When is a Project Manager not a Project Manager?

Imagine this conversation:

Jon:  I need a PM.

Maria:  What do you have going on?

Jon:  We’re going to be implementing a new module to our ERP system.

Maria:  PM’s are not hard to find.  Why not reach out to HR and get the process started?

Jon:  I can’t just tell them I need a PM.  They’ll just bring in anyone.  However, maybe I’ll put in a requisition for a PM with ERP implementation experience.

Maria:  Is that going to be a deal-breaker?

Jon:  Yes.

Maria:  You’re going to lose a lot of good candidates that way.

Jon:  Well, I would feel better about it anyway.

Maria:  Don’t you already have primary, secondary and tertiary support already in place for the system?  Why not use one of them to PM the project?  Or yourself?

Jon:  We’re all too busy with our “day jobs.”

Maria:  But you’ll have ERP system architects on the project, right?

Jon:  Yes.

Maria:  Then why do you need a PM that “knows” ERP systems?

Although a bit confusing, this seems to be a typical conversation today.  I’m not saying that in all cases where you need a PM you should remain agnostic to the systems they have helped put in place.  However, as shown above, the case can be made to hire a good PM without needing to wait for the perfect candidate to appear.

If you have created the right team, a PM will be able to do their job.

What is a “good” PM?

A note-taker?

A meeting-scheduler?

An administrative assistant?

No.  Though a good PM would be skilled at capturing action items and decisions made, they should also have a better than rudimentary level of skill at the administrative tasks that is needed to facilitate PM work.

However, what makes a “good” PM?

A good PM is used to the spotlight and I don’t mean the glitz and glamour type of spotlight.  They should be able to know the status of a project at any point in time and they should be able to be the face of the project, but also not be afraid to say “I’ll need to dig into that and get back to you” without fear.

A good PM is not afraid to ask difficult questions in order to get things moving.

A good PM builds team cohesion by understanding the project vision (as hopefully articulated in the charter) and is able to re-communicate that in an understandable way to the team.  However, at the same, time they are not afraid to be aggressive when it is called for.

A good PM facilitates productive conversations to happen without letting them get off track or out of control.  This includes conversations that result in action items assigned or resolved, decisions made, or statuses communicated.

Note that nowhere is it said that a PM is required to be EPIC-certified nor highly experienced at SAP.  Nowhere is it said that a PM should be skilled in construction.

A PM’s job is to focus on delivery and execution, regardless of deliverables.  That’s it.

Often job descriptions read like people want an engineer to turn into a PM, but they are two different positions on the same team.  Frankly, most engineers don’t want to be project managers.  They like being engineers.  Project managers are the ones that provide air cover for the engineers so they can do their jobs, so remember this fact the next time you go looking for one.

Your path to business success.