Project Management

Managing the Project Interfaces 185

nize and properly deal with them can have a profound effect on
the success of your project and on your level of heartburn.
As we’re about to learn, it’s unlikely that you’ll have much
controlover interfaces. But you can identify them, learn to
understand them, work with them, and adapt to them. In short,
you can managethem.
This chapter will help you do that effectively.

What Are “Project Interfaces”?

Consider for a minute that you and your project are at the cen-
ter of things. Any experience as a project manager will tell you
that this view of the world is far from reality! But it allows a
good perspective on project interfaces. Figure 10-1 shows some
of the typical points where you and your project are in contact
with the outside world.
Note that some of the interfaces in Figure 10-1 are people.
The people who interface with you and your project are usually

Project

Sponsor

External

Customer

Contractorsand

Consultants

RegulatoryAgencies

Policies andProcedures

Culture

and

Politics

Support

Groups

Your

Boss

Core

Project

Team

Manage-Upper

ment

Internal

Customer

Systems

Suppliers

Resource

Providers

You and

Your Project

Users

Figure 10-1. A project manager’s interfaces

T

E

A

M

F

L

Y

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