The Mind of the Project Manager, Part II

In my seminars, I frequently ask people what aspects of the project the project manager owns. The concept of ownership is one of the critical tools I use to run a successful project. Remember: we are not necessarily subject matter experts (SME’s) in the discipline of the project, we are SME’s in project management.

So, I’m curious what aspects of the project you think project managers own. If you don’t mind, let’s do a short poll. I’ve randomized the answers to avoid any prejudice.

I’ll post my choices in a few weeks.

Common threads

Seminar attendees sometimes tell me that while they find particular material interesting, it really doesn’t apply to them. In many cases this is true. It’s not unusual for a person mostly concerned with process management will show up in a project management seminar.

When such events occur, here’s what I suggest: consider the form and structure rather than the details. For example, a project charter is nothing more than a work definition document. Down-scale it to define smaller work activities, up-scale it for larger programs.

Project management, after all, is nothing more than understanding your customer, understanding their needs, and developing a plan to meet those needs.

Risk Identification

I frequently ask new project managers what a risk becomes when it triggers. The most frequent answer I get is “an issue”. They’re almost right.

When a risk triggers, it becomes a change. When a risk triggers, it will likely change at least one of the triple constraints (time, cost or scope). It, therefore, is a change.

Want a easy way to identify risks for a project ?  Check out the change requests and change logs from previous, similar projects. EVERY CHANGE TO EVERY PROJECT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED AS A RISK.

Change logs and forms from previous projects is a very reliable and quick way to identify risks in your current projects.