These Project Magicians study the constraints that impact their project environment and come up with clever solutions, making the team look like a group of geniuses. Their Customers remark: “How did they do that?”
If you’ve participated in one of our Velociteach courses on PM Fundamentals, you’ve probably heard us discuss the notion that “Constraints Foster Creativity”. Some of the strongest examples that impacted me came from Scott Berkun and his days with Microsoft.
Today, I came across quotes from Gretchen and Ethan that bolster my notion. PM=Project Magician. Consider the following:
The number one driver of successful projects is a great manager. This doesn’t just mean someone needs to be good at conducting the trains; the person you pick should be an ‘entrepreneur’ — someone able to manage stakeholders and risk, and be comfortable adapting and changing course if necessary. “Nothing stays constant,” says McWha. “You have to find and develop project managers who can exercise judgment instead of slavishly following the process.”
– Gretchen Gavett (full post: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/the-hidden-indicators-of-a-failing-project/ )
Why do project managers have such a large impact? The answer has to do with the difficult, but often critically important, situation they find themselves in. Higher-ups don’t give them the resources they want, and subordinates are annoyed by the directives the project managers are mandated to promulgate. Squeezed from above and below, they have to make do. Some people are very bad at this and destroy value. But some are really good at it. The best have a knack for turning restrictions on resources into creative solutions. It’s almost magical.
– Ethan Mollick (full post: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/research-middle-managers-innovation/ )
The best PMs are truly Project Magicians. You know who you are. Get out there and practice your craft. Dazzle us!