Several of these responsibilities are often portrayed in what is known as the
“project management triangle.” The triangle illustrates the three interrelated constraints
that will govern the project: cost (budget), schedule, and scope.
To effectively manage the project constraints, a project manager must employ
a certain set of skills. The skills include the ability to motivate and direct team
members; make trade-off decisions; expedite the work when necessary; put out
fires; and monitor time, budget, and technical details. For projects that involve
fairly well-defined work, those skills will often suffice. However, for projects
that are less well defined, and thus have a higher degree of uncertainty, the project
manager also must employ strong leadership skills. These include the ability
to adapt to changing circumstances that may involve changes to project goals,
technical requirements, and project team composition. As a leader, the project
manager not only must be able to deal with these issues, he or she also must recognize
the need for change, decide what changes are necessary, and then work to
accomplish them.
The job of project manager can be both difficult and rewarding. The manager
must coordinate and motivate people who sometimes owe their allegiance to
other managers in the functional areas of their company, or other companies if they are
involved in subcontracting. In addition, the people who work on a project frequently possess
specialized knowledge and skills that the project manager lacks. Nevertheless, the manager
is expected to guide and evaluate their efforts. Project managers often must function in
an environment that is beset with uncertainties. Even so, budgets and time constraints are
usually imposed, which can create additional pressures on project personnel. Finally, the
project manager may not have the authority needed to accomplish all the objectives of the
project. Instead, the manager sometimes must rely on persuasion and the cooperation of
others to realize project goals.
Ethical issues often arise in connection with projects. Examples include the temptation
to understate costs or to withhold information in order to get a project approved, pressure
to alter or make misleading statements on status reports, falsifying records, compromising
workers’ safety, and approving substandard work. It is the responsibility of managers at all
levels to maintain and enforce ethical standards. Moreover, employees often take their cue
from managers’ behavior, so it is doubly important for managers to be a model of ethical
behavior. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has a website (www.pmi.org) that
includes a code of ethics for project managers, in addition to other useful information about
project management.
The position of project manager has high