Project Management

Managing the Project Interfaces 195

cies couldn’t care less whether your project succeeds or not. The
extent of their stake is to make sure that you behave as you’re
supposed to. Many of us tend to want to sidestep any involve-
ment with this interface group. If you do that, you may be taking
a large risk. Ordinarily, your best bet is to cooperate with regula-
tory agencies, as they often assess penalties that far exceed what
you may save by trying to avoid them. A common mistake that
project managers make with regulatory agencies isn’t avoiding
them, however—it’s simply forgetting to involve them. A very
important thing to keep in mind with regulatory agencies is that
they have one thing that you don’t—power. And lots of it.

Organizational Policies and Procedures

This is an important interface. As a project manager, you’re
expected to follow the policies and procedures of your organiza-
tion. That’s just one of the unspoken expectations of project
managers in most organizations. So, you’d better be familiar
with the policies and procedures that affect your project.
One dilemma that you’re likely to face is whether to abide
by the ones that you disagree with. (And it’s likely that you will
disagree with some!) You should not disregard policies for pure-
ly personal reasons—it’s
bad for your image. Very
often, the only reason that
most people find justifiable
for disregarding the rules is
when not following them is
more beneficial to your
project. Ensuring the suc-
cess of your project is seen
as your highest duty to the organization.

Systems

There are many organizational systems. Most are process-ori-
ented and computer-based, internal to the organization, put in
place to help the organization function more efficiently.
Examples include the labor charging and payroll systems, data

Beware of Non-

Human Interfaces

No, I’m not talking

about your boss! Interfaces with no

face—such as organizational policies,

procedures, culture, and politics—can

affect your project at least as much as

any human interface.

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