Previously, project manager jobs primarily required performance up to the point of implementation, resulting in evaluations based on outcomes that met project guidelines, fixed budgets, and deadlines. The consequent economic success of the project was normally someone else’s responsibility. But contemporary project manager jobs demand that the project produce sales that result in sufficient cash flow to cover the project’s expenses and make a profit.
Gerard Hill in his book titled The Complete Project Management Office Handbook says, ''During the past decade, project management precepts have emerged to install a vitalized, professional approach to project management across countless industries. Individual capabilities in project management have been strengthened and enlarged through a combination of developments in project management processes and techniques, implementation of training programs, and automated tools that use advanced design concepts and technology. As a result, today’s project managers who practice these principles find themselves in the dual roles of a technical expert in a particular specialty or discipline as well as the business leader for the project.''
The project manager’s success as a leader is associated with his or her ability to link the project to the strategy of the business. But in several organizations upper management assigns a project manager after the proposal has been finalized. In such instances the project manager may not have participated in the definition and scoping phases, which leads to significant problems, one of which is tighter schedules. This puts the project manager in a no-win situation. Therefore, the sooner the project manager and team get involved in the planning phase, the more committed they will be to the plan’s implementation.
Conclusion
In project management change and performance are constant. For experienced project managers as well as budding project managers, the path to groundbreaking performance is paved with ambiguity that requires flexibility, creativity, and courage. Simply relying on someone else’s methodology will only ensure that the project falls far short of the mark.
Source
Hill, Gerard M. The Complete Project Management Office Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC, 2004.
