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The PM’s Core Responsibilities

Project managers in the A/E design business have an extremely complex assignment. Consequently, there are few who master, or even grasp, all the responsibilities involved. Attempts to document their various job functions often result in a very long list—too long, in my mind, to be of much practical use. A better approach to defining the PM role and evaluating performance is to reduce the list of functions to the few core responsibilities for which the PM’s contribution is most crucial to project success. Let me suggest the following:

u Maintain focus on the client. The client is the ultimate judge of our performance and the key to our success. The project is not successful, no matter how technically proficient, unless the client is satisfied. The PM has primary responsibility for understanding and meeting the client’s needs and expectations.

u Define and enable project goals. Project goals define what the project will achieve in meeting the client’s needs. They constitute the end result, not the scope of work. Having project goals is crucial to guiding the management and execution of the project. Moreover, the PM must enable these goals—that is, effectively communicate them to and gain endorsement by the client and project team to ensure a successful project.

u Build and lead the project team. With rare exceptions, our projects involve teams to perform the scope of work. The PM is ultimately responsible for assembling the team, keeping it together, providing direction, fostering collaboration, motivating performance, and monitoring the work. Consequently, the PM’s performance must be evaluated in light of the overall team performance.

u Plan the project. Planning involves defining explicitly what needs to be done, how it will be done, how much it will cost, and how long it will take. Failure to adequately plan is at the root of a large proportion of project problems. The PM is responsible for guiding the planning process, gaining endorsement for the project plan, and then ensuring the plan is followed.

u Manage project resources. The most critical resources are people, time, and money. The PM is responsible for making sure that the project is adequately staffed, kept on schedule, and kept within budget. This means that the use of those resources must be carefully managed and tracked during the project, and that corrective actions are promptly taken when resource-related problems arise.

u Ensure service and quality. Executing the technical scope of work is only part of the value delivered to the client (surveys suggest roughly half). Service and quality more typically determine whether or not the client is happy with our work than the technical aspects of the project. The PM is the primary liaison with the client and thus the focal point for all service-related issues. He or she is also ultimately responsible for the quality of our work products.

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