The facilitative project manager

Introduction

Coming from an IT background, I learned that the role of a project manager was to manage both process and content. Project managers defined the project process, made content decisions about scope, budget, and sometimes even about specifications---and therefore, a project manager could not be a facilitator, because the role violated neutrality. But, with the growth of project management, thanks to the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the growth of project management offices (PMOs), I have changed my view.

PMI's handbook for project managers, A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide)---Third edition (PMI, 2004), describes project management independently of what type of project is being managed and independently of what type of business the project is for. In other words, project management is strictly about the management of projects---whether it's for IT, construction, marketing, or any other business.

One company I worked with implemented a PMO in which the project managers managed all types of projects, from IT to construction to facility design. These project managers were trained as Facilitators – they were Facilitative project managers, so, “Why can't a project manager be Facilitative?”

Facilitator Role versus Project Manager Role

Facilitator Role

“A Facilitator is---a content-neutral person who guides the group to consensus using effective processes to enable a group to make effective decisions and accomplish their task while supporting a collaborative and respectful environment that encourages full participation and helps groups overcome barriers to accomplishing their task. The Facilitator is responsible for the Context.” (Rush, 2007, p 1.20)

Looking at the definition, a facilitator defines a process for a group that enables them to accomplish a task, then guides the group through the process to accomplish their task. Effective facilitators are able to guide the group through its stages of development, managing the emotional growth. Facilitators must be content neutral---that is, they must not engage in or bring in information or opinions regarding the subject matter or business being discussed. They do, however, through preparation, provide effective processes for a group to follow. The effective processes brought by the facilitator focus the content knowledge brought by the group, enabling effective decision-making. Facilitators are process experts---experts in the facilitation process.

Project Manager Role

According to the PMBOK^® Guide, “Project management is accomplished through the application and integration of the project management processes of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The project manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the project objectives. Managing a project includes:

• Identifying requirements.
• Establishing clear and achievable objectives.
• Balancing competing demands for quality, scope, time, and cost.
• Adapting the specification, plans, and approaches to the different concerns and expectations of stakeholders.” (PMI, 2004, p. 8)

Looking at the definition from the PMBOK^® Guide, project managers are process experts--- experts in the project management process, making them responsible for the context. It doesn't state that they have to be content experts.

Rethinking the Role – The Facilitative Project Manager

What is required to manage a project, as described, leads me to rethink the roles and believe that a project manager who uses facilitative skills and facilitates a project can focus on the project management process and be more effective as a project manager.

Let's look at the similarities between them:

• Project managers are process experts---experts in the project management process.
• Facilitators are process experts---experts in the facilitation process.
• Both are more knowledgeable about process than about content---they are content neutral.

Project managers lead the project team during a project just as facilitators lead participants during a workshop. If project management is project management regardless of the type of project, why do project managers need to know content? Why can't we redefine the traditional view of the role of the project manager?

To begin, let's start with the Core Competencies of a facilitator (International Association of Facilitators [IAF], 2000):

1. Create collaborative client relationships
2. Plan appropriate group processes
3. Create and sustain a participatory environment
4. Guide group to appropriate and useful outcomes
5. Build and maintain professional knowledge
6. Model positive professional attitude

Given that the two roles are similar, we can apply the same core competencies to a project manager:

1. Create collaborative client relationships

• Plan and schedule
• Scope
• Budget

2. Plan appropriate group/project processes

• Requirements definition
• Execution and delivery
• Logistics

3. Create and sustain a participatory environment

4. Guide group/project to appropriate and useful outcomes

Facilitator: This looks at the facilitator's ability to execute the designed processes.
Project manager: The project manager needs to execute the project processes. These are the skills related to the sensitivity and agility of the project manager with the client, the project team, and the project manager's ability to execute the processes or adjust as needed in support of the client and project team. Effective project managers don't actually do the project work itself (those are micromanagers), they guide others, ensuring that barriers are removed and that the client and project team are able to execute the project.

5. Build and maintain professional knowledge

6. Model positive professional attitude

Facilitator: This looks at the facilitator's ability to remain neutral, act with integrity, and be self-aware.
Project manager: The project manager must act with integrity, manage process, and be self-aware. Project managers set the tone. Project managers model behavior that avoids the dictum “Do as I say, not as I do.” Project managers do as they say.

These six competencies define the “Facilitative Project Manager Core Competencies.”

The Facilitative project manager comes with his or her capabilities, personality, and beliefs (“the self”) to lead the project by listening, believing in the group and process, respecting and honoring the individuals and the wisdom of the team, and applying the competencies to achieve the project vision. Together, this looks like (Exhibit 1, Mandala of the Facilitative Project Manager):

Exhibit 1--Mandala of the Facilitative Project Manager

When project managers practice facilitative project management, they:

• Create a collaborative relationship with their client. They identify the appropriate clients who know the business content, providing effective information and requirements. This keeps the decision-making for scope, budget, and schedule with the client.
• Facilitate the development of the project plan. Their knowledge of project management defines the processes that they follow when they facilitate. Facilitating stakeholders to develop the project plan gains ownership and buy-in. This buy-in makes the objectives achievable and clear because they were developed by and for the stakeholders.
• Keep everyone involved through facilitating rather than directing. This increased involvement develops better ideas from a more involved set of stakeholders and shares responsibility for success.
• Focus on process by guiding the project to useful and high quality outcomes. They don't influence content directions. This enables and pushes the stakeholders to make content decisions (e.g., scope, time, cost, quality, and priorities providing more ownership, higher quality, and more agility in adapting the specifications, plans, and approaches).
• Continue to learn new ways of managing projects, new processes, and new ways to engage stakeholders.
• Make facilitative management contagious because they model what they practice.
• Support their competencies by knowing the terrain, listening to all stakeholders, and enabling them to listen to each other, believing in the wisdom of the stakeholders, and respecting all stakeholders.

A facilitative project manager is more flexible and agile in moving from one project to another because he or she does not need to know the content. The facilitative project manager becomes a facilitative leader who builds a project team with stakeholders who:

• Know the content of the business
• Bring the skills needed for the specific project
• Work as a collaborative team

Making it Work

Creating facilitative project managers requires a change in how organizations view and train project managers. Responsibility for the success of a project rests with all of the stakeholders, not just the project manager. Organizations need to emphasize this for every project.

Creating an environment that enables facilitative project management requires:

• Project managers to be trained in effective project management practices and processes. (The most effective way to do this is through training that enables a project manager to become a project management professional [PMP^®].)
• Project managers to be trained in effective facilitation skills. (The most effective way to do this is through training that enables a facilitator to become an IAF certified^tm professional facilitator [CPF].)
• Redefining the role to facilitative project manager so that responsibility is shared across all stakeholders. Everyone must understand that the facilitative project manager is responsible for the project process. All stakeholders are responsible for project success.
• Involving stakeholders in all aspects of a project so that stakeholders are making content decisions guided by a facilitative project manager.

By redefining the project manager's role as a facilitative project manager, organizations gain:

• Facilitative project managers who learn skills to bring teams and stakeholders together to develop consensus and buy-in. Projects are more likely to be successful as a result.
• Facilitative project managers who focus on the right processes to:
  • Identify requirements of the client
  • Establish clear and achievable objectives for the project
  • Balance competing demands for quality, scope, time, and cost by involving the appropriate parties
  • Inclusively adapt the specification, plans, and approaches to the different concerns and expectations of stakeholders

Conclusion

Facilitative project managers are more successful if they are able to guide their group through a facilitated process to accomplish their task. Facilitative project managers produce better results that have the buy-in of all stakeholders, enabling the greatest chance of success.

A project manager should be a facilitator.