Role of a Project Manager

THE ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGER:

The Project Manager is responsible for delivering the project, with authority and responsibility from the Project Board to run the project on a day-to-day basis.

ROLE OF THE PROJECT MANAGER & PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM:

Project managers and project management team both play an important role in the success of the project. If we look at the project management life-cycle, there are many people and groups involved in designing, developing and delivering a flawless project to the client.

Listed below are some of the important duties (role) and responsibilities of a project manager:

Planning

Planning is a key responsibility of a project manager. In this phase, the project manager defines the project scope and accordingly develops a project plan and schedule. They have to develop efficient procedures and policies so that the project is delivered to the customer within specified time and within a given budget. If required the project managers have to change the plans or design a new backup plan if the situation demands.

Organizing

Organizing is the next phase where project managers focus. In this phase, the project managers concentrate on organizing project team structure. While organizing, the project managers also have to take care about the existing structure in the organization. After this, they have to identify the roles and positions that have to be assigned to the team members.

Leading

One of the most demanding roles of being a project manager is to lead the project team in an efficient manner. The project manager has to take the lead right from the word go. The project manager must coordinate with different levels of the organization in order to ensure that the project goes smoothly. They have to always motivate team members and keep a regular check on the developments and ensure that the project team members are meeting all the specified deadlines and following the guidelines mentioned in the project plan.

Control

Project managers have to ensure that the project is heading in the right track and will be completed by the team members within the time-frame. Project managers use a three-step controlling process and they are:  

·      Measure: Keep a strict vigil on the progress of the project

·      Evaluate: They have to determine the root causes of deviations

·      Correcting: Make appropriate corrections to address the issue of deviation

Communication

One of the important responsibility of the project manager is to communicate with the senior management and other top tier officials. They have the responsibility to provide status reports, risk management issues, issues relating to the budget, and also get approvals of deliverables from the project sponsors and stakeholders.

The role of the project manager encompasses many activities including:  

Planning and Defining Scope

v  Activity Planning and Sequencing

v  Resource Planning

v  Developing Schedules

v  Time Estimating

v  Cost Estimating

v  Developing a Budget

v  Documentation

v  Creating Charts and Schedules

v  Risk Analysis

v  Managing Risks and Issues

v  Monitoring and Reporting Progress

v Team Leadership

v  Strategic Influencing

v  Business Partnering

v  Working with Vendors

v  Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analysis

v Controlling Quality

v  Benefits Realisation

Finally, senior management must give a project manager support and authority if he or she is going to be successful.