Project Manager: Technician or Politician?

Project Management 101. We're all familiar with it in some form or other, whether you've trained to be a project manager or have fallen into it organically throughout the course of your career.

No matter how you enter the field of project management, at some point or other you've encountered and possibly embraced specific methodologies, toolkits, best practices, and processes. We learn techniques for juggling scope, schedule, and budget; become experts in risk and quality management; talk extensively about project charters, PODs, PIDs, and so on.

But is this the essence of what's really required to manage projects? What really needs to happen to successfully cross that finish line? But how much does the real heart and soul of effective project management have to do with toolkits and templates? The answer likely depends on how you view a project and what it means to you. Some view projects as a collection of tasks - to do items that are listed, assigned, and finally ticked off when they're finished. In this space, procedures and processes play a paramount role in guiding the workflow and shepherding each task to completion.

I lean heavily towards the idea that projects are temporary communities, a group of people wearing different hats and fulfilling respective roles that exist for the purpose of reaching a common goal. In this space, the project manager is the community leader. What makes an effective community leader? Understanding what your community members need and what they want; building and maintaining the trust of your community; coordinating community members that depend on each other to achieve their goals; communicating with all of the community leadership, and also with the grass roots; empowering your community participants and removing obstacles from their paths.

In a nutshell...project management is equal parts art and science. More politician than technician. This doesn't mean that there isn't significant value in applying tried and true processes and practices. But there is also an important consideration for project owners everywhere who are attempting to hire or grow skilled project managers. Whereas the first set of skills - the technical or applied science if you will - can be taught, I would argue that the second set of skills - the political or intuitive - must already exist within the individual. The "best" project managers are masters of both. But in reality it is often too much to expect to find this perfect balance within one individual. In assessing a project manager, the full context must be taken into consideration. Does the project require more emphasis on the one side than the other? Does the project team already have technicians who can augment that role for a project manager who excels as a community leader?

Before diving into the next project, consider what kind of leadership it needs most. And conduct a frank assessment of your skills and where you excel. What kind of project manager are you? Technician or politician? Set yourself up for success by connecting with the right initiatives. If the projects choose you rather than the other way around, have the self-awareness to recognize where you may need to augment. Draw from your team, and ensure that the skills exist within your project community as a whole to successfully get across that finish line.

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