34 Project Management
process—drives the selection of the targets. From that point on,
a desperate struggle begins, as the team tries to force the proj-
ect to fit within the boundaries that have been drawn.
This practice puts project managers in a very difficult posi-
tion, as it often sets them up for certain failure and severely
undermines the planning process. Unfortunately, this phenome-
non seems to have reached epidemic proportion: it’s one of the
biggest complaints of practicing project managers today.
Perpetual Emphasis on Function
If you’re managing a project in a functionally oriented organiza-
tion, one of the more difficult challenges that you’ll face is get-
ting team members to overcome their inherent tendency to
think and act in terms of optimizing their own discipline, techni-
cal field, or department. It’s important to recognize that this
phenomenon is fueled by three powerful influences. First, by
definition, projects are temporary, but functions live on. In other
words, a person often considers his or her work group to be
home;the project is just a passing state of existence. Second,
unless contemplating a formal career change to project man-
agement, a person considers his or her discipline or area of
expertise as the work focus. This means that her or she will
likely be committed to ensuring the well-being of that area. This
strong loyalty could, for example, give rise to counterproductive
situations, such as team members using yourproject funds to
advance theirdiscipline—perhaps in excess of what customer
requirements dictate. Finally, there’s the power of the paycheck.
Simply stated, most people tend to pledge allegiance to the
source of their paycheck. For most people in most organiza-
tions, that’s their work group or functional department, not you.
The Dual Responsibility Trap
Most project managers I encounter are asked to wear two hats.
They must perform their job duties while acting as the project
manager. (Brad is in that position, working as senior technical
lead and managing Project Apex.) This situation may present
additional challenges for you.