Lessons for an Accidental Profession Jeffrey K. Pinto and Om P. Kharbanda roject

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Lessons for an Accidental Profession Jeffrey K. Pinto and Om P. Kharbanda rojects and project management are the wave of the future in global business. Increasingly technically complex products and the confi- dence for their teams to attain Having stumbled into and processes, vastly shortened time-to-market windows, and the need for cross-functioxive project man the knowledge that pertise make project management an importantagers often oper and powerful tool in the hands of organizations ate less as die project management that understand its use. But the expanded use of vd autocratic such techniques is not always being met by a concomitant increase in the pool of competent project managers. Unfortunately, and perhaps ironically, it is the very popularity of project man and cheerleaders. agement that presents many organizations wit effect, the char- their most severe challenges. They often bela acteristics we look edly discover that they simply do not have suffi for in cient numbers of the sorts of competent project agers are varied managers who are often the key driving force behind successful product or service develop- ment. Senior managers in many companies readily acknowledge the ad hoc manner in which sion, based on our own experiences and inter- most project managers acquire their skills, but they are unsure how to better develop and pro ers-most of whom had to learn their own les- vide for a supply of well-trained project leaders sons the hard way clecision makers than as facilitators team members, has become a vital tool in their organizational processes, corporations now must learn how project man best to develop and use that tool. and difficult to pin down. Our goal is to offer some guidelines for an accidental profes- views with a number of senior project manag- for the future In this article, we seek to offer a unique per Accidental" Project Managers spective on this neglected species. Though much has been written on how to improve the process Project managers occupy a unique and often of project management, less is known about the precarious position within many firms. Possessing sorts of skills and chalenges that specifically characterize project managers. What we do know side the traditional organizational hierarchy, they tends to offer a portrait of successful project man quickly and often belatedly learn the real limits agers as strong leaders, possessing a variety of problem-solving, communication, motivataproject manager is the kingpin, but not the king visionary, and team-building skills. Authors such They are the bosses, it is true, but often in a as Posner 1987), Einsiedel (1987), and Petterson oosely defined way. Indeed, in most firms they 1991) are correct: Project managers are a special may lack the authority to conduct performance breed. Managing projects is a unique challenge appraisals and offer incentives and rewards to that requires a strategy and methodology all its own. Perhaps most important, it requires people styles must be thse of persuasion and influence, willing to function as leaders in e the term. They must not only chart the appropri ate course, bt provide the means, the support flexibility and power of project managers, project little formal authority and forced to operate out of their power. It has been said that an effective their subordinates. As a resu, their management very sense of rather than coercion and command Because of these and other limitations on the Lessons for an Aecidental Profession 41

Explanation / Answer

1. The article is about the need for optimal project management within organizations, the need to improve the process of project management within organizations and most importantly what skills and challenges should project managers look at and develop and hone in the future. It is an acknowledged fact that project management is highly relevant and important for all organizations. What many companies and organizations do not know is how to develop the process of project management in a manner that will be considered optimal and best, as per the needs and requirements of the organization. The article talks about the issues and important points that a project manager should focus on at work while managing a project.

2. The article is important as it sheds information on the key aspects and issues that project managers should keep on mind and focus on while managing a project. Issues like understanding the context, recognizing team conflict, accepting politics within the organization, leading, etc. will change the perspective of a project manager. It will help the manager to become more efficient at his/her task and will enable him/her to plan in better manner. This article is highly valuable from the point of view of valuable insights and perspectives in the domain of project management.

3. Other details in the article are that there are different political actors within an organization and fundamental philosophical differences exist with regards to each of these actors. For the naïve politics is unpleasant, for the sensible politics is necessary and for the ‘sharks’ politics is just another form of opportunity. A project manager should keep these differences in mind when leading a project.

4. In terms of managerial implications and practical insights this article clearly brings forth the point that project managers will be instrumental is successful developments of new products and new service offerings. The manner in which skills are acquired by project managers will have to be made more systematic and all ad-hoc components will have to be completely eliminated. This will ensure that the skills and challenges that define a project manager is acquired and met in a systematic and an optimal manner.

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