After reading a few books on project management, and before I start reading the new one, Herding Chickens, I decided to lay down some ground rules for them.
These will be some basic assumption to keep in mind while I read the practical and real life project management advices.
- You can’t select your team. You start with a predefined set of people, and that’s it. You can’t remove people, and you can’t bring in new ones.
- The number of people in your team is about constant. Maybe, you can get someone else from inside the company to work on your project for a few days, but that’s all.
- Everyone is working on at least 2 projects. You too.
- You can’t relocate the team, you can’t choose their office
- You don’t have a budget. You have a deadline, you got the people, do what you can.
Now, if the reallife and practical advices can cope with those, then they are usable.
1) It doesnt make any difference. Leadership is leadership, even if you cannot remove people.
In today's cross-functional world you most often work with people who don't depend on you.
If you find people who are not motivated and not listening to you, then probably the company culture is bad. In the corporate world everybody is evaulated, and the non-performers are eventually fired.
2) When you work with external or offshore partners, the team size can vary. You can ask them to assign more resource to the project.
In corporate world you can always get a temp, a consultant or an intern on board.
3) Not only 2 projects. That is why we learn prioritize our tasks.
4) In the 21st century teams are getting more virtual. Not to mention outsourcing… hi i am your new colleauge Ravi from India.
5) Unless you work in a garage company you have budget. Or at least a cost centre. Maybe you are not authorized to approve expenses but your boss is.
Since cost is essential part of project management, you MUST have a budget.
I agree with you, exactly my point, and these are the facts that the PM books disregard completely
Just a few notes about some of the points you made:
About the corporation culture. Non-performers are not fired neccessarily. They can have quite a good private office – at least at big US companies.
And you unfortunately can't always get an intern or temp or consultant – at least at big US companies. A lot of times you get the answer: that costs money, solve it without additional resources.
Yes, the project has a budget, the project manager does not have any say in it usually – as opposed to the assumption of PM books. That's why I wrote “you [the PM] has no budget”.
On the leadership: leadership is leadership and management is management. The two are not the same. Managers are appointed, leaders are not. A lot of managers are not leaders and a lot of leaders are not managers.
And if you find people who are not listening to you, then maybe the company culture is bad, maybe you are not someone they think they should listen to.
And thanks for the comment.
In my comment I missed the most important point which I should have to mention:
My teacher said that Project Management is just a tool to manage things which are beyond your expertise. It is just a tool. If you feel you have a better idea, then do it.
And since Project Management is a tool, it does not give you answers to everything.
I believe a Project Manager should have other skills then Project Management, e.g. experience in People Skill, in Time Management, in Budget Management, experience with organizational and authority questions, experience in company politics.
You are right if you say that under certain conditions the Project Management methodology don't work. That is why you should follow your own ideas and not a book.
But in order to make right decisions you must know the structure and the standard procedures.
The best PMs I saw, they focused on people and issues, not on the procedure.
If you see a PM doing administration 100% of his time, not having any time for people and to solve issues, that manager is fake.
Some more comments about your answes:
- Big US companies have regular performance reviews. There are proceudres in place to punish non performers. Americans are also famous about their performance/result driven culture. Result is everything. But I can agree with you that there are exceptions, and some bad people can hide in the big company.
Usually Hungarian companies are much more friendly with non-performers.
- And because Americans want result and just result, any help you need for it you will get it. Or at least they think about it. The biggest mistake you can make in a US company if you cannot ask for help!
(When i asked my manager to fly here and help, he was happy. He said asking for help is good. Then he came here and solved everything in no time. Problems were solved because i asked for help.)
- Budget: sorry but i don't really understand your point. Whenever we start a project, the initial documents include a budget, include all cost, and include ROI. That is basically the budget of the project. PM has the right to use it in a wise way.
And every project has a project sponsor – he has money!
- You are right that Leadership and Project Management are completely different. But a manager must know leadership! Because i wouldnt give even the smallest project to a person who is not followed by the team.
If people not listening to you, then it is probably your fault. There are theories how to motivate people and how to lead them. Please learn it.
I am glad we agree – my original post was just a reminder for me what to keep in mind when I read some of the PM books – and it seems we have a pretty similar look on the topic.