The working day of project managers has changed. Today's working environments place higher demands on project managers. More is expected in less time, with fewer people and to higher quality standards. Project Managers need to push their teams and themselves harder to achieve the expected results. They need to adopt new or improved working with people competences and associated behaviours to be successful in their endeavours.
I will discuss what project managers typically do, what they need to do in future and how they can achieve the desired results.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Working Day of the Project Manager
2.1 The Past
2.2 The Present
2.3 The Future
3 The Need to Push Harder
4 New/Improved People Competences and Associated Behaviours for Project Managers
5 Conclusions
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines the fundamental shifts in the daily working life of project managers, focusing on the transition from traditional task-oriented management to a people-focused approach necessary for modern, complex environments. The core objective is to analyze how project managers can adapt their competences to regain control over their time and improve their effectiveness.
- Evolution of the project manager's role from 9-to-5 to 24/7 global operations.
- The necessity of balancing technical process management with human-centric leadership.
- Identifying specific behavioral competences to enhance team performance and project success.
- Analyzing the pressure to "push harder" and the limits of team motivation.
- The impact of stakeholder engagement and effective communication on professional productivity.
Excerpt from the Book
2 The Working Day of the Project Manager
Prior to the 1990s, project management was perhaps not given the importance it deserved. It appears that this was due to the prevailing working practices and environments at that time such as hierarchical ways of working rather than matrix working (Turner,1993; Gareis,1990). It appears that this affected what project managers did during their normal working day and how they managed their projects. It is probably true to say that project managers in those days worked standard working hours such as 9 to 5, depending on which country they worked in. They concentrated more on the tasks than the people they worked with. Much of their time was spent on planning the activities of their projects, setting up project plans and putting together project schedules. The primary focus was on tools and techniques such as CPA and PERT. Project managers directed their people more rather than engage them more in the project through consultation. Management by fear was quite common at that time.
Project managers spent much of their time to interpret the requirements of key stakeholders. This was due to the fact that they were often given insufficient details of what they were expected to deliver, often lacking clarity on whether time, cost or quality was more important. So it was up to the project manager to develop what he thought was expected and then deliver the project accordingly. They probably spent a lot of their time dealing with and managing change requests. These were frequent due to the nature of the working practices such as hierarchical management structures where project managers were simply told ' to get on with it'. The changes in working environments and practices that started during the early 1990s had a major impact on the working day of project managers. I will discuss this in the next Section.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the historical significance of project management and highlights the shift in demands, noting that project managers are now expected to deliver more value in less time.
2 The Working Day of the Project Manager: This section contrasts historical task-based management with the contemporary global, high-pressure environment and explores the evolution of the project manager's daily responsibilities.
3 The Need to Push Harder: This chapter analyzes the pressures faced by modern project managers and discusses the strategic use of motivation and team management versus the risks of pushing teams too far.
4 New/Improved People Competences and Associated Behaviours for Project Managers: This section details specific social and leadership competencies, such as cultural awareness and conflict management, essential for modern project leadership.
5 Conclusions: This chapter summarizes the necessity for project managers to transition toward people-centric leadership to regain control and achieve superior project outcomes.
Keywords
Project Management, Working Day, People Competences, Leadership, Stakeholder Management, Global Projects, Behavioral Characteristics, Conflict Management, Cultural Awareness, Team Building, Project Success, Professional Effectiveness, Change Management, Communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores how the typical working day of project managers has transformed due to changes in business environments and why a shift toward improved people-management competences is essential for success.
Which thematic fields are central to the study?
The study centers on professional project management, the evolution of workplace practices, the behavioral science behind leadership, and the strategies for managing teams in global, fast-paced environments.
What is the primary objective of the work?
The primary goal is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the modern project manager's role and to suggest a new competence model that allows managers to improve their effectiveness by prioritizing human-centric behaviors.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author utilizes a phenomenological research paradigm, specifically adopting a constructivist interpretivist approach to gain deeper insights into the lived experiences and behaviors of project managers.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers the transition from historical "9-to-5" task management to the modern "24/7" reality, the nuances of pushing teams to deliver under pressure, and six specific competence areas for project leaders.
How would you characterize this work using keywords?
The work is characterized by terms such as Project Management, People Competences, Leadership, Behavioral Characteristics, Stakeholder Management, and Professional Effectiveness.
How does the author define the "past" versus the "present" of project management?
The past is described as a hierarchical, task-focused environment emphasizing tools like CPA/PERT and "management by fear," whereas the present is characterized by global, temporary organizations that demand flexibility, stakeholder engagement, and empowerment of team members.
What constitutes "Authentizotic Behaviour" in the context of this paper?
Authentizotic behavior refers to a leadership style that shows genuine concern for others, empowers team members by delegating responsibility, and helps individuals recognize their strengths and weaknesses while feeling valued within the project environment.
Why is stakeholder analysis highlighted as a critical daily task?
Stakeholder analysis is identified as essential for securing ongoing project support, including financial backing and formal sign-offs, by maintaining regular, effective communication throughout the project lifecycle.
What is the author's final conclusion regarding the "driving seat" of project management?
The author concludes that by adopting new people-oriented competences, project managers can move away from being overwhelmed by tasks and regain control, ultimately becoming more effective leaders who can drive their projects and teams toward superior results.
- Quote paper
- Dr Eddie Fisher (Author), 2007, What do project managers really do? Do they push their projects and lead their people?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/112185
