Two Scales of Success
“A project manager's success level can be examined in two parts: success on a particular project and the number of successfully completed projects.
To measure success on a certain project, hard metrics include meeting milestone dates, cost targets, project quality requirements and risk, safety, health, environmental and security requirements. But it's also important to measure the project manager's performance as a team leader by collecting feedback from all individuals who worked with him or her.
Ask questions like: Was the project manager able to motivate the team during tough times? How did the project manager ensure the team accomplished the ultimate project objectives? How well did the project manager communicate with all stakeholders of the project? Was he or she able to earn the respect of the team and stakeholders?
Then, after working on a number of projects, the project manager's accumulated performance in all previous projects also can be measured and analyzed on a grander scale using the aforementioned metrics.”
—Muhammad Usman Habib, PMP, lead project engineer, SABIC, Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Define Success From the Start
“The definition of success should be stated up front in the project's scope. Then, if a project manager meets those criteria, he or she is successful. Determining what success looks like from the early stages in the project ensures that the project manager will be measured against objective metrics, instead of subjective ones.
In my company, our concern is always: time, cost and scope, plus quality of work. Our client's concern is meeting their commitments with external parties and customers. The difference between our priorities and client priorities was not always clear to both parties, which sometimes led to conflict.
My company introduced the term ‘success criteria’ in October 2010, and made it a part of our scope of work and project agreement. This way, it's clear to us and our clients how failure and success will be measured. And project managers can focus on delivering what the client wanted in the first place.”
—Mohammed Khedir Sultan, PMP, senior projects planner, DAL Engineering Co., Khartoum, Sudan
Trickle-Down Reinforcement
“Successful project managers have a positive, can-do attitude to set up their teams to continually improve project outcomes.
Once, my project team and I were directed to severely compress the schedule of a roadway construction project on a major highway. Despite fear that it could not be done, I realized that with the right team and the right attitude, we could have quality work even with a compressed schedule. Every day, I made sure to give a compliment to a team member, even during this time of stress—and we made it. That positivity was the driving force behind that project's success.
Successful project managers are committed to being the best communicator and influencing the team in a positive way to drive project results. And they hold themselves accountable while navigating through any challenges.”
—Robyn Levitt, senior project manager and designer, Texas Department of Transportation, Dallas, Texas, USA
Turn Crises Into Opportunities
“A good measure of the success of a project manager is their ability to carefully manage crises. The best can often turn a crisis into an opportunity, while the weaker stumble and hide behind others until the tricky times are over.
Every good project manager should have a few project crises under his or her belt.”
—Chris Law, project manager, AECOM, Hampshire, England
Gauge Customers’ Satisfaction
“At the end of a project, we send a questionnaire to all the stakeholders (customers, final users, the full project team, subcontractors, etc.) to evaluate their satisfaction levels. Although we primarily get information geared toward improving project execution, that feedback reflects the project manager's strengths—and weaknesses.”
—Guillermo M. Viale, CEO, Corporación GMVS CA, Caracas, Venezuela
Tenet of Success
For organizations, high project performance equals success. And high project performance requires talented project managers.
According to PMI's 2015 Pulse of the Profession® report, organizations complete more projects when they invest in talent management, training and knowledge transfer.
COMPONENTS OF SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
Source: Pulse of the Profession: Capturing the Value of Project Management
In-depth Assessments
Once you've determined what success looks like in your project team or organization, it's time to manage it. Dive deeper into the value of performance management in PM Network's feature “Upon Further Review” on page 56.
High Performers
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