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Communication Is a Project Manager’s Primary Role

September 16, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Communications Management, PMP

Communication Is a Project Manager’s Primary Role (#6 in the series PMP Exam Themes – The Perspective You Need To Develop To Be Prepared)
By Brian Denis Egan, B.Sc, M.Sc., M.B.A., PMP - Global Knowledge Course Director

PMs can expect to spend 90% of their time communicating. This includes actively monitoring what is happening with their projects and sharing that information with stakeholders.

The PM is the heart of a project. Information is the blood that must flow through the heart. If the heart stops beating, then information stops circulating and the project body withers.

In a PMI-ideal project environment PMs have the staff necessary to complete the work. They themselves do not act as a resource or spend their time updating records. Someone else updates the plan and collates reports. The PMs manage. This does not include correcting code, working with the troops to speed things up, or filling in for someone who is sick.

In the PMI examiners’ view, PMs are accountable for ensuring the project gets done and done right; they are not the ones actually doing the work. PMs watch, listen, and direct – they manage resources. They are not expected to ‘do’. The act of doing takes them away from the art of managing and monitoring.

About the Author

Brian Denis Egan is CEO of a manufacturing company (Book Box Company) and a management consultant. He has written three professional development manuals and numerous white papers on aspects of management science. Since 2000, Brian has been a part-time instructor for Global Knowledge within the Management product line.

This article was originally published in Global Knowledge’s Business Brief e-newsletter. Global Knowledge delivers comprehensive hands-on project management, business process, and professional skills training. Visit our online Knowledge Center at www.globalknowledge.com/business for free white papers, webinars, and more.

© Copyright 2008, Global Knowledge. All rights reserved.

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• What Is Communications Planning?
• What Is Communication?
• Communication: The Lifeblood of a Project
• Communication For the Project Manager Part 1
• Primary Project Sponsor Responsibilities

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