Datasheet

12
Chapter 1
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Establishing Project Management Fundamentals
Project management has matured from the tactical to the strategic. It still
requires tactical skills to manage the day-to-day activities of project work, but
increasingly, projects are viewed from the perspective of the organization as
a whole and the value they add to the organization or its customers.
Because of this maturity from the tactical to the strategic, it’s more imperative than ever
that project managers have a well-rounded set of skills. As we said, a project manager’s skills
are first and foremost built upon leadership abilities. Without solid leadership skills, it’s dif-
ficult to impart vision, gain support for that vision, and inspire project teams to perform at
their best. We’ll look at leadership skills in the next section.
Leadership Skills
What’s your definition of a leader? Is a leader a leader because they hold a position of author-
ity? Do you know leaders who don’t hold a managerial title? Our guess is your answer to this
last question is yes. Leaders don’t necessarily have a position of authority in the organization.
Nonetheless they are leaders in their own right. These are the go-to folks in the organization.
They’re the ones likely to inspire project team members to say, “I wonder what [fill in the
blank] thinks of that idea,” and to follow their opinion on the topic.
Leadership is more than getting people to do what you want them to do. Dictators don’t
have any trouble performing this feat, but their followers aren’t usually happy about it.
Successful project managers know that certain key aspects of leadership are important.
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Imparting a vision of the project’s value to the organization
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Imparting a vision of the product or service of the project (the project’s end result)
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Gaining consensus on the goals and deliverables of the project and other issues that arise
as the project progresses
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Establishing direction and a clear plan for meeting the goals of the project
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Managing the expectations of stakeholders, management, and team members
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Inspiring others to perform at their best
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Backing the team and their actions when it’s appropriate
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Removing obstacles from the project team’s path
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Managing conflict
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Building trustworthy relationships
Most of these factors probably seem obvious. At a minimum, they make sense. However,
don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’ve accomplished these things, as we’ve seen many
project managers do. They lull themselves into believing “everyone” knows the plan or that
everyone knows you’re there to help with issues and conflicts as they arise. Make it a habit
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