The Project Manager (PM) is the Chief Organizer of the team and often the actual project team leader depending on the organizational structure of the company where the project is taking place.

This is when we get into technicalities such as “matrix mix” and “projectization”. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is.

To keep this short and sweet you can think of the term matrix as an indicator of PM authority and “mix” as how that authority is split between Project Manager and Functional Manager (this is your direct manager).

• In a “projectized” organization, the PM has full authority over resources to ensure the projects get done – and done properly.
• The reverse of this is true of a “functional” organization in which each project team member reports only to his or her functional (direct) manager and the Project Manager has little to no control over realistic resource management

Both of these are extremes and usually not the case in most companies. When a balance is struck between the two we refer to this as a “matrix”. There are three common matrix types in most business organizations; Strong, Balanced, and Weak.

• A “strong matrix” configuration allows the PM to have quite a bit to say in how the project’s resources are utilized. It is as close to projectized as most companies get.
• A “balanced matrix” environment is the most common and indicates that project team members report to both the PM and his or her individual functional manager (FM) equally. In this scenario the PM and FM are 50/50 partners when it comes to resource allocation and related direct project considerations.
• In a “weak matrix” the Project Manager has very little authority over the activities and real schedules of the project team. This is the closest matrix level to outright “functional”.

So where does your company sit in all this?

Project Manager Responsibilities

A Project Manager may have many different skills and a great deal of diverse experience, but the following responsibilities are almost universally assigned to the team’s PM, at a minimum:

1. Understand the exact needs of the project sponsor
   1. Ensure those needs are understood by the project team
2. Make certain every team member knows his or her role in the project
   1. Titles are not enough to provide an understanding of responsibilities
   1. Project team members need actual “duty descriptions” to be expected to be responsible and accountable
3. Create and update the project plan
   1. Can include dozens of diverse documents and is not just the schedule as many people think
4. Develop and maintain the project schedule
   1. Usually with a tool like MS Project
5. Schedule and host project meetings
   1. Create and distribute agendas
   1. Take excellent notes
   1. Craft and distribute meeting minutes
6. Track Progress
   1. Keep the project running smoothly and within the proper timeline
7. Manage Costs
   1. Create and manage project budgets
8. Ensure Proper Quality is Achieved
   1. Make certain the quality being delivered matches that which was agreed upon
9. Chart Performance Value
   1. Diligently track metrics such as earned value to ensure the customer is getting their money’s worth
10. Reporting
    1. Provide timely regular project progress to the project sponsors
    1. Different levels of reporting are typically required by different types of sponsors so this task can be several times the effort one might expect
11. Communication
    1. Not all communication is handled through reporting and getting the right information, to the correct person, at the optimal time is beyond critical
12. Risk Management
    1. Look for, and prepare for, any known or likely project risk, mitigating as needed
13. Issue Management
    1. While a risk is a maybe, an issue is a definite
    1. Issues need to me addressed and resolved in order for projects to succeed
14. Change Management
    1. Handling any and all changes to the project without allowing it to be negatively impacted
    1. This should always be formally noted and tracked in order to be truly effective

The Project Manager is usually appointed to that position because of demonstrated leadership and management skills or specific technical skills that relate to the goal of the project.

In today’s more specialized world, most Project Managers go through special training to gain expertise that prepares him or her to be qualified to handle anything that might put a project at risk. There are even special certifications such as the PMP or CSM to demonstrate earned credibility.

Either way, the PM is in charge of the project and he or she is ultimately responsible and accountable for all deliverables and overall project success.

Project Management Certifications

• PMP stands for Project Management Professional. This is certification offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
• CSM stands for Certified Scrum Master, which is a project leader for a popular project development style.

If you want to earn a highly respected and in-demand project management certification, either the PMP or CSM will do the trick.

Visit the Project Management Institute at PMI.org to learn about other major certifications that can help you be the best PM possible.

Project Management Leadership

The project manager’s ultimate obligation of keeping the project on track and on budget, as well as keeping the team operating efficiently. This requires him or her to make many decisions.

Some of these decisions may not be popular. Some of them might not even be what you consider the right decision. A good PM/Team relationship will allow for discussion of goals, directions and even afford the opportunity for team members to suggest alternatives to a PM’s decision. If your PM makes a decision and you think that a different course would bring better results, make your thoughts known but don’t be offensive or confrontational.

While your internal voice might be screaming “What? That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard in my life!” your mouth should be saying something like “Do you think that we might reach the milestone even faster if we did this instead?” and then present your idea.

This is important so please pay attention… Over the years I have spoken with hundreds of project team members who have given me examples of the “stupidest idea” scenario – from both sides. One thing has become clear. In 7 out of 10 instances, there were extenuating circumstances that drove the seemingly poor decision. In more than one case, such a decision saved the job of the person who thought the idea was “stupid.”

Of course, it’s not likely that you are going to have too many “stupidest idea” conversations in your head when you are working on a team, but it is very possible that you will have some pretty good ideas of your own that the PM didn’t think of.

If your ideas are presented in a clear and logical way, and you don’t come off as trying to make anyone look unintelligent, or look like you are challenging authority, the chances are that you’ll get heard and your idea will get the attention that it deserves.

Just remember that the final decision always rests with the PM. That’s what he or she gets paid for and you can bet he or she is the one who will feel the heat first if the project goes off track.

Leverage the PM’s Knowledge

Oftentimes the PM is an expert in certain skills that the project requires and you are an expert in others. The whole purpose of putting together a project team is to make the best use of every member’s abilities and focus those abilities on solving a common problem.

One of the worst things you can do is decide that the Project Manager less intelligent than you or less qualified to solve a problem just because he or she seems to simply “tell others what to do” in order to resolve an issue.

Understanding how to help a team leverage its collective skills to accomplish something is an art in of itself. It’s also a much needed ability on any project and for any team.

Observe your PM and learn what his or her best skills are. Then, when you are faced with an obstacle that requires those skills, bring the PM into the picture. Not only will he or she appreciate your approach, but you’ll have the added benefit of seeing how an expert in that skill handles that problem. You’ll end up with the problem solved as well as one more piece of knowledge to add to your personal toolbox.