Being a project manager is a thankless job. When the project is a success, it because of the "team" that made it successful. When the project is less than a success, the project manager is to blame-and it is the way it should be. So when do you get the pat on the back?
The honest answer to that question is: NEVER
I've been managing projects for over 25 years and have been teaching project management concepts and best practices for over 10 years and continuously tell my students that if you are ever fearful of losing your job you aren't doing your job. So where do you get the recognition you own ego desires?
If we reflect on our efforts on past projects, there are a couple questions to ask yourself to assess how you are doing:
- Do you have self-pride in what you do? Do you follow the PMI® Code of Conduct and honestly try to follow a consistent and appropriate methodology within the organization you work? There are many project managers that go the extra mile to move mountains to try to ensure project success, however due to circumstances beyond their control are just unable to move the team forward. When faced with this situation do an honest assessment of what you could have done differently to obtain a different result. There usually is "something" you could have done-there is always room for improvement. Organizations do value experience and the willingness to recognize failures and the development of continuous improvement
- Are you willingness to cancel a project when necessary? Some projects will just NEVER succeed and you must recognize this as early as possible to stop an organization from throwing good money after bad. If you've every cancelled a project, quantify what would have been spent if the project was taken to fruition. What was the actual cost savings for NOT doing the project?
- Do team members WANT to work for you? Have your team members every complimented you on your contribution? Sometimes that means more to me than the pat on the back from senior management. A positive sign that you are doing the right things is that team members get excited to be on a project that you are managing. Many times it isn't because you've had the most successful projects, but that you treat people with the respect and that you help them individually succeed-no one wants to be on a losing team. The more "disciples" you have means that you have team members that understand how you work and you understand how they work. That momentum will ultimately result in project teams that are excited about the project and will increase its chance for success.
- Does your organization or organization's customers respect your opinion? This related directly to your networking abilities. The relationships you build on the projects you manage are significantly important to your long-term professional success. Project managers that have continue relationships with employers and the respect of the customers can pat themselves on the back. Are you always being assigned the most difficult project or project the most important client take that as a sign you are doing the right things.
- What additional business was generated directly from your efforts? Finally and probably something that is mostly overlooked is quantifying the financial contribution you may be making to an organization. Excellent scope management can translate directly to additional revenue opportunities for an organization. The project manager is the closest to a customer during project execution. Inevitably the customer will ask for something that technically isn't part of the project scope. Taking a little extra time to capture the request and forward the information to the organization's sales team increase the harvesting of additional revenue from existing clients. As many of you know, retaining an existing client is much cheaper than finding a new client. If you can quantify this value, doesn't that say volumes to the value of you to the organization?
Bottomline, this blog is to discuss how you can take pride in what you do day-in and day-out even when you may not get the direct recognition. Always be reflective an honest with your experiences by looking at what you can improve yourself BEFORE blaming another, as well as quantify some of the tangible benefits you bring to the organization such as cost savings and/or additional revenues-who can argue with that?
Diane Altwies, MBA, PMP
Diane Altwies has a proven track record of delivering completed projects to the marketplace through effective leadership of multi-disciplinary teams with a strong customer focus. She has more than 21 years managing software development projects, and over 14 years experience in the insurance, financial services, mortgage lending, and healthcare industries.
Janice Y. Preston, MBA, CPA, PMP
Janice Preston has been managing projects for more than 20 years in industries as diverse as real estate, financial services and the PC industry. Ms. Preston has been a principal with Vista Performance Group since 1991, consulting in project management for information services, health care, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and automotive. Some of her clients include Boeing, Countrywide, Nissan, Balboa Insurance, Allergan, Computer Sciences Corporation, Capital Group Companies, and Southern California Edison.
