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The project manager’s responsibility on the people-side of project managementThe current project management environment, full of complexity and tension-filled project challenges, does not only require technical capability from the project manager and the project team.
Technical capability is important, but only to a certain degree as it is not the entire story of project management in the
21st century.
Much of a project manager’s efficacy and a project team’s success is derived not from skilful use of work breakdown structures, drawing Gantt charts for scheduling, costing and risk analysis; these techniques are only a part of project management.
Another often neglected, but extremely important part is the art and science of project human resource management and organisational behaviour in project environments.
This means planning, organising, leading, and controlling the human dimension, as well us understanding the impact of organisational behaviour on project success, also referred to as managing and leading the ‘people-side’ of projects.
Many projects have failed dismally and divulged frustration caused not by inadequacy in the project methodology, poorly constructed schedules or critical paths analysis, but rather by the people involved in the project and manner in which people are working and behaving in projects.
Whether it is an unreceptive line manager who does not avail the resources for project delivery, or an apathetic engineer who has covered up budget overruns, or a customer who struggles to define the project need; the project manager must anticipate, deal with and overcome the ‘people issues’.
The reason a project manager should be bothered with the people-side of project management seems very straightforward.
In fact, it is people who have the need for the project to be delivered, who will be affected by the outcome of the project, people working individually and together in the project team that brings a project into fruition.
It is people who ensure that the three technical constraints of a project – on time, within budget and with quality – are attainable and, after all, the project manager is a person as well.
It is thus safe to say that if the people-side is not taken into consideration and managed/lead, the project has an extremely high probability of failure.
Currently, project managers face the challenges of operating in project environments characterised by high levels of uncertainty, involving multicultural stakeholders and global competition for talented people to join the project team.
To meet these challenges, and to get people to perform optimally, the project manager has to develop a clear understanding of human resource management application and organisational behaviour in the project environment.
The integrated human resources management processes applied during the project life cycle should ensure that: ‘competent people are assigned to clear project roles at the right time; that they are organised and motivated as individuals; work as a focused project team to deliver according to the project scope; and that they are recognised and rewarded for their achievements’.
The organisational behaviour dimension necessitates an understanding of people’s behaviour as individuals and in a team context within project environments (which are known for behavioural challenges caused by the inherent nature of project management).
For example, by being stressful and rife with conflict due to resource constraints and possible scope creep, division in power bases and interpersonal differences caused by stakeholder diversity and personality clashes.
To be able to apply the integrated human resource management process and managing organisational behaviour adequately during the project life cycle, the project manager must be someone with special competence and not just anybody.
‘Competence’, in general, refers to having the desirable knowledge, skill and attitude to do the work as assigned through the project role and responsibility matrix.
Answers to the questions on the previous page may assist the project manager to deal more effectively with the ‘people-side’ of project management:
These answers describe the “Human Resource Planning, Team Aquisitioning and Project Team Development” needed for the project as referred to by the PMBOK, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge® (PMI, 2004), which will be part of the overall resource requirements identified during the project-resource planning processes.
If the project manager fails to involve the right stakeholders and does not ensure that they have clear roles and responsibilities with the necessary competence aligned with the project goal, they may become a critical risk for the project by following their own direction, resulting in non-compliance.
It may be possible to obtain people with potential, who are still lacking the skills or attitudes to work together as a team, or lacking a specific skill or knowledge that has to be acquired due to the uniqueness of the project scope.
This calls for skills development or training and team development. Often the right talent is not readily available, in which case, people have to be trained, roles have to be reassigned among existing team members or outsourced at an additional cost.
The organisational behaviour aspects a project manager should be especially concerned with are also partially referred to in “Managing the Project Team” by PMBOK® (PMI, 2004).
The areas of organisational behaviour competence during the project life cycle include the following, however, are not exhausted:
* Interpersonal relationship building: The project manager must be able to network and build sound relationships with key stakeholders.
* Leading people: Leading the project is different from managing the project, however, the project manager must be able to do both. You can only lead people, but you manage the other resources such as finances, technology, tools as you have control over them. Leading means you create a project working environment where people are motivated and enthusiastic about delivering results.
* Emotional intelligence: The project manager must have emotional intelligence and manage the emotions in the project environment.
* Managing team dynamics: Ensure that team members are focused on the project goal and the team behaviour is conducive to performance.
* Communication: Ensure that communication is clear and the intent of communication is sound and understood by the recipient. Communication in projects is not simply the tangible project reports or meetings, but includes the use of language, giving and sharing meaning through verbal, vocal and visual conduct.
* Dealing with difficult people: The project manager must be able to act and make decisions if people are not behaving constructively or performing in the project.
* Conflict and stress management: The nature of project work is stressful and bursting with potential conflict. The project manager must be able to manage the stress and conflict in a constructive manner and deal with destructive conflict.
* Managing change: Projects are change, and with change comes uncertainty. This has an impact on people’s behaviour and could derail the project focus, leading to failure. Change must be managed and lead to contributing towards successful project delivery.
Comprehending the nature and impact of the ‘people-side’ of project management is imperative and if understood and managed appropriately, nearly everything and anything is possible in the hands of the project manager.
The difficult part though, is what to be bothered with regarding those people, and how to use this to the benefit of those affected by this project, including the project manager. These ‘softer’ skills are very often the most difficult aspect of a project and have the greatest impact on the success of a project.
From the above, it is clear that the environment in which the project manager operates, has obvious influences on how he/she should interact with people as individuals and with the project team.
In the more traditional approach to project management, the management principles of plan, lead, organise and control is firmly imbedded as a mechanistic approach.
In the modern era, where things are changing fast, the project manager is expected to perform exceptionally and to control chaos. A project manager now often operates in an environment where he/she must deliver project outcomes in the facing a lack of power or authority, impossible deadlines and demanding stakeholders.
If the project manager does not have a competent team and does not remain in control, the project will manage him/her!
Project managers who understand that their job is not simply to deliver results for this particular project, but also to continually build capacity and work through and with others, are and will have a much better chance to be successful.
If a project manager does not understand and embrace the ‘people-side of project management’, one can certainly say that the people he/she interacts with will not be bothered with the success of the project.
Currently, more people want to be seen as project managers without having fully realised the complexity involved to be successful. Project management is a multidisciplinary approach where the human resource management and organisational behaviour components are central and a key success factor.
Professor Yvonne du Plessis
Department of Human Resource
Management
University of Pretoria
Reference:
PMI, 2004. 3rd Ed. “A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge”®
