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A New Project Manager’s Role
May 6, 2012 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Role of the Project Manager
A New Project Manager’s Role
By Conrado Morlan
Having the opportunity to work for a company that operates in more than 200 countries and territories and is the global leader in logistics has given me the opportunity to lead large global and regional information technology projects. Organizations like the one where I work use projects to produce benefits that contribute to strategic objectives.
While technology is the component that made the projects complex, the element of culture, both national and organizational, amplified the complexity to produce the project benefits.
That is why project management professionals needs to go beyond responsibility for purely technical objectives and adopt a business-oriented approach. As the transition takes place, the project manager will accept the new status quo in which he or she will explore new ways to lead, execute, and deliver projects supported by multi-generational, dispersed and diverse teams. In this new environment, the project manager will be required to build generational and cultural awareness as well as other soft skills that will support the new function.
In order to be aligned with the new environment, project management professionals needs to develop new traits and skills, including:
- Strategic Management. Understanding an organization’s strategy will provide the backdrop for future assignments and the understanding of project selection criteria. Only projects which will help the organization fulfill its intended purpose should be selected.
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Mindfulness. Communication is crucial to success in projects. Communication needs to be customized to the specific cultures and generations involved in diverse project team. Good communication influences and inspires project teams and helps build strong relationships across the organization.
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Adaptability. Embracing new leadership styles that will fit the global project is required when working with multi-generational, diverse and dispersed teams located across time zones.
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Resilience. Realigning and/or rebounding projects facing unexpected hardship because of miscommunication and personal behaviors as well as cross-cultural issues and conflicts will be part of the regular project manager’s tasks.
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Transparency. Adherence to an organization’s values and culture as well as professional codes of ethics is mandatory in global projects. The state of the global project needs to be shared on time with the relevant parties whether the project is in good shape or facing hardship.
In this new role, the project manager will turn into a perennial learner striving towards excellence, a great communicator and a business partner who ensures that projects will produce the benefits and results that the organization is looking for.
As a project manager how do you approach projects to produce benefits? What are you doing to develop new traits and skills?
Conrado Morlan has more than 20 years of experience managing programs and projects in the Americas, Europe and Asia and has led multi-generational and multicultural project teams. Mr. Morlan was one of the first people to attain the PMI PgMP credential in Latin America and the first Mexican recipient of the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award in 2011. Mr. Morlan is a frequent guest speaker at Project Management congresses in America and Latin America, is an avid volunteer with PMI chapters in America, Mexico, Costa Rica and Spain, and is a contributor for PMI Community Post and a blogger at http://thesmartpms.posterous.com/.
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