Class 6: Project Manager, Teams, Project Organizations, and HR Management

The Project Manager's Role

  • Facilitator vs. Supervisor:
    • A project manager should act as a facilitator rather than a supervisor.
    • They should adopt a systems approach.
    • Avoid micromanagement.
  • Communicator:
    • Identify and analyze stakeholders.
  • Virtual Project Manager:
    • Manage teams that are geographically dispersed, communicating via email, websites, telephone, or video conferencing.
    • Communication must be frequent, open, and two-way.
  • Meetings:
    • Convene and chair effective meetings.
  • Key Responsibilities:
    • Lead, coach, inspire, motivate, listen, and learn.

Communicator – Communication Paths

  • The project manager is the central point of communication between the project team, client, senior management, and outside interested parties.

Project Leaders and People Systems

  • Support Complex People Systems:
    • Project leaders must be excellent at sensing and communicating.
    • They should be able to identify and meet needs and listen and act with little bias.
  • People Systems Engineering Drives Performance:
    • People systems are complex and overlapping.
    • Project managers must sense and align individuals, teams, and stakeholders.
    • Key elements include team dynamics (loyalty & engagement), external environment factors (trends, changes, politics), internal team factors (motivation, stress, happiness, culture, creativity, process), stakeholder management (trust & excitement), and individual professional development (growth & opportunities).

Learning to Lead by Listening with Control

  • Deputy JM of MARFORRES Strategic Planning Example:
    • Managed 20+ consultants across 5 execution areas.
    • Developed a siting and investment support system.
    • Gained experience and a reputation for delivery.
    • Developed a new GIS-Based Planning System.
    • Experienced stress and conflicts with the boss.
    • Learned ESI (Emotional and Social Intelligence) and got promoted.
    • Realigned the team to reduce conflicts.
    • Learned to control responses and listen to solve problems with less ego.

The Perfect Person for Automating

  • Senior Project PM of National Archives ERA 2.0 Example:
    • Managed 50+ people across 4 teams.
    • Developed a system to store federal electronic records (>100 PB) on AWS.
    • Aligned a team member (