Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Responsibilities
Planning and Defining
Scope
Ensure there are Focus on customer’s
measurable goals. needs, not the technical
Do not rush the ones.
planning process. Recognize that all the
Use IS historical operational areas are of
data. equal importance.
Permit all questions. Remember the most
important word in project
Seek to understand.
management--customer.
•
Activity Planning and
Sequencing
Be prepared to run Define project activity
meetings. constraints and
Assign resources. assumptions.
Construct activity Determine skill
sequences. requirements for critical
Define procurement activities.
requirements. Develop cost estimates.
Ensure the operational
managers gather
appropriate data.
•
Activity Planning and
Sequencing
Establish a project Identify standards that can
organization structure. impact the project.
Establish project Link budget items with
administrative activities.
benchmarks and Remember customer
standards. needs come first.
Identify potential risks. Write the comprehensive
Ensure there is a viable activity plan.
quality system program.
•
Resource Planning
Assist operational Ensure there are budget
managers on resource allocations for all resources.
issues. Ensure there are criteria
Assist the operational that establish resource
managers in identifying needs.
resource links. Identify skills by labor
Consider alternate classification, then by
resource types. name.
Develop a people
Consider the customer’s
availability formula. needs.
•
Resource Planning
Know reasons for Validate resource
resource uses. requirements.
Resolve capital Work with operational
spending. managers to balance
Resolve resource resources.
availability issues. Work with the strategic
Emphasize skills over manager to identify
headcount. available resources.
Write the resource plan.
•
Time Estimating
Ensure there are Resolve estimates
appropriate criteria for beginning with the
doing estimates. smallest.
Collect all the estimates Set daily priorities to
prior to totaling. resolve time estimate
Use technical support issues.
from vendors. Analyze time estimates
for impacts.
Establishing a scientific
approach to time
Determine potential risks
estimating. because of estimates.
•
Time Estimating
Use project Determine impact of
management software estimates on cost
estimates.
to do scenarios.
Determine impact of
Finish the time estimates on resource
estimating process availability.
before scheduling. Remember the budget cycle
Document issues. can affect time estimates.
Include time estimates Determine impact of
procurement on time
for quality control.
estimates.
•
Developing Schedules
Align the schedule to the Define estimates to
customer’s expectations. average capabilities.
Analyze the schedule for Define the lag-lead time
various impacts. relationships.
Communicate with Define the start-end
vendors on schedule time dependencies.
status. Determine how the
Create the schedule schedule is impacted
against the project goals. varying cost potentials.
•
Developing Schedules
Determine how the Discuss with
acquisition of outside procurement group
resources affects the project requirements.
schedule. Do resource and time
Establish project
leveling.
administrative benchmarks
and standards. Document assumptions
Determine the budget and constraints.
cycle’s impact. Documents issues and
Determine potential risks discuss at meetings.
on the schedule.
•
Developing Schedules
Ensure resource availability. Set daily priorities for
Ensure the schedule has self to consider
realistic training and schedule.
documentation Smooth the schedule
requirements. through a balancing of
Ensure that quality control activities, time, and
activities are scheduled resources.
appropriately.
Validate the schedule
Look for “forgotten”
by getting everyone’s
activities, such as meetings.
concurrence.
•
Cost Estimating
Ensure there are valid Determine impact on
estimating criteria. outside resource
Analyze cost estimates acquisitions.
for potential impacts on Determine impacts of
skills, equipment, and budget cycle on
materials. estimates.
Collect all estimates Determine potential
before totaling. risks on estimates.
Determine impacts on Document issues and
time estimates. discuss in meetings.
•
Cost Estimating
Have a “scientific” cost Resolve cost issues well in
estimating process. advance of the “spending” date.
Factor in procurement Set daily priority to consider
requirements. cost estimate issues .
Finish cost estimating before Use software to develop
doing budgeting. scenarios before a “happening.”
Include quality control and Use technical support of
assurance cost.
vendors to define any
Look for “forgotten” activities. installation or configuration cost
Resolve cost estimates estimates.
beginning with the least.
•
Developing a Budget
Be aware of events that Ensure that operational
can affect the budget’s managers do monthly
monthly reports. budget status reports.
Be aware impacts of Ensure reliable cost
vendor invoicing cycles. estimates.
Ensure cost estimates Ensure reliable
are entered into the resource estimates.
budget correctly. Ensure reliable time
estimates.
•
Developing a Budget
Ensure that predicted Identify funding for
spending is reliably contingencies, such as
given by month. emergency travel.
Ensure you have a Identify capital costs.
budget to manage Seek the lowest staff costs.
project administration. Seek to reduce
Hold a monthly meeting extraordinary costs, such
on budgetary issues. as travel.
Use software to do
scenarios.
•
Controlling Quality
Place quality planning at the top of the
project agenda.
Ensure there is significant time allocated
for quality activities.
Guarantee there is time estimates for
peer reviews.
Have a configuration control mechanism.
•
Controlling Quality
Create an appropriate reporting system on
quality issues.
Assure that quality issues stay at the
deliverable level rather being consider personal.
Have a separate line in the budget for quality
control and assurance.
Have a location where all standards and other
quality related documentation is available to
everyone.
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Managing Risks &
Opportunities
Discuss risk potentials at Ensure there is a distinctive
all meetings. budget line for risk management.
Identify people to correct Ensure there are skilled
quickly potential risks. personnel to handle risk
Identify people that can evaluations.
do evaluations of issues. Ensure there is a contingency
fund for risks.
Ensure that risk
management has the
Be responsible for risk
time in the schedule to management.
do a proper job. Ensure that potential risks are
identified.
•
Project Modeling
Answer the basic modeling question
with a yes.
Ensure that appropriate historical data
are available.
Be prepared to hire a consultant.
Ensure any financial model is consistent
with any corporate one.
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Network Optimization
Determine budgetary source for any
network optimization.
Have management and performance
tool strategies.
Have a tools expert or two on staff.
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Gantt Chart and Schedules
Have contractors use a standardized
Gantt chart.
Use as a part of executive summaries.
Use for initial project planning.
Use to refine project plan.
Use to revise activity requirements.
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PERT/CPM Techniques
List activities; do not Convert the diagrams
consider resources. to a PERT chart.
Revise activities list Identify the critical path.
by priority and Identify the plan using
interdependency. limited resources.
Review activity Make the PERT chart a
network diagrams living document.
with appropriate
managers.
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Risk Analysis
Control risks, rather than risk controlling
you.
Responsible for solving risks.
Establish measurable objectives,
benchmarks and performance standards.
Prepare for potential risks by using a risk
analysis tool.
Handle risks in a positive manner.
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Risk Analysis
Discuss potential risks at meetings.
Keep good historical documentation on
potential risks.
Create regular status reports.
Keep a neutral position.
Ensure that upper-level management
comprehends the consequences of a
potential risk.
•
Learning Curve Analysis
Consider long-term benefits.
Consider learning curve analysis for
training activities and results.
Factor into time and cost estimates the
implications of the learning curve.
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Documentation
Ensures consistency through templates
and standards.
Develops executive summaries.
Manages project administrative
documents.
Keeps a daily project log.
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Miscellaneous Software
Packages
Ensure there are standards and
templates if general administrative
software is used.
•
Legacy Software and
Hardware Analysis
Comprehend the implications on the
legacy software and hardware caused
by a project.
Remember that legacy is the state of
the IS network one minute ago.
•
Profitability Analysis
Use profitability analysis to prepare
executive summaries in terms of return
on investment.
Identify sources for doing profitability
analysis.
Answer pre-proposal questions.
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Scalability, Interoperability
and Portability Analyses
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Team Management
You lead; the team succeeds.
Communicate. Communicate.
Communicate.
Praise in public; condemn in private.
Software does not rule; it’s only your
guide.
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Customer Involvement
Spokesperson for the project.
Listen to the managers’ issues on
customers and resolve them.