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Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision from POME by Gautam Koppala

Selecting the Project Manager: an executive decision

Probably the most difficult decision facing upper-level management is the selection of project managers. Some managers work best on long-duration projects where decision making can be slow; others may thrive on short-duration projects that can result in a constant-pressure environment. A director was asked whom he would choose for a key project manager position—an individual who had been a project manager on previous programs in which there were severe problems and cost overruns, or a new aggressive individual who might have the capability to be a good project manager but had never had the opportunity. The director responded that he would go with the seasoned veteran assuming that the previous mistakes would not be made again. The argument here is that the project manager must learn from his own mistakes so they will not be made again. The new individual is apt to make the same mistakes the veteran made. However, this may limit career path opportunities for younger personnel. George Gautam has commented on the importance of experience:

Though the project manager’s previous experience is apt to have been confined to a single functional area of business, he must be able to function on the project as a kind of general manager in miniature. He must not only keep track of what is happening but also play the crucial role of advocate for the project. Even for a seasoned manager, this task is not likely to be easy. Hence, it is important to assign an individual whose administrative abilities and skills in personal relations have been convincingly demonstrated under fire.

The selection process for project managers is not easy. Five basic questions must be considered:

What are the internal and external sources?
How do we select?
How do we provide career development in project management?
How can we develop project management skills?
How do we evaluate project management performance?

Project management cannot succeed unless a good project manager is at the controls. It is far more likely that project managers will succeed if it is obvious to the subordinates that the general manager has appointed them. Usually, a brief memo to the line managers will suffice. The major responsibilities of the project manager include:

To produce the end-item with the available resources and within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To meet contractual profit objectives
To make all required decisions whether they be for alternatives or termination
To act as the customer (external) and upper-level and functional management (internal) communications focal point
To “negotiate” with all functional disciplines for accomplishment of the necessary work packages within the constraints of time, cost, and performance/technology
To resolve all conflicts

So far we have discussed the personal characteristics of the project manager. There are also job-related questions to consider, such as:

Are feasibility and economic analyses necessary?
Is complex technical expertise required? If so, is it within the individual’s capabilities?
If the individual is lacking expertise, will there be sufficient backup strength in the line organizations?
Is this the company’s or the individual’s first exposure to this type of project and/or client? If so, what are the risks to be considered?
What is the priority for this project, and what are the risks?
With whom must the project manager interface, both inside and outside the organization?

Most good project managers know how to perform feasibility studies and cost-benefit analyses. Sometimes these studies create organizational conflict. A major utility company begins each computer project with a feasibility study in which a cost-benefit analysis is performed. The project managers, all of whom report to a project management division, perform the study themselves without any direct functional support. The functional managers argue that the results are grossly inaccurate because the functional experts are not involved. The project managers, on the other hand, argue that they never have sufficient time or money to perform a complete analysis. Some companies resolve this by having a special group perform these studies.

If these responsibilities were applied to the total organization, they might reflect the job description of the general manager. This analogy between project and general managers is one of the reasons why future general managers are asked to perform functions that are implied, rather than spelled out, in the job description. As an example, you are the project manager on a high-technology project. As the project winds down, an executive asks you to write a paper so that he can present it at a technical meeting in Tokyo. His name will appear first on the paper. Should this be a part of your job? As this author sees it, you really don’t have much of a choice.

In order for project managers to fulfill their responsibilities successfully, they are constantly required to demonstrate their skills in interface, resource, and planning and control management. These implicit responsibilities are shown below:

Interface Management Product interfaces Performance of parts or subsections
Physical connection of parts or subsections
Project interfaces
Customer
Management (functional and upper-level)
Change of responsibilities
Information flow
Material interfaces (inventory control)

Resource Management Time (schedule)
Manpower
Money
Facilities
Equipment
Material
Information/technology

Planning and Control Management Increased equipment utilization
Increased performance efficiency
Reduced risks
Identification of alternatives to problems
Identification of alternative resolutions to conflicts

Most companies would prefer to find project managers from within. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The following remarks by Robert Fluor illustrate this point:

On-the-job training is probably the most important aspect in the development of a project manager. This includes assignments to progressively more responsible positions in engineering and construction management and project management. It also includes rotational assignments in several engineering department disciplines, in technical, procurement, cost and scheduling, contract administration, and others… . We find there are great advantages to developing our project managers from within the company. There are good reasons for this:

They know the corporate organization, policies, procedures, and the key people. This allows them to give us quality performance quicker.
They have an established performance record which allows us to place them at the maximum level of responsibility and authority.
Clients prefer a proven track record within the project manager’s present organization.

There are also good reasons for recruiting from outside the company. A new project manager hired from the outside would be less likely to have strong informal ties to any one line organization and thus could be impartial. Some companies further require that the individual spend an apprenticeship period of twelve to eighteen months in a line organization to find out how the company functions, to become acquainted with the people, and to understand the company’s policies and procedures.

One of the most important but often least understood characteristics of good project managers is the ability to know their own strengths and weaknesses and those of their employees. Managers must understand that in order for employees to perform efficiently:

They must know what they are supposed to do.
They must have a clear understanding of authority and its limits.
They must know what their relationship with other people is.
They should know what constitutes a job well done in terms of specific results.
They should know where and when they are falling short.
They must be made aware of what can and should be done to correct unsatisfactory results.
They must feel that their superior has an interest in them as individuals.
They must feel that their superior believes in them and wants them to succeed.

POME Case Study:

Handling the Selection Interview — Case Problem: ‘‘Apply Here if You Dare”

Overview

After ten years as a field sales rep selling magazine advertising space for a mid-size publishing company, Larry Williams has been promoted to regional sales manager. One of his first responsibilities is to hire six sales reps to develop important new territories for the company.

This morning, Larry has his first job interview. The receptionist sends the candidate over to Larry’s office at the appointed time. As the candidate enters Larry’s office, Larry is on the phone and signals the man to come in and take a seat. With the candidate sitting in his office, Larry swings his chair away, facing the window. For fifteen minutes, he caustically reprimands a sales rep over the phone for not yet closing a new account, threatening the employee with a transfer to a smaller territory.

Hanging up the phone, Larry turns back to the man in his office, putting his feet up on his desk and his hands behind his head. He curtly introduces himself. ‘‘I’m Larry Williams, the regional sales manager, and you’re Howard Corva. Is that right?”

The candidate nervously agrees.

‘‘So, Mr. Corva,” Larry continues, ‘‘what makes you so qualified to believe that you can handle a selling job with this company?”

‘‘As you can see from my resume . . . ,” the candidate responds. But Larry cuts him off gruffly.

‘‘Mr. Corva, I don’t have the time to study your resume and am asking you a direct question. Don’t you know the answer without having to refer to your resume?”

The candidate is becoming very nervous and upset as Larry proceeds.

‘‘Well, sir, let me ask you an easier question,” says Larry. ‘‘You can travel, can’t you?”

The candidate claims he can.

‘‘Are you computer literate?” Larry asks. Howard Corva tries to answer by describing his computer knowledge and systems experience, but Larry cuts him off.

‘‘Sir, understand something: I don’t like talkative people,” Larry says. ‘‘Just answer my question with a yes or no!”

‘‘Yes!” responds the candidate, who is becoming increasingly irritated.

‘‘I do remember seeing something on your application about your being involved in various community and professional associations,” Larry reflects aloud, ‘‘Is that right?” The candidate nods affirmatively.

‘‘Well, Mr. Corva, our sales people don’t have time for such wasteful activities. Since you seem to have such outside interests, I just don’t see how you’ll have any time to do your work. Do you?”

Feeling highly defensive at this point, Howard Corva tries to answer the question. But at that moment, Larry’s phone starts ringing. As Larry picks up the phone, he turns to the candidate and tells him he will have to go back to the reception area while he takes this call.

In response to Larry’s direction, Howard Corva stands up to leave the office.

‘‘Mr. Williams,” Howard says, ‘‘I won’t be waiting around any longer. You can take your bad attitude and give this lousy job to some loser who’s willing to put up with your antics.”

As the candidate leaves his office, Larry picks up the phone, realizing his national sales manager is on the other end.

‘‘Hey, Larry, I forgot to mention something,” says the sales manager. ‘‘You’ll be interviewing a Howard Corva for a rep’s position. I met him recently at a professional meeting. This guy’s a real talent and can bring a lot of business to our company. I hope he joins us.”

Case Analysis

In this case, a highly stressful job interview is conducted by a new manager who antagonizes and humiliates a talented candidate. As a result of Larry’s sarcastic words, condescending attitude and rude behavior, Howard Corva becomes very upset and decides to cut his interview short.

Right from the beginning, everything seems to go wrong, convincing Howard that Larry is clearly the wrong manager to have and the company the wrong place to work. From Larry’s fifteen-minute tirade to his superioristic body language to his harsh criticism and personal attack of Howard, we observe a job interview quickly disintegrating.

Solution:

The selection interview is a critical opportunity for identifying qualified job candidates as well as a unique public relations opportunity for projecting an attractive picture of the job and company to prospective employees. To conduct an effective selection interview, consider the following action tools:

Plan the selection interview by identifying key aspects or achievements of applicants about which you would like additional information and insights. Then, in the interviews, encourage applicants to discuss and develop these areas of interest. This can be done by using the following two-step approach:
Begin with a general open-ended question, such as, ‘‘Tell me about your last job” or ‘‘Please discuss your experience in developing that new process.”
Then, follow up with a series of probing questions to elicit greater elaboration by the applicant. Such questions begin with words, such as what, where, when, why, who, and how.
From the start, create a comfortable and cordial atmosphere that seeks to reduce anxiety and defensiveness rather than build unnecessary stress.
Avoid directing or influencing an applicant’s responses by asking ‘‘leading” questions that suggest the desired answers. Instead, keep questions objective. Allow the applicant to respond freely without feeling obligated to follow any suggested lead. For example, don’t ask, ‘‘You do like XYZ computers, don’t you?” Instead, ask, ‘‘What brand of computer do you like?”
Avoid squelching an applicant’s free expression of thoughts by making him or her feel defensive, guilty, or angry because of critical or judgmental statements, such as, ‘‘You are absolutely wrong and should be embarrassed to say such a thing,” or ‘‘I can’t imagine where you got such ridiculous ideas,” or ‘‘You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Ask ‘‘open-ended” questions that require detailed responses. Avoid ‘‘close-ended” questions that result in yes/no answers and thereby discourage further responses.
Encourage job applicants to do most of the talking during job interviews. Remember, the main objective of the interview is to gather sufficient knowledge of job candidates to allow you to make intelligent hiring decisions.
Always act with courtesy and respect. The selection interview should send a clear message to all candidates that your company is a positive, friendly, and professional place to work.

Gautam Koppala,

POME Author

Related project management video:

A full product overview of Axosoft’s OnTime Project Management system. Covers bug tracking, feature management, product backlogs, scrum, XP, adhoc and how software development teams use OnTime to do project management and ship their software on-time.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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