has been met and lessons are studied for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for organizational growth and development.

Underlying these stages is the project triad comprised of scope, time, and resources.  Scope is the breadth of intended activities.  Time involves milestones, deadlines, and constraints.  Finally, resources are made up of people, technology, and costs.  SPMs balance, or more specifically, “juggle” scope, time, and resources. 

SPMs have a number of knowledge areas according to the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Book of Knowledge (1996).  These include integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement. 

SPMs also have diversity in skills and abilities, based upon the scientific literature, to assist in the success of a project.  Although the range of skills and abilities are comprehensive, this short list outlines some of the critical areas, including:

• Critical/Systems Thinking – Examining and integrating different ideas, initiatives, systems, and processes into something new and unique.
• Innovate – Never accepting the status quo but continually creating new initiatives in order to solve organizational problems.
• Team Building – Developing, motivating, and evaluating a team to harness their core competencies.
• Analyze – Synthesizing information into manageable chunks of information, leading to evaluation, prioritization, recommendation, and strategy.
• Strategize – Developing actions, based upon goals and objectives, to chart a course for success.
• Balance Scope – Continually striving to balance scope, time, and resources, while holding multiple organizational hats.
• Plan and Organize – Effectively integrating diverse needs, systems, and resources into a manageable plan for action.

Ultimately, successful project management is not based on luck.  It is based upon the effective application of knowledge, tools, and techniques to achieve a specific goal, while exceeding stakeholder expectations.  SPMs recognize and internalize fundamental project management principals and apply them through their own unique perspective.  So, when the next great project comes your way, ask yourself, “Do I want to be a project manager that gets by, or do I want to be a Successful Project Manager that gets remembered for great results?” 

Dana E. Jarvis is the Manager of Project Services for The Hill Group, Inc.  He specializes in strategic planning, market analysis, and organizational development.  For more information about managing your organization’s projects or other organizational endeavors, please contact Dana at 412.343.9393. or via email at djarvis@hillgroupinc.com.

Insight and Innovation Home

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Hauschildt, J., Keim, G., Medeof, J.W.  Realistic criteria for project manager selection and development.  Project Management Journal.  Vol. 31, 3, 23-32.  September 2000.

Heerkens, Gary R. (2002).  Project Management.  McGraw-Hill.  New York, NY

Kubr, Milan (1996).  Management Consulting: A Guide to the Profession.  3rd Edition.  International Labor Officer, Geneva.

Microsoft Project 2000.  Tutorial.

Project Management Institute, Project Management Book of Knowledge.  1996.

These materials have been prepared for educational and information purposes only. They are not consulting advice or opinions on any specific matters. Transmission of the information is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, a consultant-client relationship between The Hill Group, Inc. and any recipient of this material. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional advice.