my thoughts on how people become project managers

this article describes a poll done by projects@work, a project management site.

mike ramm's blog entry piqued my interest and i had some thoughts on his thoughts on the poll.

Question No. 1: Did you pursue a position in project management or did you "fall into it"?
Answers:

• By choice: 30%
• By accident: 70%

mike points concludes that this shows that senior managers do not value project managers and just stick in people for the role. i look at it a bit differently. i believe that senior managers are forced to deploy senior technical people (often architects) into the PM role because good PMs are highly valued, and thus, often unavailable. given this shortage, senior managers are forced to make team leads into PMs.

Question No. 2: Did you have formal project management training before your first assignment?
Answers:

• Yes: 15%
• No: 85%

mike asserts that the poll response supports his observation that PMs are not highly valued, and thus, are not trained.

in my years in consulting i generally find that there is a strange truth to that. if you are a good PM that had been converted to a PM from a technical role, then you are generally assigned to projects (often multiple) as they become available. you are so valued (after all, you understand the technology and the PM role) that you are always utilized and are never free for formal training. does this mean that upper management does not value PMs? i assert that upper managers highly prize PMs with proven track records, regardless of training or certifications.

Question No. 3: Do you consider project management a long-term career or a "stepping-stone" in your professional aspirations?
Answers:

• Career: 60%
• Stepping-stone: 40%

mike states that this poll response shows that PMs like their jobs. my opinion is that good PMs are often given promotions and upper management opportunities that technical people are not. good PMs must manage people, budgets, and client expectations. aren't these traits that make for good upper managers?

3 reason consulting project managers are important

in my experience most clients try to cut out hours from a project team any way they can. it's reasonable for them to try to get the most work for the least amount of money.

however, clients often cut out the project manager from the consulting project team. the rationale is that since they already have a client-side project manager for the program, why do they need a project manager from the consulting organization?

there are 3 reasons:

1.  experience with the technology.  the consulting PM has done a number of engagements that you are paying for.  they have the experience to know what to expect and plan for.  would you have a PM that only has experience with SAP integrations to PM a web application server consolidation?  of course not.  this leads to number 2.

2.  "soft" skills.   the consulting PM often has worked with the consulting team before.  this familiarity often pays off for the client in either tasks being completed early due to project team synergies, or it allows for potential problems to be identified early and reported to the consulting PM by the consulting team simply because the consulting PM is not the "client".

3.  the consulting PM is not the client.  one cannot underestimate this.  because the consulting PM is not part of the client organization, they can be objective and be counted on to call out personnel or other problems to the client PM organization.  they are their for the project sponsors success.  the reason the consulting PMs want the client sponsor to succeed is because this leads to more projects for the consulting organization. this is also the difference between consulting and resource augmentation.

if you ever find yourself being the client of a consulting organization, it is best to keep the consulting team humming along under the methodology that they are most comfortable with.  this includes use of their consulting PM.  it may cost a bit more up front, but it's worth it to raise chances of the project being successful.  and really, this can only help you, the client sponsor.