A development and project management consultant also known as project manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives. In some companies, this person might be called a Project Coordinator, or a Team Leader, however, the key aspect is that the person is responsible for ensuring the success of the project. . Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the triple constraint for projects, which are cost, time, and quality. It also includes defining or adopting the specific project management procedures that will be used to manage the project. If the project begins and you find out later that you are not clear on scope, the project manager is the one who is accountable. If your project is executing a poor schedule, the project manager is accountable. This does not mean that the project manager must do all this work themselves. There may be an entire team of people helping to create the Project Charter and schedule. However, if something does not go right, the project manager is accountable.
A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the firm they are representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized.
Process Responsibilities
Once the project initiates, the project manager must successfully manage and control the work, including:
Identifying, tracking managing and resolving project issues
Proactively disseminating project information to all stakeholders
Identifying, managing and mitigating project risk
Ensuring that the solution is of acceptable quality
Proactively managing scope to ensure that only what was agreed to is delivered, unless changes are approved through scope management
Defining and collecting metrics to give a sense for how the project is progressing and whether the deliverables produced are acceptable
Managing the overall schedule to ensure work is assigned and completed on time and within budget
This does not mean that the project manager physically does all of this, but they must make sure it happens. If the project has encountered problems, or scope creep, or faces risks, or is not setting expectations correctly, the project manager is the person who bears the problems.
To manage the project management processes, a person should be well organized, have great follow-up skills, be process oriented, be able to multi-task, have a logical thought process, be able to determine root causes, have good analytical ability, be a good estimator and budget manager, and have good self-discipline.
People Responsibilities
Beside process skills, a project manager must have good people management skills. This includes:
Having the discipline and general management skills to make sure that people follow the standard processes and procedures
Establishing leadership skills to get the team to willingly follow your direction. Leadership is about communicating a vision and getting the team to accept it and strive to get there with you.
Setting reasonable, challenging and clear expectations for people, and holding them accountable for meeting the expectations. This includes providing good performance feedback to team members
Team building skills so that the people work together well, and feel motivated to work hard for the sake of the project and their other team members. The larger your team and the longer the project, the more important it is to have good team-building skills.
Proactive verbal and written communicator skills, including good, active listening skills.
Project leader is responsible for the success of the project. If the team has poor morale and is missing deadlines, project leader has to try to resolve it. If team members don't understand exactly what they need to do and when it is due, then the project leader is responsible.
Other Responsibilities
The project management consultant will also be responsible for applying Company's Methodology for Project Management throughout the project period including:
Business Case/Project Charter preparation and approval
Work Breakdown Structures and Project Plans construction
Monthly status reports
Project milestones monitoring, project priorities reassignment, if necessary, to maintain project schedule
Project meeting minutes, with issue logs and resolution
Risk management assessment and risk strategies
Escalation process
Change Management Process
Vendor Management
Procurement Management
Project Financials and Latest Estimates
Communications Strategy
To ensure that the project is completed successfully on time, within budget and with quality
To maintain, track and update the project plan (in MS Project) and to formally provide regular progress milestones check
To conduct weekly project status meetings with the team, IT Primes & other stake holders, and to document all decisions / outcomes
To meet with the Senior Director weekly to provide project delivery status
To maintain and manage problem / issues log and resolutions
To escalate problems / issues to the Primes, the Senior Director and other appropriate stake holders (when necessary) to mitigate risks and identify impact to project timelines and Company's resources
To manage communication to the project team, project steering committees and Business contacts and other key stake holders
To ensure that appropriate resources are assigned to the project and that they account for their time on the project
To manage resources and provide appropriate direction and feedback as required
To manage the project team including setting performance expectations, measurement and resolving disciplinary problems
Manage multiple external vendors, contractors and business partners
In general, a project manager has responsibilities from the beginning of project initiation, planning, controlling, and executing to both management and to the project team. A project manager must push his project towards the bigger picture and be responsible for the job. A project manager must be experienced, committed, dependable and flexible, as his position remains in the nucleus of the system and success and failure centralizes on the project manager's shoulders.
