When it comes to defining the hierarchy of a project, its leader deserves to be mentioned first. Without a project manager, the very existence of the subject matter is barely possible (Phillips, 2015). Defining the course of a project, as well as the key processes such as the location of resources, the distribution of roles and responsibilities, etc., a project manager has by far the greatest number of roles to play and the most ample number of responsibilities to take, which makes their job quite exhausting, requiring a very elaborate time management strategy.
Project execution is one of the prime responsibilities of a project manager since it is quite obvious seeing that being the leader is the key role thereof. Needless to say, planning the process, scheduling it and making sure that every single step is carried out in a timely and efficient manner is a hard task that requires impressive leadership and conflict solving skills. In other words, a proficient project manager must be capable of directing the staff, as well as making sure that the team members collaborate productively and without any major hindrances in their way.
Change is also a crucial element of a project manager’s work. Particularly, the leader of a project must make sure that change should occur naturally and that the required alterations should be made within a relatively short amount of time.
Additionally, it is essential that the project members should be updated on the progress; at this point, the issue regarding information management should be brought up. Seeing that the project manager is the key change agent, they must be in full control of the changes that occur in the project, as well as inform all the stakeholders involved regarding the corrections made.
The specified process can be carried out with the help of a variety of modern tools; hence, it is the responsibility of a project manager to be technologically aware and competent, thus, promoting efficient information policies and management strategies among the staff. In other words, a project manager must be in full control of every single alteration occurring within the project (Pollack & Algeo, 2014).
Additionally, a project manager must be capable of directing resources properly and carefully. The very concept of directing resources is traditionally identified as process under analysis presupposes that the assets, which are at the organization’s disposal, should be allocated in a manner as reasonable as possible (Boles & Hubbard, 2012).
For instance, in case a project involves a major research, it is adequate to put a stake on the research and development process and, therefore, invest in the R&D department, while the rest of the aspects will be provided with a more modest financial support.
It would be wrong to assume that the specified step presupposes overlooking or underfunding some of the essential elements of a project. Instead, the role of the manager in the aforementioned instance concerns addressing the possible issues that the project members may face and prevent the given problems from occurring.
The concept of directing resources in a reasonable manner, however, is not restricted to the provision of financial assistance. Apart from the monetary support, the specified aspect incorporates human resources, various types of raw material, vehicles, etc., i.e., everything that falls under the category of the project’s assets. Although the process of directing resources might seem relatively easy, it, in fact, requires a detailed analysis of the project costs and assets.
Likewise, the significance of a project manager cannot possibly be underrated when it comes to information distribution. Seeing that every single member of the project needs to be aware of the key changes that occur in the latter, it is imperative that the data acquired should be distributed among the team members equally. At the same time, the depth of the information provided varies depending on the department that it is delivered to (Chia, 2013).
To be more exact, the HRM members need to know not only about the organizational behavior standards but also the principles of their development and the link between these standards and the corporate values. The IT team, in its turn, only needs to know what set of organizational behavior standards is currently adopted among the project members. By providing people with exactly what they need to know, a project manager keeps the organization viable.
Seeing that a project manager has a variety of roles and responsibilities to assume, including the ones of a leader, the project analyst, the negotiator, the conflict solver, etc., it is crucial that the time provided for the project should be managed wisely. Traditionally, a project manager is in charge of planning and supervising, as well as communication.
Therefore, it is important that the leader should be able to navigate between the job of a manager and the one of negotiator wisely; in other words, one must be able to work with all types of resources, including the human ones. When using their powers wisely and controlling the data available, a project manager may attain an impressive success by completing the task within the shortest amount of time.
Reference List
Boles, D. L. & Hubbard, D. G. (2012). PMO framework and PMO models for project business management.
Chia, R. (2013). Paradigms and perspectives in organizational project management research: Implications for knowledge creation. Web.
Phillips, L. M. (2015). Improving collaborative outcomes: A review of project manager and facilitator roles and relationships. Web.
Pollack, J. & Algeo, C. (2014). A comparison of Project Manager and Change Manager involvement in organisational change project activities and stages. Journal of Modern Project Management, 2(2), 8–17.