HOW TO EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF THE PM TO THE BUSINESS

Over the many years that I have been in the Information Technology (IT) business I have seen abject fear in a business manager's eyes when you tell them for the first time that they will have a project manager assigned to a project they are responsible for. To be honest a long time ago I was one of those. I discovered later that my fears were unwarranted. It just required understanding.  

I don’t think line of business managers fear project management. In my experience they fear project managers. What do program managers fear about project managers? They focus on the word manager in the title project manager. They think that a competing manager is going to come into their area of responsibility and make decisions for them and once the project is finished and the project manager leaves they (the business manager) will be held responsible for the outcomes of the project.  

I find that displacing this false belief and quelling this fear can be handled by simple communications with the program leadership so they understand the role of the project manager. I always start by explaining that a project manager is not the one making decisions. They are not competing for program sovereignty. Their role is to facilitate the decision making process. This is what they manage. They make certain that the right decisions are made at the right time by the right person(s). They advise the decision maker(s) as to the impact the decision will have on the project’s scope, schedule and budget and any perceived risks. Once the decision is set in motion the project manager provides frequent updates to the decision maker(s) and alerts them when project issues occur. They provide invaluable project metrics in real time so the decision maker(s) have the information necessary to make informed decisions and can monitor the outcomes.   

Once a business manager sees that a project manager is not a threat but actually something they cannot live without you will find a very willing client. Give a manager real time access to information that helps them accomplish their mission and you have created an ally. What's not to like?