• 21 Ways to Excel at Project Management

Getting the Right Project Manager

Question 7: Have you appointed an experienced project manager?

Good Practice: An experienced project manager should lead the project. For large projects, this should be a dedicated and full-time role. A full-time and dedicated person will continuously focus on moving the project forward.

In theory, all business projects should be led by the business. In practice, many business functions do not have the required project management skills, experience or disciplined approach. A good working compromise is to appoint two people to work together in a partnership, a project manager and a user representative. You should not underestimate the comprehensive nature of these two roles.

In her article The Top Five Project Management Traits to Master 'the How' Joli Mosier lists the top five traits you need to master the how of project management as:

1. A collaborative management style.
2. Adaptability.
3. Figure-it-out resourcefulness.
4. Highly developed communication skills.
5. Flexibility.

In his popular article Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager, Timothy R. Barry identifies the qualities most important for a project manager:

1. Inspires a shared vision.
2. Good communicator.
3. Integrity.
4. Enthusiasm.
5. Empathy.
6. Competence.
7. Ability to delegate tasks.
8. Cool under pressure.
9. Team building skills.
10. Problem-solving skills.

Common Mistakes

• No project manager is appointed.
• A project manager appointed with little prior experience.
• A user project manager is appointed to lead a large project alongside their existing responsibilities.
• More than one project manager is appointed.
• The project manager is not entirely responsible and accountable for the project.
• Mistaking enthusiasm or seniority for experience.