Summary of Lessons for an Accidental Profession

Summary of Lessons for an Accidental Profession

(a) This article has painted a portrait of project management as a complex, time consuming and exasperating process. It states that managing projects is a challenge that not only requires a strategy and methodology but also needs a successful project manager. A successful project should not only be finished on time, under budget and be performed as expected but also satisfies the clients. This is the new four constraints model instead of the old triple constraints one.

This article also claims that project managers should be treated as the unique and valuable disciplines and be assigned by carefully designed training and selecting policies. Twelve points are provided to project managers to remember when they are implementing projects. Successful project managers should be good at using personal reputations, power and influence to ensure cordial relations with important stakeholders. Appropriate political tactics and behaviors are also needed for them.

(b) The view of that the role of a project manager is learned is not true. The temporary nature of the project determines that project managers are not well trained or selected. These managers normally come from functional departments and they may not have enough experience as being project managers. The qualifications of these managers may not the best because the lack of systemic training programs and they usually fall into responsibilities by happenstance but not by calculation. Many companies view project managers' experience and failure as the best teacher and it leads to those novice managers who work in a narrow constraints environment fear to fail. They may not be honest because they are afraid of failure and being punished.

(c) In the modern project management view, except the twelve points this article claims, there are other special demands for project managers. Project managers should have the abilities to acquire adequate resources, to acquire and motivate personnel and to deal with obstacles in the implementation of projects. The trade-off and communication skills are also vital capabilities for modern project managers.

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