The Competencies of a Project Manager Needs Working in a Project Team Environment and How It Affects the Project Success in the UK
PART ONE
Identify and Analyze the Characteristics of Different Type of Projects
It is a fact that project management is one of the most challenging areas in many business
organizations in the modern world. There are various characteristics of different types of projects
be it commercial or other kinds of projects. According to Kress (2001), many people hold the
opinion that strategic thinking do highlight the core manager characteristic of different diverse
projects. However this assertion is not true given the fact that there are other characteristics like
analysis and effective communication and good leadership skills that defines the nature of good
projects (Crawford 2000).
According to the views of Lewis (1996), a good project management must take into
account a good knowledge, experience, and expertise in quite a number of methodologies and
approaches that involves analysis and interpretation of data of various sources. A great deal of
project management toolkit helps in the exploration and proper understanding of various needs
and requirements of specific projects. It is important to highlight that the toolkit provides an
effective idea of analysis of data. This is one of the core characteristics and features of different types of projects (Crawford 2005).
Projects Classification
There are various types of projects which are categorized in accordance with the main
goals, objectives and core values of each. Despite the fact that a manager has many different kind
of projects, a project manager is expected to be effective and efficient in terms of delivering good
leadership expertise, skills and experience of any kind of project. Lim and Mohamed (1999)
argues that there are three main classifications of projects; commercial, development and
support.Each of the classifications needs specific skills and expertise to carry them out. It is
important to highlight that working in different classifications of projects ensures that an
individual is enriched with a lot of knowledge especially on the great and excellent practices that
are desirable and recommended in project management (Crawford 2005).
A commercial kind of project is a project that is carried out for business and profit
making purposes i.e. a project that is carried out to investigate and comprehensively analyze the
needs and requirements of customers and potential consumers of particular business products and
services (Meredith & Mantel 1985). Crawford (2005) postulates that carrying such an
investigation is aimed at completely understanding the minds of customers and their expectations
so that the company can work hard and reorganize itself to work towards meeting such
expectations and needs. This in one way or the other has the potential of increasing the customer
base of the organization hence accumulating more profits and revenues on annual basis.
Development as a classification of projects is one that is mostly conducted by the
government of the day and groups or individuals who are interested in improving the living
standards of the common people in the society. In a study by Slack, Chambers and Johnston
(2001), it is found that development projects have the main intention of looking for opportunities in the society and exploiting such opportunities like investigation of viability of maybe any kind
of soil, and coming up with the most desirable crops that can do well in such a soil type to
improve the condition of the society. Support projects are projects that try to investigate the
common problems of the people i.e. disease infection due to reasons that can be resolved or
managed (Muller & Turner 2010). Most projects of support are usually carried out in
disadvantaged populations e.g. in the minority groups of United States such as the Latinos,
Mexican Americans, Hispanics, black Americans and even in developing worlds like in Africa
and Asia. Some of the minor categories of project management are construction projects,
architectural projects, insurance claim projects, engineering projects, and software projects
which are all included in the three major classifications mentioned above (Muller & Turner
2010).
PART TWO
Role and Nature of a Project Manager in a Project Team
A project manager in any project team has many roles and nature which include the
following; planning, strategic thinking, acting as an advisor to members of the group, facilitating
all the management processes and functions, and team building among other roles. The role of
planning enables a project manager to come up with comprehensive and intelligent work plan
that enhances proper identification of the most appropriate approaches of how to carry out a
project based on the available resources, the project goals, and the constraints (Crawford 2000).
Skills of planning enables the project manager to have an overall view of very important
features of the project e.g. the available resources in terms of money and workforce, timeframe
for the whole project, the scope and risks that the project is pre-disposed to, expectations of the
project taking into account the credential each of the workforce and the deliverables. The development a good plan of job dispensation enables the management of the project to
appropriately determine the number of interfaces that will be involved in the project hence
coming up with a good project management approach that can be applied to best manage the
interfaces (Muller & Turner 2010; Pardu 1996).
Thinking in a strategic manner is also an important role and nature of a project manager
in a project team. A good manager must be able to have a microscopic view of the whole
processes that the project ought to conduct, foresee loopholes and risks that might be incurred in
the course of the project and come up with proper strategies to avert them. A project manager
must be able to understand the different strategic elements that make up the project. The major
focus and emphasis must be put on the following areas of the project; quality, time, scope and the
financial muscle of each phase of the project (Crawford 2005).
According to Wills and Barham (2004), facilitation and advisory roles are important
elements that make a good project manager in leading any project team. This can be ensured
through working in a close relationship with the project teams and departments. As far as
information flow is concerned, the manager must display himself/herself as a facilitator who is
able to oversee and provide solutions to problems and conflicts and act as an advisor who can
offer best recommendations and remedies for any challenge of the project activities.
The Different Function of a Project Manager in Project Team
Communication is one of the major functions of the project manager in a project
team.The manager has the responsibility of sending and receiving responses of an idea, message
or a piece of information. In the project management, communication ensures effective exchange
of information either horizontally or vertically through various channels. It is important to note
that an effective and efficient communication as facilitated by a project manager takes into
consideration both informal and formal communication through various ways in order to
promote transparency and accountability (Crawford 2000).
The formal kind of information exchange takes the following perspectives; meetings,
print media such as magazines and journals, functional manuals, and circulars and notice boards.
The informal kind of communication takes the forms of events, which are social in nature, and
grapevine (Muller & Turner 2010). A good manager of a project team encourages formal and
informal communication and both horizontal and vertical exchange of information because there
are emerging issues that might pass the eyes of the management but struck the attention of the
general workforce and the subordinate. In such a case, the management should be informed of
the emerging issues so that they can plan and re-organize appropriately for effective and efficient
delivery of services (Saeed 2007). The major goal of communication in any kind of project is
aimed at providing information, attracting thoughts, actions and discussions, or seeks to acquire
information for proper understanding and co-existence through listening to every individual in
the organization without any barrier (Crawford 2000).
Motivation is a very important function of a project manager in any team because it
creates a positive mindset and enthusiasm in the members of the organization so that they can
maximally use their efforts and energy with an aim of improving the quality of performance and
making sure that the objectives of the project are achieved in record time.A good project
manager applies several approaches to make sure that the team members are motivated. Such
approaches include financial incentives, job and recognition of performance, creation of better
work environment which favors cooperation and team work, and exercising minimal supervision
hence giving the team members to discharge their duties diligently without any unnecessary
interference (Crawford 2005).
It is function of any project manager to oversee the progress of the overall project
processes realized by the team members through control (Saeed 2006). It is of great importance
to pinpoint that control can be ensured by the manager through ensuring regular period checks on
implementation with an aim of making sure that the target expectations of the project are met
within the specified period of time while maintaining the required standards based on quality of
performance. Control as a function of management entails several responsibilities that involves
coming up with standards, drawing measurements, assessing the outcome of the project putting
into consideration the set standards and initiating strategies and actions for corrective measures
in case of any daunting challenge (Muller & Turner 2010).
It is a fact that the processes and activities of the projects are carried out at different
points by different people. However, all the activities and processes must be carried out without
any conflict of interest and this must be ensured through coordination as one of the functions of
the a project manager. Coordination has the capability of ensuring harmony in the effort of group
and team members in achieving the project objectives (Pfeiffer 1994). The most important thing
to mention about coordination is that it highly depends on goodwill and commitments towards
the values and objectives of the organization because there are a number of players and
stakeholders that must be involved in the whole processes and activities either directly or
indirectly (Crawford 2005).
Directing as a project management function involves issuing a command or an instruction
to be followed in order to perform a particular task aimed at realization of the general objectives
of the organization or project as emphasized by (Oakland 1989). In the management of the 21 st
century, issuance of command and authority must be done in a supportive manner in order to
promote effective performance by the junior team members through avoidance of resistance which might prove disastrous to the whole project activities and processes. It is therefore clear
that directing function of the project management may involve either programmed or non-
programmed decision-making (Crawford 2000). The other important functions of a project
manager include team-building, delegation and leadership. Out of the many functions of the
project management that have been discussed above, it is crucial to note that there are only three
core functions of project management; planning, monitoring and evaluation and implementation.
PART THREE
The Definition of Project Manager Competencies
Competency in general terms is the ability to do something or perform particular tasks
displaying the relevant skills and knowledge required. A competent manager is a qualified
individual who is able to lead a project in quite a proper and sufficient manner without any
deficit of knowledge (Rosenau 1984). In the current moment, the definition of project manager
competencies have been broadened to include specific and observable traits and features and
behavior of an individual that makes it possible to realize an excellent performance of particular
tasks. However, not all successful project managers have all required competencies and not all
failed managers lack all the core competencies of management (Muller & Turner 2010).
The General Competencies A Project Manager Should Have In ProjectTeam
The general competencies that a project manager should be in possession of in project
team are derived from the management roles and functions. The most classic definition of a
project as far as the project management competencies are concerned is “a temporary endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product, service or result” (Muller & Turner 2010). The success or
failures of the different classifications of projects are determined by the commitment, motivation
and loyalty of the subordinates towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of the
projects.
One of the key competencies that a project manager must be in possession of is based on
vision. A visionary manager is one who is able to predict the future of the project and the
approaches that can be used to achieve the desirable outcomes in future. The major aim of
visionaries is to realize change and live a landmark in every activity and process that can be used
as a reference. Many management books and articles indicate that a good project manager must be someone who has the ability to “lift us up, gives us a reason for being and gives the vision and
spirit to change” (Crawford 2005, p.9). The managers who are visionary often makes the
workforce feels a sense of belonging and ensuring that their self-esteem and dignity are
preserved.
A good project manager must also be competent enough in communication skills and
oratory power so that the important information can be properly and effectively be
communicated for everyone in the organization to understand (Yassin 2000). The leadership of
project management calls for competency, proficiency, and the ability to pass information about
responsibilities, objectives, performance, expectations and response. The manager must be able
to engage in discussions and effectively negotiate with the stakeholders in times of need to
ensure prosperity of the project as well as the team. The Project Management Institute (PMI)
recommends that managers of different projects should utilize more than one and half to their
time communicating.
Integrity and passion are also important competencies that are required of project
managers to obtain. As far as management is concerned, integrity is synonymous to honesty and
loyalty while passion is synonymous to enthusiasm as in the view of Slevin (1989). The project
manager should always practice required ethical values and moral standards to serve as the best
example to the team members. This is one major way of earning trust from the team members
hence inculcating the value of respect in the organization. The managers must also show a lot of
optimism even in most challenging tasks to encourage the team to perform to their best. A
project manager who lacks integrity and passion lacks definition (Muller & Turner 2010).
Another competency that a project manager should be in possession of is empathy or
compassion but this should not be mistakenly be used as sympathy. Empathy by definition is understanding. A good and understanding project manager must have the knowledge that life
only exists in the organization; life also exists outside the workforce and therefore human beings
should not be used as machines, which have no feelings and emotions. It is therefore clear that
developing such understanding promotes good relationship with the members of the team that
can be used as a major platform in which the objectives can be realized (Crawford 2005).
Composure is one of the competencies that cannot be over-emphasized because of its
ability to accrue good benefits despite of the unfavorable climate and environment (Beavers
1997). It is a fact that there are times when things do not work as expected in the organization
and in such cases, the management of the project should just remain cool and feel composed
despite of the pressure that they might be undergoing. The managers need to be very hard in
extreme cases that cannot be prevented and be optimistic that such situations will be passed with
ease in good time. Stressful events should be an opportunity for good managers and they should
use them to explore and influence the result in a positive manner (Crawford 2000).
The Specific Competencies a Project Manager Should Have In Some Particular Projects
According To the Project Classification
It is important to note that almost all the core competencies that project managers should
have should be applied in both the three classifications of the projects; support, development and
business projects. However, it is important to note that communication competency in the case of
government involvement should be vertical rather than horizontal (Muller & Turner 2010). The
government normally issue orders and implement such orders irrespective of the feelings of the
teams that are deployed on the ground given the fact that the government cannot satisfy all the
needs and expectations of the team members. It is also important to pinpoint that if such a thing
is allowed to happen, then the project might fail because it can take unnecessarily longer or it might not happen at all. Delegation competency should also be applied selectively in different
classifications of the projects because in certain organizations. There are certain skills and
expertise that are scarce and therefore delegation can be unviable in such cases (Muller & Turner
2010).
PART FOUR
Mainly Review One Specific Competency of A Project Manager and Critical Analyze How
It Affects the Project Success and How It Affects the Project Team, Also Connecting With
the Project Classification
Monitoring and evaluation skills and expertise are key competencies that project
managers must have in order for the project to realize its set objectives. The period assessments
of the short-term results of the project make it possible to identify the various challenges and re-
plan in order to counter the effects of such challenges as noted by Baker, Murphy, and Fisher
(1983). Both baseline evaluation, mid-term evaluation and final evaluation provides a
comprehensive analysis of the general activities and processes of the project and gauge the
relevance of the whole project based on valid evidence and proofs (Moder 1988). In so doing, it
can be determined whether the project is moving in the right track. It also identifies the
shortcomings in terms of resources, constraints, and performance and re-organizes appropriately
in order to set the processes straight in striving to achieve the set goals. Monitoring is the
continuous assessment of the performance of project activities during implementation. It is the
systematic and continuous review of progress against planned activities and targets (Barham &
Oates 1991).
Monitoring and evaluation is a core tool that is used by all classifications of the projects
to determine their relevance and whether they are moving towards the set targets (Muller &
Turner 2010). It is based on the findings of an evaluation that all the categories of projects can be
identified as either successful or failed and therefore and put plans in place to initiate same
projects in future or try other classifications of the projects because the previous had proved
unsuccessful.
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