The document outlines the key roles and responsibilities of an Infrastructure Project Manager. It discusses managing projects through their definition, planning, execution and closure. Specifically, it covers responsibilities like securing resources, managing timelines and budgets, defining and communicating scope, ensuring quality, reporting on progress, managing risks, and leading project teams. The overall aim of an Infrastructure Project Manager is to successfully deliver projects by meeting requirements and exceeding expectations through teamwork and effective communication.

1. Roles and Responsibilities

2. What is a Project? A project is a temporary endeavour. It has a defined beginning and end and is undertaken to meet particular goals and objectives which are designed to bring about beneficial change or added value. The temporary nature of projects is in contrast to business as usual (or operations)work . In practice, the management of these two systems is often found to be quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and the adoption of separate management (Project Management). In essence the Infrastructure PM’s role is the overall responsibility for the successful planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure of a project. There are numerous obstacles to this, including; resourcing, time, budget and scope creep (undefined boundaries). A project manager should successfully manage all of these elements to ensure quality.

3. Resourcing (cost) Most IT departments do not possess dedicated resources to execute project work in isolation from BAU activities. An Infrastructure PM would therefore employ matrix management to ensure the correct resourcing (both internal and external to the organisation) is in place to successfully deliver the project. The issue of resourcing is critical, since most IT department cannot employ a team of contractors to carry out the project work due to financial constraints. This is clearly where an Infrastructure PM can reveal their worth; Securing resources for a project and managing those resources to produce viable output is critical to project success. Time Closely linked to the issue of resourcing is the question of time. Projects by definition are temporary arrangements and often need to be accomplished in short time frames to allow resources to be released back to BAU activities. If individual Team managers were to operate in silos in trying to achieve project success, it is likely they would fail to deliver the overall project on time. The Infrastructure PM’s role should ensure that all teams are working to defined milestones. The Infrastructure PM is responsible for defining the timeframe for the full project lifecycle (or where this is imposed, they are responsible for communicating the timeframe and delivering the project within that timeframe).

6. Planning It almost goes without saying that one of the Infrastructure PM’s main roles is planning. Successful planning is the cornerstone of successful project delivery. An Infrastructure PM should work with technical team leads and line mangers from project initiation and throughout the various project stages to ensure all outputs are defined and therefore resourced and executed correctly. Organising and chairing planning sessions (workshops) are the responsibility of the Infrastructure PM . An Infrastructure PM may choose to employ product based planning (for example) to establish all the necessary elements required to produce a defined output.

9. Managing and Reporting Risk The delivery of output in an agreed timeframe and within an agreed budget is an inherently risky business. All projects have associated risks and it is the role of the Infrastructure PM to act to manage risk throughout the project. Risk management is defined as the identification, assessment and prioritization of risk. The Infrastructure PM then works to create a strategy to manage the risk. This includes transferring the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk or accepting the risk. Reporting risk is the responsibility of the PM and should be completed from project initiation and throughout the project life cycle as necessary. As well as reporting the risk, the PM should record all risks, issues and dependencies in the appropriate logs.

10. Infrastructure Project Manager Attributes In addition to the above responsibilities, the role of the Infrastructure Project Manager should effectively demonstrate leadership and ownership to ensure successful project delivery. Factual and anecdotal evidence confirms that many IT Projects fail to deliver on time and within budget. Project leadership is all about shaping a team of diverse individuals (employees and contractors, some from different organisations) into a force that produces measureable project results. At a basic level the Infrastructure PM must be able to set the vision, define success, and determine the measurements of success. He/she must inspire, persuade, and lead the project team. Leading effectively is a critical competency because large IT projects often have a large resource pool representing different teams and job roles. These resources may see their tasks slightly differently and may not all be aligned with the project goals. Furthermore, the sheer number of issues and risks may make it difficult to zero in on those tasks that are most critical. Leading effectively means clarifying what is important and taking a stand to resolve important issues. It also requires driving hard on the right issues and confronting problems promptly. Finally, effective project leadership means being decisive and challenging others to make tough choices. Influencing others is an essential competency for most projects, but especially for those with large project teams, numerous stakeholders, and different user communities. Influencing others means giving compelling reasons for ideas and suggestions and winning support from others, both within the project team and in the user and stakeholder community. It also requires the ability to negotiate persuasively and get others to take action.

11. What can I bring to the role of Infrastructure Project Manager? My overall aim as an Infrastructure Project Manager is to deliver excellence in projects. I strive to meet all requirements whilst exceeding expectation. Projects do not get done but for a lot of hard team work. I am experienced at getting the best from the various technical teams and motivating people who have little visibility of the overall project. I have excellent communication skills and an understanding of the importance of delivering successful projects into the business . I am comfortable reporting to senior management and working with the Business to understand their requirements and translate them into viable infrastructure solutions. Above all I am a dedicated professional with a proven track record and a willingness to strive towards more successful infrastructure project delivery. Please visit Gary Clough Infrastructure Projects for more information on my Infrastructure Project Management experience.