PRINCE2 Project Management
The best management appointments begin with you; the person who appraises your management potential.
The two fundamental questions to be answered for yourself are: Do you have the potential for a management appointment? and Do you want it? If you answered YES to the first question, both the technical and the ethical aspects of project management must be addressed. The whole aspect of project management is an extension of the wider scope of management, as you would discuss on a PRINCE2 Course London.
Management is only one aspect of project psychology, which is the “total approach” to the management process. The scope and depth of project management vary from company to company depending on the size of the organization. In small organizations, a company person single-handedly makes all the decisions needed to run a project. In larger companies, several people may supervise the existing project, and the manager is responsible for the overall project’s success.
That brings us to the second major point: do you want it? I’ve heard so many people say “I don’t need a management job anymore;” These people are not only unhappy, they’re frustrated. If we all need to earn our keep through the management process, there has to be a better way! Perhaps we need to think more about the role of management.
During the course of my career, I’ve had a number of opportunities to work with hundreds of managers. I’ve had to manage large, complex operations and pursuit projects. My major job for objective in my career has been to get a project done. Now you may be asking yourself what a Project Manager, a Project “Person” or a PM is? There are numerous terms to describe a project, but as a more sophisticated approach, a Project “Person” is someone who can be good at one thing and bad at another thing. A PM is a project manager, and typically the person or role is given a title. Imagine a large complex project and for each project discipline there may be hundreds of Project “Personalities.” Some Project Managers may be excellent at this role (i.e. it’s in demand) others may struggle (i.e. it’s not in demand).
However, there is a skill for this position that no one can be good at all or excel at. In fact, you should want to avoid this role if you can. The person on the launching pad of money, time, and lives is the Project “Person.” Just being capable of doing this role is not enough, you have to be good at it, and you need to enjoy it.
Projects are not always easy, and the PM usually needs to assess many factors. The project process is one of the reasons that some projects run over budget, have problems and scope creep. The PM needs to make the best decisions s/he can in order to keep the business behind schedule and within budget. However, it’s not uncommon for some projects to go through five or six keyholders per stage before they are finalized. This is often called a burned-rate.
When you get involved, you can’t afford to make poor decisions because everyone associated with the project is there to help you. No-one wants a bad reputation. The temptation to look for silver linings, excuse, or the best of the lot is very strong.
Project management is a very “selfish” position. You’re out there all the time, making decisions every hour, by the hour, day of the week. When you first start out, it’s an extremely lonely job, just you and your day. However, the one thing that you need to have learned is that it’s when you’re creating you’re your job that you’ll learn the most. Start with good intentions and goals in mind at the beginning stages, but then make the best, safest choices for your company. I believe good PM’s are hard to find. Management skills (good or bad) are a trait thatIDyou to have. Among my members of the management team, I can’t think of one that will ever leave the organization.
