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PROJECT MANAGEMENT ISN'T FOR PROJECT MANAGERS AMI How would you feel if you knew the pilot flying your plane was just promoted to that seat because he or she was a great mechanic? No flight training, but great at working on planes. Would you fly with that pilot? Probably not. In fact, you may be a bit vocal about not wanting this person to be a pilot at all! Though that may seem a bit dramatic or ludicrous, it does parallel the dynamics involved in many Project Managers' promotions. If someone is good at technical skills and/or can manage a project well, that person is often noted for advancement to a Project Manager position. However, managing a project well is not synonymous with being a Project Manager. A Project Manager doesn't have to just manage projects. The PM has to manager multiple clients, project teams, principals and sometimes fellow Project Managers who are working on some aspect of the project. As if that wasn't enough complexity, the PM also has to have good business skills, and also interpersonal skills, especially those interpersonal skills associated with leadership. "Entering project management is as hard as if you asked an incredibly proficient flight attendant be the air fraffic controller for a day," notes Bill Truby, member of the AMI faculty commenting on the complexity of the position. Where do Project Managers get training for this integral, highly important job in a design firm? Usually it's on-the-job training from other Project Managers who have followed the same path to promotion and have (or lack) the same skills as the newly promoted PM. Sometimes the new Project Manager will get mentoring from principals who have much more experience, but not much more in the way of formal training. After all, the firm's leaders are principals because they have been promoted after years of experience in project management. The Project Manager hasn't gotten training in school, and the halls of learning inside the design firm echo vacantly, too. So...project management usually isn't for the typical Project Manager. Bill Truby also underscores the need for professional assistance in training PM's: "As with any sport or profession, to change or grow from the current level of ability Project Managers need training, or at least coaching. Those who try to train themselves don't usually have the perspective, understanding or resources to create profound change. Usually they end up with another version of their own or the firm's current reality. At best, if they do learn a new skill, they're like the self-taught typist who is forever stuck in the hunt-n'-peck mode." Yet the expectations of the Project Manager are extremely high. The firm's success or failure rests on the shoulders of these willing people, many of whom have hardly had the benefit of being educated for their position. Although they've been promoted because of their technical expertise, they will now need business, leadership, and interpersonal expertise to be successful. That's why AMI has such a strong Project Management training focus at the core of its curriculum. It's also one of the most sought after offerings for in-house training. From an internal and external perspective Project Management is seen as an essential learning component necessary for firm-wide success. Here are just a few of the skills necessary for a Project Manager to be successful in the '90's: * Management skills to set up and monitor efficient systems. * Leadership skills to motivate and inspire the project team. * Business skills to monitor budgets, schedule productivity, and profitability. * Assessment skills to monitor and ensure client and staff satisfaction. * Communication skills to facilitate 360 degree assessments for informing of and receiving of input. (Note: the 360 Degree Assessment is an evaluation system that involves collecting feedback on job performance from everyone around an individual, from peers to subordinates to supervisors.) * Planning and scheduling skills to be proactive in management rather than reactive. * Marketing skills to know how to follow those marketing trails that "just come up" with clients. Project Managers can do a self-assessment of these points to find out their relative strength or weakness in each area. Expressing a need, along with the desire to learn, can be a true win/win combination for the firm. When the project manager receives training, self-esteem rises, respect is enhanced, and confidence is created. Under improved leadership and management project teams grow more secure and confident, the firm makes more money, and clients are better satisfied. Unfortunately, in most firms, the corporate culture does not recognize the hand raised for help. There are two reasons for this: 1) Principals don't know how to help, so they end up discouraging the request, and 2) Project Managers, especially new ones or people who have been in that role for a long time, are hesitant to ask for help at the risk of being perceived as having some level of incompetence. What can you do? Be honest in your evaluation of project management skill needs. Then assure the loyalty and commitment to the person wearing the project management hat, while suggesting an effort toward peak performance through high-leverage training. Look for a training program that also shows you how to measure the results of training, such as the training offered by AMI. This way you can estimate in advance the level of improvement you can expect at the end of the training course or seminar. Then create a program of relentless accountability that ensures Project Managers practice their learning and integrate their new knowledge into the firm's operations. Additionally, ongoing measurement is extremely important, but only done with the eye toward improvement...not chastisement! Teach project managers the necessity for continued learning. After all, doctors, pilots and many other professions demand it for continued employment. Designers, who directly affect the world-scape, should be held in just as much esteem and importance. We've put the Project Managers in the pilot's seat of our firms, so let's encourage them to new heights by teaching them the skills they need to fly! The Advanced Management Institute for Architecture and Engineering can be contacted at 568 Howard Street- Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-3008, (415) 512-0360 and email (acrainAMI@aol. com). Return to the List of Articles Return to the Association for Project Managers Main Page Email the Association for Project Managers
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