The Role of a Project Manager: Project Management Responsibilities

Summary

This video script outlines the multifaceted role of a project manager through an 8-step project process. It emphasizes defining project goals, evaluating business cases, engaging stakeholders, planning, managing risks, leading teams, monitoring progress, and closing projects effectively. The script also highlights the importance of strategic alignment, operational liaison, and people management, including team development and motivation.

Takeaways

• 📝 The first role of a project manager is to define the project's goal, objectives, and scope by collaborating with stakeholders.
• 💼 The project manager must critically assess the project's benefits and costs, creating a business case that aligns with organizational standards.
• 🤝 Stakeholder engagement is crucial, and the project manager should establish a management process and plan to maintain respectful interactions.
• 🗓️ Project planning involves creating a comprehensive plan that includes timescales, resources, and tasks, along with contingency planning.
• 🛠️ The project manager is responsible for selecting and implementing tools to support planning, monitoring, and reporting.
• 👥 Identifying and managing the project team involves allocating roles, providing guidance, and fostering a cohesive team environment.
• 🚧 Risk management is a key responsibility, requiring the identification, quantification, and mitigation of project risks.
• 🔍 Monitoring and controlling the project involves overseeing daily operations, ensuring quality, and adhering to timelines and budgets.
• 📊 Regular reporting is essential for communication, accountability, transparency, and governance within the project.
• 🏁 Project closure requires a structured approach, including following a closure checklist and conducting lessons learned reviews.
• 🌟 The project manager also has strategic responsibilities, liaising with other managers to ensure project interactions and resource allocation are effective.
• 🧩 As a people manager, the project manager must facilitate good practices, team communication, motivation, and professional development for team members.

Q & A

What is the first step in the 8-step project process mentioned in the video?

The first step is to answer the question 'What do you want?' which involves creating a project definition by working with stakeholders to define the project's goals, objectives, and scope.

What is the role of a project manager in creating a business case?

The project manager's role is to critically evaluate the benefits and costs of the project, document this in a business case or project proposal, and ensure it aligns with the organization's procedures, processes, and standards.

Why is stakeholder engagement important in the project management process?

Stakeholder engagement is crucial for creating a management process and plan that ensures the project team interacts with stakeholders in an appropriate and respectful manner, which includes developing and following communication plans.

What does the project manager need to consider when planning the project?

The project manager needs to consider timescales, resources, tasks, and creating a robust and comprehensive project plan. They also need to think about contingency plans and select the right tools to support planning, monitoring, and reporting.

How does the project manager ensure the project adheres to quality standards?

The project manager ensures adherence to quality standards by identifying the right quality standards, planning for them, and reporting on compliance through the project's governance procedures.

What are the responsibilities of a project manager when it comes to team management?

The project manager is responsible for identifying team members, allocating responsibilities, providing guidance and support, coaching team members to thrive, and facilitating team meetings to maintain morale and effective communication.

What is the purpose of risk management in the project management process?

Risk management aims to identify potential risks, understand their implications, and put in place strategies and plans to manage those risks, including contingency planning, risk reduction, and risk transfer.

How does the project manager monitor and control the project's progress?

The project manager monitors and controls the project by managing the day-to-day running, overseeing work quality and effectiveness, ensuring deliverables meet standards, and complying with timelines and budget constraints.

What is the importance of regular reporting in project management?

Regular reporting is important for communication, accountability, transparency, and governance. It helps keep stakeholders informed and ensures the project aligns with organizational goals and standards.

What are the key responsibilities of a project manager during project closure?

During project closure, the project manager is responsible for following a project closure checklist to ensure proper closure and conducting lessons learned reviews to enhance team members' professional development.

How should a project manager liaise with other managers within the organization?

A project manager should liaise with other managers to ensure project interactions are effective, avoid overlaps or gaps, manage resource compatibility, and coordinate with operational managers to avoid adverse effects on critical operations.

What are the people management responsibilities of a project manager?

The project manager's people management responsibilities include identifying and disseminating good practices, facilitating team communication, developing the team as a cohesive unit, motivating individuals, maintaining team morale, and supporting team members' professional development.

Outlines

00:00

📋 Project Manager's Role in Project Lifecycle

The speaker outlines the role of a project manager through the lens of the project lifecycle and an 8-step project process. The first step involves creating a project definition by working with stakeholders to define the project's goals, objectives, and scope. The second step is to create a business case, evaluating the project's benefits and costs. The third step focuses on stakeholder engagement, ensuring respectful and appropriate interaction with all parties involved. The fourth step is about project planning, including timescales, resources, and tasks, as well as considering quality standards and contingency plans.

05:01

🤝 Leadership and Team Management

This paragraph delves into the project manager's responsibilities in managing and leading the team. It starts with identifying team members and their roles, followed by allocating responsibilities and providing guidance and support. The speaker emphasizes the importance of project leadership, including coordinating team meetings, maintaining team morale, and ensuring effective communication among team members. Additionally, the project manager must manage risks, monitor project progress, control quality, and adhere to timelines and budgets. Regular reporting and attending project board meetings are also part of the role.

10:01

🔍 Risk Management and Project Closure

The speaker discusses risk management as a critical aspect of a project manager's role, which includes identifying, quantifying, and strategizing to mitigate risks. The seventh step in the project process is about monitoring and controlling the project's progress, ensuring deliverables meet quality standards and comply with timelines and budget constraints. The final step is about closing the project in an orderly manner, following a project closure checklist and conducting lessons learned reviews to enhance team members' professional development.

🌟 Strategic Integration and People Management

The last paragraph highlights the project manager's strategic responsibilities, which involve liaising with other managers and project managers to ensure project interactions are effective and resource allocation is compatible. The project manager must also liaise with operational managers to avoid adverse effects on critical operations. Additionally, the paragraph emphasizes people management responsibilities, such as identifying and disseminating good practices, facilitating team communication, developing the team as a cohesive unit, and motivating individuals to maintain high morale. The project manager is also responsible for the professional development of team members through training, coaching, and mentoring.

Keywords

💡Project Manager

A project manager is an individual responsible for overseeing a project from its initiation to completion. In the video, the role of a project manager is explored through various stages of the project lifecycle, emphasizing their importance in coordinating stakeholders, planning, and executing project tasks. The script mentions that the project manager works with sponsors, suppliers, and users to define project goals and scope.

💡Project Lifecycle

The project lifecycle refers to the series of phases that a project goes through from its start to its conclusion. The video script outlines the project manager's role within this lifecycle, including defining the project, creating a business case, engaging stakeholders, planning, managing risks, and closing the project. It is the framework through which the project manager's responsibilities are understood.

💡Project Definition

Project definition is the initial step where the project manager works with stakeholders to determine the project's objectives, goals, and scope. The script highlights this as the first step in the project manager's 8-step project process, emphasizing the importance of clear definition to set the stage for the project's success.

💡Business Case

A business case is a document that outlines the rationale for a project, including its benefits and costs. In the script, the project manager's role involves creating or evaluating a business case to ensure the project's viability and to facilitate decision-making by presenting a compelling argument for the project's investment.

💡Stakeholder Engagement

Stakeholder engagement is the process of actively involving all parties with an interest or stake in the project. The video mentions that the project manager is responsible for creating and spearheading a stakeholder engagement plan, ensuring that communication is effective and respectful, which is crucial for the project's success.

💡Project Planning

Project planning involves creating a comprehensive plan that outlines the project's tasks, resources, and timelines. The script describes the project manager's role in developing a robust project plan and considering contingency plans to prepare for potential obstacles.

💡Contingency Plans

Contingency plans are strategies put in place to manage potential risks or issues that may arise during the project. The video script mentions that the project manager must think about these plans as part of the project planning phase to ensure the project can adapt to unforeseen circumstances.

💡Quality Standards

Quality standards are the criteria or levels of excellence that a project must meet. The script discusses the project manager's role in identifying the right quality standards and ensuring adherence to them throughout the project, which is vital for maintaining the project's integrity and meeting stakeholders' expectations.

💡Team Management

Team management refers to the project manager's responsibility to lead, guide, and support the team members involved in the project. The video script explains that this includes identifying team members, allocating responsibilities, and providing coaching to enable team members to excel in their roles.

💡Risk Management

Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing potential risks to a project and developing strategies to mitigate them. The script highlights the project manager's role in this process, which includes contingency planning, risk reduction, and risk transfer to ensure the project's successful completion.

💡Project Closure

Project closure is the final phase where the project is formally concluded, and all activities are completed. The video script describes the project manager's responsibilities in this phase, which include following a project closure checklist and conducting lessons learned reviews to ensure that the project ends in an orderly manner and that valuable insights are captured for future projects.

💡Strategic Lens

The strategic lens refers to the project manager's need to view their role from a strategic perspective, liaising with other managers and project managers within the organization to ensure project alignment and resource compatibility. The script mentions this concept to emphasize the importance of coordination and strategic thinking in the project manager's role.

💡People Management

People management involves the project manager's responsibilities in leading and developing the team, including facilitating communication, motivating individuals, and supporting their professional growth. The script discusses this aspect of the role, highlighting the importance of creating a cohesive team environment and fostering team morale.

Highlights

The role of a project manager is explored through the lens of the project lifecycle and an 8-step project process.

Step 1 involves working with stakeholders to define the project's goals, objectives, and scope.

In Step 2, project managers create a business case, evaluating project benefits and costs.

Project managers may need to understand financial evaluation methodologies for business case development.

Step 3 focuses on stakeholder engagement, creating a management process and plan for effective communication.

Step 4 is about planning the project, including timescales, resources, tasks, and quality standards.

Contingency planning and selecting project management tools are also part of the planning process.

Step 5 emphasizes managing and leading the project team, from identifying members to providing support.

Project managers facilitate team meetings and maintain team morale in Step 6.

Risk management in Step 7 involves identifying, quantifying, and strategizing to manage project risks.

Step 8 is about project delivery, monitoring, controlling, and ensuring quality and compliance with timelines and budget.

Regular reporting and attending project board meetings are crucial for project governance.

Closing projects in a structured way and conducting lessons learned reviews are part of project closure responsibilities.

Project managers also have strategic responsibilities, liaising with other managers for resource and timing compatibility.

Operational managers need to be informed about project timing to avoid adverse effects on critical operations.

As a project manager, you are also a people manager, responsible for team communication, motivation, and development.

Developing team members' capabilities, professional skills, and careers is an essential part of project management.

The video invites viewers to comment if anything important is missed and to like, subscribe, and enable notifications for updates.

Transcripts

in this video I want to talk about the

role of a project manager to understand

the role of a project manager I want to

start by looking at it through the lens

of the project lifecycle and the project

process that we need to follow and to

help me I'm going to use the framework

of my 8 step project process step one is

to answer the question what do you want

it's about creating a project definition

so the first role of a project manager

is to work with stakeholders to work

with sponsors suppliers users everyone

who's involved in the project

to define the goal of the project its

objectives and the scope of what you're

going to be doing and also what you're

not going to be doing there's a lot more

of course to project definition but

creating that is the first component of

the role of the project manager step two

is to answer the question does it stack

up this is about creating a business

case or a project proposal or an

investment appraisal so the role of the

project manager here is to look

critically at the benefits and the costs

of the project and to weigh them up

against one another and to document that

and you need to do it in a way that is

fully accountable and matches the

procedures and processes and standards

of the organization within which you're

working consequently you may need to

understand a fair amount about financial

evaluation methodologies it's also

important to note that in some

organizations your role is to put

together a business case a proposal that

is a piece of advocacy that makes the

case for the project you're proposing

but in other organizations your role is

to evaluate your project against a

number of suitable alt

tips so that the decision-makers can

weigh up most different alternatives and

make a decision based on a much more

objective business case document step 3

is to answer the question who cares and

this is all about stakeholder engagement

so your role is to create a stakeholder

engagement management process and plan

and it's to spearhead engagement with

stakeholders making sure that your

project team as a whole and the

individuals work with stakeholders in an

appropriate and respectful manner and of

course this also involves creating

communications plans and following those

plans step four is about answering a

question how will we get what we want so

this is all about planning so the first

role of a project manager that falls out

of this is to plan the project to get to

grips with the timescales the resources

the tasks everything you need to make

sure that you've got a robust

comprehensive project plan and then the

second thing that goes along with this

is to start thinking about contingency

plans as well of course you will also

need at this stage to think about

evaluating and selecting and

implementing the tools you need to

support not only the planning process

but monitoring against your plan and

reporting

finally I'd suggest that another part of

a project managers role here is to start

thinking about quality what are the

right quality standards and how are we

going to make sure that we adhere to as

quality standards and how do we report

that properly through the governance

procedures of our project the fifth step

is to answer the question who will help

and this is about managing and leading

the team that will help you to deliver

your project so your roles here start

with identifying the team members that

you'll need the roles that you'll need

to fulfill and the best people who are

available to fulfill them and then you

know your next part of your role is

about allocating responsibilities

providing guidance and support and

coaching to enable your team members to

thrive this is the part of your role

that is really about project leadership

it's about leading people and I'd also

say that it's part of your role here to

coordinate and facilitate team meetings

to maintain team morale and to make sure

that your team members communicate

effectively with one another step six is

to answer the question what if it goes

wrong this is about risk management so

here your responsibility is to identify

risks to understand and quantify their

implications and to start to put in

place appropriate strategies and plans

to manage those risks down you'll be

looking at contingency planning you'll

be looking at risk reduction you'll be

looking at transfer of risks and all of

the other strategies that you'll need

step seven is to answer the question

how's it going this is the delivery part

of your project responsibility it's

about monitoring controlling what's

going on and of course the first

responsibility under this is to manage

the day-to-day running of your project

to oversee what people are doing and to

evaluate the quality

the effectiveness of their work to make

sure that the deliverables they're

producing meet the standards that you've

set and to make sure they are able to

comply with the timelines and the budget

constraints that you need to put people

under and that reminds me that budget

management is one of your

responsibilities so two is regular

reporting good project reporting is

partly about communication but it's also

about accountability transparency and

governance and finally thinking about

project governance you need to attend

project board meetings and meet

frequently with your sponsor and with

other senior stakeholders and finally

step eight is to answer the question how

did it go and this is about closing your

project down in a structured and orderly

way so your responsibilities are to

follow your own project closure

checklist to make sure everything has

been done to get your project properly

closed and I think your second

responsibility here is to make sure you

learn the lessons lessons learned

reviews are great for organizations they

often produce good and worthy

documentation but many organizations

don't do much with it I think your

principal responsibility is to your team

members for you and each of your

colleagues to learn from your experience

and take that forward to each have those

lessons enhance and develop your own

careers outside of those eight steps I

think there are a couple of other lenses

we need to use to look at your

responsibilities as a project manager

and the first one is a strategic lens as

project manager you need to liaise with

other managers within your organization

you need to liaise with other project

managers to make sure that the

interactions between your projects and

theirs work effectively that there are

no inappropriate overlaps or gaps

and to make sure that your calls aren't

resources and their Court on resources

are compatible particularly in terms of

timing and you also need to liaise with

managers in the operational parts of

your organization where your project

touches upon their operation because

they will need to know in good time and

Lily Hayes with you about the timing so

that you do not adversely affect

critical operations the final lens that

I'd adopt is one that recognizes that as

a project manager you're not just a

manager of the project you are a manager

of the people on the project so this is

the kind of people management people

leadership responsibilities and there

are a number of elements to it you need

to be able to identify and apply and

disseminate good practices for your team

you need to facilitate good team

communication between individual members

what you don't want is for you to be the

hub of all communication so that if

you're not there communication could

break down you have a responsibility to

develop your team so that your team

works well as a cohesive unit another

responsibility is motivating individuals

and making sure that team morale is at

its optimum and if you sense team morale

or individual motivations are flagging

to intervene to deal with the problem

and to bring people back so effective

working motivation

and finally I think you have a

responsibility to develop the people

under your leadership to support them to

guide them to develop their capabilities

their their professional skills and

their careers so you'll be deploying

things like training like for cert ating

conversations coaching and mentoring so

as a project manager you have a lot of

responsibilities it's a big job and I've

kind of rushed my way through it

summarising as I go I hope I haven't

missed anything but if you think I have

please do comment below so that other

people can debate what else needs to go

into the project managers responsibility

said it's a big job and I hope I've done

it justice so if you've enjoyed this

video please do give it a like please do

subscribe to our Channel and hit the

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every time I drop a new video on YouTube

in the meantime I look forward to seeing

you in the next one