People in project management: who to appoint, how to build a team and work with the customer

The failure of a major project is almost never a technical problem. Behind him is the wrong person in a key role, a team that they cannot assemble and retain, or a customer whose expectations no one worked with.

HR decisions in project management are one of the most undervalued areas. PM Excellence experts have written eight materials about this. Different on the topic, but united in the main thing: the right people in the right roles make more difference than any tool.

The guru can't handle it: who should not be appointed project manager?

The best subject matter expert is the worst candidate for the role of project manager. Alexander Kutuzov explains: technical expertise does not replace the ability to coordinate, delegate and make decisions in conditions of uncertainty. Functional directors are accustomed to operational management-project logic is foreign to them. Top managers do not have time for daily immersion. A working formula: a strong manager plus a team of subject matter experts.

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Project manager: hire from outside or appoint your own?

Pavel Lavrentiev examines the choice that companies often make intuitively - and are mistaken. The cost of external management and maintenance of an in-house specialist is comparable. But external contractors tend to be more skilled in risk management and project methodology. The answer depends on the strategy: for companies with a constant flow of projects - grow your own; for one-time ones - attract external ones.

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Is the head of a megaproject a conductor, a firefighter or a pacemaker?

Evgeny Pikulev proposes a new model: the head of a megaproject is not an orchestra conductor or a fireman, but a pacemaker. The one who sets the pace maintains the team's rhythm over the long distance and retreats before the finish line, allowing the team to take the victory. Twelve competencies of a pacemaker - from experience in complex projects to psychological stability and preparedness for crises.

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Megaproject team building

Evgeny Pikulev complements the classic model of the team life cycle with three phases: crystallization, crystal exposure and diamond cutting. A successful megaproject team is not a temporary association, but a "diamond super team" ready for long-term work after the completion of the project. Real case of Instrum-Rand: reduction of defects from 65.9% to 0.03% through a properly built team culture.

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Roles decide everything

Alexander Kochetov on why there is so rarely order in roles in project teams: one person performs several functions, several people duplicate one, competencies are skewed towards either management or expertise. A separate focus is the role of the planner in construction projects: without deep knowledge of KSM and specialized software, it loses its meaning.

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Project administrator: what is important for a manager

The project administrator is most often underestimated and burdened with meaningless turnover - and as a result, the manager himself drowns in the operating system. Alexander Kochetov describes eight key functions of the administrator: from encoding documents and maintaining an archive to monitoring reporting and logging orders. Proper delegation of these tasks frees up the manager to forecast and manage risks.

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Managing customer expectations is a necessary condition for project success

You can deliver a project exactly according to the specifications and still lose the client. Alexander Kochetov analyzes a real case: the customer was dissatisfied because no one clarified his expectations during the process. Takeaway: Stakeholder management is as important as deadlines, budget and quality. Interim demonstrations of results are not a formality, but a synchronization tool.

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The customer issues inadequate requirements - what should the project manager do?

Roman Cheremisin offers three honest options: convince to reconsider the requirements with arguments, comply with written recording of your objections, or withdraw from the project if the requirements contradict the principles. One thing is unacceptable: quietly sabotaging or doing things "carelessly" as a sign of protest. The project manager fulfills the customer's requirements - but not silently.

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All materials are from the practice of PM Excellence. The authors work with teams of large investment projects and know what these errors look like in reality, and not in a textbook.

→ Entire selection on the topic: pmexcellence.com/news/article/all/kadry-i-roli-v-upravlenii-proektami-kadry-personal-v-upravlenii-proektami/