The Role of the Project Manager 31- your team
- yourself
Each area of responsibility has a slightly different focus,
adding to the diversity of the role.
The most obvious responsibility is the one to the project.
You’re expected to meet the cost, schedule, functionality, and
quality targets. You must run the project efficiently. You must
act as an arbiter of the differing objectives that will inevitably
exist within and across the team, as discussed in Chapter 2.
You also have a responsibility to your organization. The
project you’re managing is expected to provide a tangible return
to your organization. The extent to which you’ll be held respon-
sible for guaranteeing this return will be discussed in Chapter 4.
Also, as a project manager, you’re viewed as an “agent” of
your organization and its management. You’re expected to
adhere to the policies of the organization, act within the limits of
your authority, and generally make decisions that are in the best
interests of the organization. That last expectation may be chal-
lenging at times, as decisions that benefit your organization
may not be best for the project.
Yet another responsibility you have to your organization
relates to information flow. This includes honest estimating, timely
reporting of status, and accurate forecasting. Proactivelykeeping
organizational management informed of project status and fore-
casts—good or bad—is one of your more important responsibili-
ties as a project manager, maybe even critical to your survival.
The key word here is proactively.If any member of management
gets hit by any surprises, if it’s revealed that someone is lacking
some critical information that he or he should have known, it can
be devastating for that person. And if it’s because you failed to
inform him or her, it can be devastating for you as well.
Keeping your organizational management proactively
informed also includes providing them appropriateopportunities
to intercede as needed in guiding the course of your project.
This is yet another aspect of the responsibility you have to your
organization.