A
project manager is a professional in the field of
project managementProject management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives...
. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any
projectA project in business and science is a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.- Overview :...
, typically relating to construction industry,
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
,
computer networkingComputer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. Networking, routers, routing protocols, and networking over the public Internet have their specifications defined in documents called RFCs...
, telecommunications or
software developmentSoftware development is the set of activities that results in software products. Software development may include research, new development, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products...
.
Many other fields in the production, design and service industries also have project managers.
A project manager is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated project objectives.
A
project manager is a professional in the field of
project managementProject management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives...
. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any
projectA project in business and science is a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.- Overview :...
, typically relating to construction industry,
architectureFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
,
computer networkingComputer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. Networking, routers, routing protocols, and networking over the public Internet have their specifications defined in documents called RFCs...
, telecommunications or
software developmentSoftware development is the set of activities that results in software products. Software development may include research, new development, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products...
.
Many other fields in the production, design and service industries also have project managers.
Overview
A project manager is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated project objectives. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the triple constraint for projects, which are; cost, time, and quality.
A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the firm they are representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized.
Project manager topics
Project management
- Project Management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives...
is quite often the province and responsibility of an individual project managerA project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software...
. This individual seldom participates directly in the activities that produce the end result, but rather strives to maintain the progress and mutual interaction and tasks of various parties in such a way that reduces the risk of overall failure, maximizes benefits, and restricts costs.
Products and services
- Any type of product or service — pharmaceuticals, building construction, vehicles, electronics, computer software
Computer software, or just software is a general term used todescribe the role that computer programs, procedures anddocumentation play in a computer system.The term includes:...
, financial services Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. The finance industry encompasses a broad range of organizations that deal with the management of money. Among these organizations are banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, stock...
, etc. — may have its implementation overseen by a project manager and its operations by a product managerA product manager researches, selects, develops, and places a company's products.A product manager considers numerous factors such as target demographic, the products offered by the competition, and how well the product fits in with the company's business model. Generally, a product manager manages...
.
Project tools
- The tools, knowledge and techniques for managing projects are often unique to Project Management. For example: work breakdown structures
A work breakdown structure in project management and systems engineering, is a tool used to define and group a project's discrete work elements in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project....
, critical path analysis and earned value managementEarned value management is a project management technique for measuring project progress in an objective manner. EVM has the ability to combine measurements of scope, schedule, and cost in a single integrated system. When properly applied, EVM provides an early warning of performance problems...
. Understanding and applying the tools and techniques which are generally recognized as good practices are not sufficient alone for effective project management. Effective project management requires that the project manager understands and uses the knowledge and skills from at least four areas of expertise. Examples are PMBOK, Application Area Knowledge: standards and regulations set forth by ISO for project management, General Management Skills and Project Environment Management
Project teams
- When recruiting and building an effective team, the manager must consider not only the technical skills of each person, but also the critical roles and chemistry between workers. A project team has mainly three separate components: Project Manager, Core Team and Contracted Team.
Risk
- Most of the project management issues that influence a project arise from risk
Risk is a concept that denotes the precise probability of specific eventualities. Technically, the notion of risk is independent from the notion of value and, as such, eventualities may have both beneficial and adverse consequences...
, which in turn arises from uncertainty. The successful project manager focuses on this as his/her main concern and attempts to reduce risk significantly, often by adhering to a policy of open communication, ensuring that project participants can voice their opinions and concerns.
Construction Project Manager
Construction project managers in the past were individuals, who worked in
constructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of multitasking...
or supporting industries and were promoted to
foremanForeman may refer to:* Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of the construction crew* Foreman of Signals, the most highly qualified non-commissioned signal equipment managers and Incorporated Engineers in the Royal Corps of Signals...
. It was not until the late 20th century that construction and
Construction managementConstruction Management refers either to the study and practice of the managerial and technological aspects of the construction industry , or to a business model where one party to a construction contract serves as a construction consultant, providing both design and construction...
became distinct fields.
Until recently, the American construction industry lacked any level of standardization, with individual States determining the eligibility requirements within their jurisdiction. However, several Trade associations based in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
have made strides in creating a commonly-accepted set of qualifications and tests to determine a project manager's competency.
- The Project Management Institute has made some headway into being a standardizing body with its creation of the Project Management Professional
Project Management Professional is a credential offered by the Project Management Institute . , there were 359,973 PMP certified individuals distributed globally....
(PMP) designation.
- The Constructor Certification Commission of the American Institute of Constructors
The American Institute of Constructors , is a not-for-profit 501 trade organization founded in 1969 for the advancement of professionalism and ethics in the Construction industry....
holds semiannual nationwide tests. Eight American Construction Management programs require that students take these exams before they may receive their Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
in Construction ManagementConstruction Management refers either to the study and practice of the managerial and technological aspects of the construction industry , or to a business model where one party to a construction contract serves as a construction consultant, providing both design and construction...
degree, and 15 other Universities actively encourage their students to consider the exams.
- The Associated Colleges of Construction Education, and the Associated Schools of Construction have made considerable progress in developing national standards for construction education programs.-
The profession has recently grown to accommodate several dozen
Construction ManagementConstruction Management refers either to the study and practice of the managerial and technological aspects of the construction industry , or to a business model where one party to a construction contract serves as a construction consultant, providing both design and construction...
Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
programs.
The US Navy Construction Battalion, nicknamed the SeaBees, puts their command through strenuous training and certifications at every level. To become a
Chief Petty OfficerChief Petty Officer is a Non-commissioned officer or equivalent in many naval services and coast guards.-Canada:Chief Petty Officer refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
in the SeaBees is equivalent to a BS in Construction Management with the added benefit of several years of experience to their credit. See ACE accreditation.
Architectural Project Manager
Architectural project manager are project managers in the field of architecture. They have many of the same skills as their counterpart in the construction industry. An
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
will often work closely with the construction project manager in the office of the
General contractorA general contractor is a group or individual that contracts with another organization or individual for the construction, renovation or demolition of a building, road or other structure...
(GC), and at the same time, coordinate the work of the design team and numerous consultants who contribute to a construction project, and manage communication with the client. The issues of budget, scheduling, and quality-control are the responsibility of the Project Manager in an architect's office.
Software Project Manager
A Software Project Manager has many of the same skills as their counterparts in other industries. Beyond the skills normally associated with traditional project management in industries such as construction and manufacturing, a software project manager will typically have an extensive background in
software developmentSoftware development is the set of activities that results in software products. Software development may include research, new development, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products...
. Many software project managers hold a degree in
Computer ScienceComputer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation, and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. It is frequently described as the systematic study of algorithmic processes that create, describe and transform...
,
Information TechnologyInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
or another related field and will typically have worked in the industry as a software engineer.
In traditional project management a heavyweight, predictive methodology such as the
waterfall modelThe waterfall model is a sequential software development process, in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards through the phases of Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design , Construction, Testing and maintenance....
is often employed, but software project managers must also be skilled in more lightweight, adaptive methodologies such as DSDM,
SCRUMScrum can refer to:* Scrum , a way to restart a rugby union or rugby league game after an interruption * Scrum , an agile software development method for project management...
and
XPExtreme Programming is a software engineering methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements...
. These project management methodologies are based on the uncertainty of developing a new software system and advocate smaller, incremental development cycles. These incremental or iterative cycles are timeboxed (constrained to a known period of time, typically from one to four weeks) and produce a working subset of the entire system to be developed at the end of each iteration. The increasing adoption of lightweight approaches is due largely to the fact that
software requirementsSoftware requirements is a sub-field of Software engineering that deals with the elicitation, analysis, specification, and validation of requirements for software .-References:...
are very susceptible to change, and it is extremely difficult to illuminate all the potential requirements in a single project phase before the software development commences.
The software project manager is also expected to be familiar with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This may require in depth knowledge of requirements solicitation, application development, logical and physical database design and networking. This knowledge is typically the result of the aforementioned education and experience. There is not a widely accepted certification for software project managers, but many will hold the
PMPPMP may mean several things:* NAT Port Mapping Protocol* Point-to-multipoint communication * Perlman Music Program* Portable media player, a handheld electronic device that supports the playback of digital media...
designation offered by the
Project Management InstituteThe Project Management Institute is a non-profit professional organization with the purpose of advancing the state-of-the-art of project management. The organization is a professional association for the project management profession.- Overview :...
or an advanced degree in project management, such as a MSPM or other graduate degree in technology management.
Responsibilities
The specific responsibilities of the Project Manager vary depending on the industry, the company size, the company maturity, and the company culture. However, there are some responsibilities that are common to all Project Managers, noting:
- Developing the project plan
- Managing the project stakeholders
- Managing the project team
- Managing the project risk
- Managing the project schedule
- Managing the project budget
- Managing the project conflicts
Education, certifications and networks
Individuals wishing to obtain professional certifications may take one or more of the offerings available from a variety of organizations:
The
Project Management InstituteThe Project Management Institute is a non-profit professional organization with the purpose of advancing the state-of-the-art of project management. The organization is a professional association for the project management profession.- Overview :...
offers the following credentials to project managers:
- Project Management Professional
Project Management Professional is a credential offered by the Project Management Institute . , there were 359,973 PMP certified individuals distributed globally....
(PMP)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM),
- Program Management Professional (PgMP)
- Master Project Management (MPM)
- PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP), and
- PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)
Other institutions and organizations:
- The University of Wisconsin's Masters Certificate in Project Management http://exed.wisc.edu/cert/projectmanagement/info.asp
- The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) offers GSC
GSC could refer to:* Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey* Guangzhou Science City, Guangdong, China* Genomic Standards Consortium* Government Saadat College, a public college in Bangladesh* Geological Survey of Canada...
as Project Manager.
- The UK Office of Government Commerce
The Office of Government Commerce is an independent office of Her Majesty's Treasury, a department of state in the government of the United Kingdom....
offers PRINCE2PRojects IN Controlled Environments is a project management method. It covers the management, control and organisation of a project...
certification.
- The Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) offers Registered Project Manager (RegPM) certification.
- The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and its School of Program Management offers practitioner training in every element of project management for members of the Federal Government, Defense industry and allied nations.
There are other graduate degrees in project and technology management, such as an MSPM. However, the majority of all project management skills may be developed through the completion of a Ph.D, D.Phil or other similar higher Doctorate.
The IPMA is an international network of national project management societies such as
Association for Project ManagementAssociation for Project Management is an independent organization for project management based in the United Kingdom. It has over 17,500 individual and 500 corporate members in the United Kingdom and worldwide....
in the UK. IPMA serves as an umbrella organisation representing national societies which offer their certifications.
Project Management training
Methods of Project Management
trainingThe term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
are very diverse. Much of the
trainingThe term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
received by most
project managerA project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software...
s is on the job training. Other sources of training include
- University degree programs in project management
- Business degree programs with some level of Project Management emphasis
- Certification preparatory classes and training
- Social media such as blog
A blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order...
s and podcasts
- Books
- Seminars and conferences
- Local group meetings (I.E. local chapters)
See also
- Event Planning and Production
- Master of Science in Project Management
- Project engineer
A Project Engineer is, in some cases, the same as a Project Manager. Project Engineers are considered to be Project Managers, but with engineering qualifications...
- Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives...
- Project planning
Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment....
Further reading