Project Management is one profession that has grown from practice. While education and some experiences were the only prerequisites for one to be considered a project manager, the surge of accidental project managers has really led to the loss of the fundamental skills and competencies of a project manager. The project management role is a conduit to projecting a voice backed with action managing and leading change using projects as a vehicle in managing all areas of project management.
Therefore, I view “Project” as a verb and not as a noun.
This is one way to make project managers move much beyond cookie cutter project
management. Each character of "Project" therefore defines the competencies expected
in a project manager.
- P - Passion for people. Project management is all about people management. This is where the transformational leadership elements of a project manager is displayed.
- R – Resourceful around Risk management. Seeing proactively the risks and managing them by maximizing opportunities and minimizing threats
- O - Organized around self to manage all aspects of the project. As the saying goes, if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t manage the people that do not work you in the project.
- J - Justified in constant review of resource utilization including both the human and non-human resources keeping in mind the total cost of ownership on the project managing scope and quality
- E - Effective in leading change seeing it as a vehicle to improve scalability and as a liaison to other business units within the performing and client organization
- C - Collaborative in bringing ideas together letting the individuals become groups and then evolve as teams to support each other
- T - Trustworthy to transform people’s career. This completes the cycle of project where one’s passion for people makes them servant leaders.
