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How to Hire a Real Project Manager - Principals, Pilots and Project Managers

September 12, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Musings

How to Hire a Real Project Manager - Principals, Pilots and Project Managers (#1 in the series How to Hire a Real Project Manager)
By John Troyer

So, you are a Principal. Your client is almost certainly someone who wants to reduce cost. It may be presented as “greater efficiency” or “shortening the cycle” or “improved performance” or “simplify maintenance” but it is almost always about reducing costs. Occasionally, the client is looking to bring something new to the market. But, even then, the justification comes down to reducing costs, either to himself or his existing or future customers.

While your client anxiously checks every day to see when the savings will begin to flow, you know that the statistics weigh heavily against timely and budgetary success. Almost invariably, project costs exceed the plan. The dismal reality is that almost three fourths of all IT projects complete over budget or behind schedule, and, over half finish at almost twice their initial budget. The deck is stacked against you.

Even when the project relies on off-the-shelf software or hardware, it will require significant levels of effort. The specification, selection, deployment, configuration and implementation create the same challenges and results.

But, let’s say that you are an exceptionally well-informed Principal because you have read “The Mythical Man-Month” by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., and you know that his observations are timeless, i.e., they still hold true even though he wrote the book over thirty years ago.

Specifically, you know that Brooks established that the first design will be a prototype whether it’s supposed to be or not. In other words, no matter what comes out the first time, it will have to be redone. Design is about specifying the invisible, and software adds the additional difficulty that you cannot see it operating. You can only observe its effects. You can’t really evaluate it’s efficacy – effectiveness at delivering the benefit it is intended to provide - until you see it operating in the real world.

(Actually, Brooks’ “the first is a prototype” observation fits equally well to other design disciplines. Design is iterative. Data from the aerospace industry and defense industry going back at least fifty years reflects the same “it takes two and a half designs to get what you really want” reality.)

You also know that according to Brooks there is an overwhelming drive to incorporate all the learnings and “like-to’s” from the first attempt into the second development effort. That inherent pressure to “scope creep” accounts for the bulk of the “and a half” mentioned above.

So, you build in allowances for scope clarification and a rigorous scope change mechanism to properly handle deviations as they crop up. Knowing your scope, you establish a generous schedule and budget allowing for the unavoidable changes coming down the pike, and now you need someone to bring the project home. You need a Pilot.

The first thing that often comes to mind is, “Who do we have in house who can run this project?” This approach can easily lead to a disaster. When you look around within your organization, you tend to look to the pool of high performers for your selection. At least three potential problems might be waiting to ambush your success when you look for a Pilot “in house.”

First, there is an inherent danger in assuming that technical skills translate into leadership skills. Just because someone is a good technically does not mean that that person will be a good project manager. This assumption usually appears in the guise of, “She’s a good coder . . .” or “He’s good technically . . .” or “She knows the environment . . .” or “. . . software . . .” so, “ . . . I’m sure she would be a good project manager.”

Consider the inverse. Look at any good manager around you. Would you say, “He’s a good manager, so I’m sure he’d be a good programmer?” Season the enthusiasm for technical excellence or expertise with an awareness of your real need, a Pilot.

Secondly, you may think of your pool of known problem solvers. Unfortunately, the “good” problem solvers may not actually be problem solvers. In more than one case, I am aware of individuals creating the impression of a crisis so that they could solve it to “shave their head and paint it green in the group photo.” Some do it knowingly. Others have found success by giving their hysteria free reign and rushing around “fixing” what wasn’t broken while loudly proclaiming that they have saved the day. Both of these types create their own spotlight drawing your attention to them, who may not have what you really need, and away from the steady communicators/controllers that have a higher likelihood of making you successful.

The third issue is a little more obscure. You may feel tempted to consider someone who has volunteered to become a project manager. Many aspire to become project managers because they view it as a step up, financially and organizationally. Besides the higher pay rate, they often pursue the position under the illusion that being a project manager means more power, or, decision making ability, or, that it constitutes a step up the management ladder. So, those who are interested in leading the project may not have the proper skill sets or personality traits to be good project managers, they may just be trying to climb.

So far, we have seen some of the realities of being a Principal and the challenges involved in making sure a project is successful, and we have touched on some cautions about choosing a “Pilot” from within the fold. In the next article in this series, we are going to take a specific look at Pilots and licensing. And, finally, in the third article, we will look at how to select a real Project Manager.

John Troyer has over 20 years of successful experience leading teams as a project, program, implementation, deployment and department manager in a wide variety of disciplines and environments including DoD, aerospace engineering, IT, capital construction, finance, procurement and cost reduction and may be reached at John_Troyer@Yahoo.com.

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