What a project manager needs to know. Project manager is a respected profession for active people. What is a project and project management

The success of any project, no matter the creation of a website, the preparation and launch of a new advertising campaign etc. always depends on the success of the team making it. And what will this team be like, what kind of relations will it have, who will be responsible for what, etc. directly depends on the project manager.

But sometimes this position is so vaguely described that it is not completely clear what the person who is called by the two letters “PM” is still doing. Today Ekaterina Kuzmik, project manager at UaMaster, will try to explain the essence of her work.

Who is a project manager?

Referring to the PMBoK, the project manager is the person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team and is responsible for achieving the goals of the project.

In the market, the concept of who a Project Manager is is rather vague. Someone thinks that RM must have programming experience. For some, soft skills are more important.

It often happens that the duties of an RM are combined with those of a tech/team lead, QA, UX designer, BA, content manager, etc. Even though all positions have different tasks and functions. And if the RM will code / test / design in addition to its tasks, then this is not good for both the RM and the project.

Yes, there are different situations. Sometimes you need to roll up your sleeves and work with your hands. But this is the exception, not the rule. Yes, he can and sometimes even has to be interested in related areas that are related to the project. This will help him better understand the process itself, understand what nuances and risks can be in development, have a level of knowledge sufficient to communicate with the team and solve problems that arise during the project.

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The Project Manager is not a universal soldier, he is a person who specializes in his field, namely project management.

The task of the RM is to build the process of working on the project with the available resources within the allocated budget, certain deadlines and with the agreed quality.

Project manager competencies

Knowledge - what the manager knows about project management.
Execution - what the project manager is able to do or achieve by applying their knowledge of project management.
Personal qualities - how the project manager behaves during the execution of the project or related activities.

Once a lecturer in a project management course said:

“Whatever the company, the job of a project manager remains the same. Only the scenery changes. In any company, the PM will deal with the team, the customer, the project, his management. This is the person who needs the most. Sometimes a bore, sometimes a dictator, sometimes a democrat, sometimes a liberal. All these roles are applied depending on the situation and to solve certain problems.

What is project management

The application of knowledge, skills, tools and methods to meet the requirements of a project is project management.

If translated into human language, then a project manager is a person who can select the right team for the project, and create normal working conditions for the team without interfering.

It turns out that project management is everything that its leader / manager does to ensure that the project is completed on time, efficiently and within budget.

There are 47 processes in project management, grouped into 5 groups:

initiation - approval of the concept of the project and the decision to launch the project;
planning - determining the plan and preparing for the execution of the project;
performance - performance of work according to the project management plan;
monitoring and control - tracking, checking and reporting on the progress of the project in order to achieve goals;
closing - completion of work on the project, transfer of documentation.

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Functions and Responsibilities of the Project Manager

Customer

work with requirements and prioritization;
demonstration of product functionality, versions, prototypes;
reporting;
regular communication and feedback;
control over deadlines and timely notification;
building trust, managing expectations.

Command

formation and recruitment;
introduction to the course of business, training;
setting up a workflow (development, testing, working with requirements);
motivation and building effective interaction;
conflict resolution, elimination of interference in work;

Product

drawing up a development and launch plan;
breakdown into components, tasks and subtasks;
appointment of performers;
performance monitoring and risk analysis;
quality control;
maintaining documentation and reporting;
version control;

Company

drawing up a development and delivery plan;
recruitment, training, retention;
setting up a workflow;
profitability;
reporting;
meeting the business goals of the customer within the agreed time frame and building trusting relationships;

Each project is individual. What works on one may not work on another. Palm trees do not grow at the North Pole. And not because the palm trees are of poor quality or the North Pole is a bad place. Conditions are different.

To use some kind of methodology, a framework for the sake of the methodology/framework itself does not always give a result. You have to try and experiment. Also, you need to be able to stop and assess the current situation, and not go along the knurled road.

project manager - new profession, which is just beginning to spread in Russia. Previously, the management of all tasks, events, projects fell on the shoulders of the head. This significantly loaded people in leadership positions, and also reduced work efficiency. Therefore, on the wave of promotion by the organization, the specialty “project manager” appeared. This employee can be part of the company's staff or be an invited specialist.

A project is a set of measures to achieve a specific goal under strictly defined conditions: terms, quality, budget. A project manager is a specialist who is responsible for its results. Unlike the functional manager, the project manager in each project is faced with a unique goal that requires an innovative approach and a new solution. The manager's leadership on the project ends as soon as the idea is brought to life. The complexity and specificity of this profession lies in the fact that each new project the project manager is forced to implement with a new team, which means building a working relationship from scratch. Once a project is completed, a manager outside the organization may be temporarily out of a job.

Each project is a test, a challenge, so the profession is well suited for ambitious, self-confident and purposeful people. It assumes constantly changing conditions of life.

A project manager must have a mandatory set of professional

characteristics without which his work will not be effective. For such a leader, knowledge in the field of general management is important, since he, first of all, manages people. These skills are especially important in the context of a fickle team, whose members need to be brought together in a short time and directed their efforts towards achieving common purpose. The specificity of the profession is expressed in special knowledge projective management. This area has a large number of practical solutions and techniques that every such manager needs to know. Project management requires competent handling of many categories, such as time frames, finances, communications, conflicts, personnel, risks, security, deliveries. The work can relate to any industry, so the project manager must be aware of all industries, i.e. have at least a broad outlook and be able, if necessary, to quickly fill in the missing knowledge.

This is a unique profession. Management requires special personal qualities from a person. Not everyone, having learned the theory, will be able to become a good manager, and especially a project manager. First of all, it is a sense of responsibility and a willingness to bear it. The project manager has personal responsibility for everything, he alone is responsible for the activities of the entire team as a whole and individual members. In the work of a project manager, unforeseen situations often occur in which it seems that the collapse is inevitable. But the manager must achieve a positive result at any cost and not let the project fail. Focus on results is the second necessary quality for a manager. Of course, a leader must be a leader. People should follow him without hesitation, believe and trust him. And in order to achieve this, communication skills and correct skills are needed. A project is a huge system of various interactions. In order to keep abreast of the status of each of the parts of the project, the project manager must be able to think systematically and quickly make optimal decisions even in the face of lack of information.

Project management is difficult, but interesting. This is a job that is not for everyone. But one who considers himself an energetic, ambitious, courageous person will be able to find success in this field of activity.

Every person familiar with the concept of "project" knows that this phenomenon in the life of mankind has its deep roots, dating back to the times when a person learned to synthesize the experience gained, form knowledge and plan goals. In them, a person acted as a co-creator, transforming the world given to him, achieving the goal, thanks to knowledge and work. The largest civilizational projects can be considered the development of agriculture, the construction Egyptian pyramids, the creation of a state, the worldwide project of Christianity, space flight projects, etc.

2. Project management is a requirement of the time

Each new generation, due to its understanding of rationalism and the rationality of transformation environment, creates new systems and images in it through the mechanisms of creativity, focusing on its spiritual and current social values, the need for personal self-actualization.

On the this stage development of human society, the transformation of the world is taking place at a faster pace. We have witnessed not only the apogee of the development of the industrial era, but we are already living in a new post-industrial era. The level of thinking of a modern civilized person, living in conditions of variability and uncertainty, implies an understanding of transformation and competitiveness - the most important condition for the survival of both integral systems and individuals - based on knowledge, not force. The innovativeness of projects is created by the creativity of the ethos (the prevailing spirit or character of culture), and ensures the implementation of not only a complex of competitiveness, obtaining greater added value and improving the comfort of human life, but also, with its positively transformative action, is aimed at solving the growing social, environmental, energy, resource (in including financial and human) problems. These problems are not only current, but also accumulated, primarily due to the neglect of these factors in the projects of previous generations of the industrial era.

The field of knowledge required to solve a set of tasks for the implementation of innovative projects is so vast, it combines such a huge amount of scientific and professional knowledge from various expert fields, ethical and contextual competencies, which requires a new form of management, taking into account the factors of variability and uncertainty. Operational management just can't handle that sort of thing.

Over the past 50 years, changes have taken place not even in the field of industrial technologies that improve the means of production and living conditions, but in man himself. The human intellect, thanks to the ethos of creativity, is recognized as the main means of production, capable of creating any changes on its own, quickly adapting to ongoing changes and increasing requirements of the external environment.

But creating products, developing knowledge, the intellect itself needs to use them for the synthesis of new changes and transformations. Such a product, which is currently recognized as the most effective method of change management and is project management.

Project management (project management) is a tool for the development and implementation of projects and universal technology effective management in changing conditions and evolving systems in conditions of instability and uncertainty, primarily a poorly developed legislative and tax system, poorly controlled price increases and a shortage of resources. This is a method of solving major scientific, industrial and social problems.

In countries with traditional market economies project management ceased to be a means of performing sequential processes and meeting deadlines to achieve a result. He became the spokesman modern culture development of all areas human activity, based on moral and ethical principles and the reasonableness of goal-setting.

2. Difference betweenProject Management and project management[ 1 ]

In world practice, the concept of Project Management is interpreted ambiguously depending on the chosen model, approach to the knowledge structure (Body of Knowledge), type and type of projects, and other factors. Accordingly, the concepts of “Project Management” and “Project Management” used in the translation into Russian are also ambiguous.

If under project management commonly understood as market management culture and professional activity in systems that have a social character, then project management is, first of all, a view of the project from the point of view of the implementation of certain processes.

The concept of "project" in different models and standards is interpreted from different positions. For example, in the process model (ISO 9000, 10006), the project is considered as a process, and in the framework of the organizational-functional model (ICB IPMA), “project” as a concept is defined through “enterprise”, “effort” and “activity”.

In the Management Guide innovative projects and enterprise programs” P2M (Japan) Project Management is a symbiosis of science and art of applying professional abilities in a project to produce a project product that is adequate to the mission of the project, through the organization of a reliable project team that effectively combines technical and managerial methods, produces the greatest benefit and demonstrates effective results work and task completion.

Differences in the definition and interpretation of such key terms as “Project Management”, “Project Management”, “Project” play a significant role in standardization in the field of PM and PM.

The history of the emergence of the "project management" system began in America in 1937, but its widespread use began in the 50s. A certain set of rules and standards for project management was formed.

4. Standardization of positive Project Management practices as a way to comprehensively solve growth problems

If a country, society or enterprise needs to solve complex problems for development and growth, increasing competitiveness, achieving the mission and goals - The best way— standardize management based on good practices.

To date, there are several basic standards (http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0 %BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B8):

International standards for project management (management):

5. Competence of project managers. Value for money.

The competence of project managers and project management specialists in the field of PM and PM is determined by the following components: knowledge, experience, skills, ethics, professional thinking (mentality), professional actions.

For various components are installed in different form those requirements, norms and standards that allow us to talk about the professional viability of the project manager and the quality of his work on the project.

Competency requirements are defined by the Body of Knowledge, maintained and developed by international and/or national professional associations. Currently, professional associations in more than 125 countries have official national Body of Knowledge on Project Management (PM BoK) and national systems certification, about 460 thousand certified PMPs (https://my.pmi.org/home/public?ReturnUrl=%2f). In Ukraine there is only a representative office of PMI (http://pmi.org.ua/ru/).

The international normative document that defines the system of international requirements for the competence of project managers is the ICB IPMA. On its basis, national requirements for the competence of specialists in 55 associations of IPMA member countries, about 120,000 certified PMPs (http://ipma.ch/about/) are developed (and officially approved by the authorized bodies of IPMA).

A number of non-IPMA countries have their own Codes of Knowledge and certification systems (North American PMI, Australian AIPM, Japanese ENAA, and others).

Project manager competency assessment standards:

Ukrainian Project Management Association UKRNET/Ukrainian Project Management Association UPMA was organized as an independent association in 1991, from 1988 to 1991. was a member and governing bodies of the Soviet Project Management Association - SOVNET - is now a professional Project Management Association, since 1993 - a member of the International Project Management Association - IPMA. The efforts of the Association are aimed at developing a culture of project management using modern methods And information systems holding international certification professional project managers based on the IPMA® system, providing consulting services, conducting training courses project management, publishing books, standards, teaching aids etc. Since 1997 the association has a direct cooperation agreement with professional structure in the field of project management - .

The long-term goal of the Ukrainian Project Management Association "UKRNET" / Ukrainian Project Management Association "UPMA" is: to form a critical mass of professional project managers to participate in projects of all types (25,000 - 30,000 professionals) for the next 10 years and certify 50 % of them. (http://upma.kiev.ua/)

Today, there are less than 1,000 professional project managers who have confirmed their competence in accordance with the requirements of IPMA® project management standards, working in various fields: banks, finance, IT, marketing, real estate development ... Basically, these are business consultants. For comparison, there are more than 500,000 project managers in China, and about 200,000 project managers in the USA.

Unfortunately, in Ukraine, which has been building for over 20 years market economy the national standard for project management, which takes into account the national mentality and the specifics of management, has not been adopted yet. Mandatory certification of project managers is not provided for by either ETKS or any regulatory requirements for specialists. Many large-scale projects have been declared by strategic programs for the development of the state and business, but the responsibility for their effectiveness lies only with investors and customers. The crisis has taught us nothing. But more than 80% of development companies actively working in the real estate market, both commercial and industrial, on the eve of the crisis were on the verge of bankruptcy - 12 thousand suspended objects, a significant part of which cannot be restored - this is an indicator of the quality of preparation and management of development projects in in the real estate sector: non-competitive concepts, lack of planning and forecasting, unpreparedness for adequate responses to risks, including from the financial, stock and consumer markets… But these are the most resource-intensive and large-budget projects. It is they who spin the mechanism of technological engineering, thanks to their requests, design and research institutes develop, the demand for the labor market and material and technical resources increases. Thanks to the competence of their initiators and project managers, investments come. NOBODY NEVER TRUSTS NON-PROFESSIONAL INVESTMENTS. The situation with the development of projects is not just the failures of entrepreneurs and shareholders, not just the incompetence of managers, it is the irrational use of national resources, the backwardness and uncompetitiveness of the state, and ultimately poverty, as a symptom of the degeneration of the nation.

As part of the reform of the construction industry in accordance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On the regulation of urban planning activities" and the "List of types of work (services) related to the creation of architectural objects, the responsible executors of which undergo professional certification", approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated May 23, 2011 No. 554, clause 5. provides for the certification of responsible executors involved in "coordination of the actions of all construction participants in the framework of engineering activities in the field of construction" with the issuance of qualification certificates. But even with the confusion about normative documents regarding the definitions of activities, this is just a confirmation of competences in the process management of engineering activities in construction, which, moreover, has not yet been carried out. We are not talking about certification of specialists capable of systemic project management in market conditions. That is, the state is not yet helping businesses in standardizing project management and training specialists who provide competitive advantages not only individual projects, but the state as a whole. But in the most developed countries of the world, it is on project managers that the main bet is placed on overcoming the crisis and the progress of the state and society. Project management is one of the most sought-after activities in the world. (https://my.pmi.org/home/public?ReturnUrl=%2f), and today it's more important than ever. One-fifth of GDP, or more than $12 trillion, is spent on projects. The trend of reducing the number of project managers associated with the renewability of the human resource is such that it threatens 64% of organizations in the world with major strategic consequences, and states are already showing concern about this. Great attention is paid to this issue in Israel, China, Kazakhstan...

It is high time for Ukraine to grow up its own project managers, business concepts with strategic and integral thinking, knowledge of effective technologies, engineering, skillful use of marketing and financial tools, leaders who can be trusted and who are able to make a worthy contribution to the development of the culture of the Ukrainian ethnic group...

International and national standards for project management, project management and professional competence of project managers. Mikheev V.N. Tovb A.S. SOVNET, Moscow

Guidelines for the management of innovative projects and programs of P2M enterprises, volume 1, version 1,2 (Japan Project Management Association PMAJ), 2009, Science World, Kiev

R. Florida. Creative class: people who change the future

Law of Ukraine “On the regulation of local activities” (Vidomosti of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VVR), 2011, N 34, art. 343) , N 50, art. 537 N 4052-VI (4052-17) dated 11/17/2011 N 4220-VI (4220-17) issued 12/22/2011 N 4570-VI (4570-17) issued 03/22/2012)

"The translation of the work (services) associated with the creation of objects of architecture, which are required to pass professional certification", approved by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on May 23, 2011, No. 554,

For successful implementation of any initiative (investment or social), it is necessary to select the appropriate professionals and create a team of like-minded people from them. To perform this task, a project manager is appointed (from the English term project manager). He forms, leads and motivates the team to achieve the goals set by customers.

Main tasks of a project manager

We remember the rule of three limitations when implementing any initiative: cost, time and content. Later, another quality criterion was added. Therefore, any deviation in any of the parameters can lead to failure, and given that very large amounts of money are often invested in undertakings, the issue of project management quality comes first.

Therefore, answering the questions, who is a project manager and why is he needed, we can safely say that this is a specialist who is needed in order to fulfill all the above conditions and achieve a predetermined result.

In the dry language of terms, the project manager is the administrative manager of a specially formed group of specialists who provides operational management and control of the work being done.

The selection of a project manager should be approached with all seriousness, since the choice of one person can determine how successful an undertaking will be. It is not uncommon for a young startup author to act as a project manager for initial stage not understanding why he needs someone else. However, most often, after reaching a certain level, he looks for a project manager and transfers control to him.

The project manager performs a number of functions, they are prescribed in the NTC standard, created on the basis of the standard of the international association IMPA and describing the requirements for the competence of the project manager. At the project manager job description consists of several components, in particular general guidance and highly specialized questions (if required).

All functions inherent in various projects are divided into seven groups, under which certain tasks of a more local nature are tied:

1. Strategic management undertaking:

setting priorities, goals and criteria for the success of the undertaking;
participation in the development of principles for the implementation of the initiative and the development of strategic documents regarding its implementation.

2. Establishing communication between the implementation of the initiative and the management of the organization (company):

informing the management of the company about the state of affairs;
cooperation with the program manager in the case when the project is an integral part of it;
participation in meetings with stakeholders (internal and external).

3. Drawing up a plan to achieve the goal:

definition of key points, the list of necessary works and life cycle project;
calculation of the need for resources of various kinds (financial, material, labor);
drawing up a calendar plan for the performance of work, its optimization;
preparation of a budget and estimates, a plan for providing resources for the envisaged processes;
analysis possible risks and development of measures to minimize them;
preparation, coordination and approval of the master plan.

4. Development of the most effective management system:

development and approval of a process management plan, and training of key team members in its principles;
providing a system for the movement and exchange of information, as well as its protection;
building relationships within the team and with external partners.

5. Organization of the practical implementation of the undertaking:

definition of managerial and organizational structure characteristic of such projects, their formation;
selection of performers, conducting interviews with them and negotiations with their management;
preparation and conclusion of all necessary agreements with contractors and suppliers;
determining the scope of work for each employee, issuing instructions and monitoring their implementation, ensuring the interaction of all team members;
training of performers (preliminary and current).

6. Analysis and control of the implementation progress:

collection, processing, analysis, accounting of primary information;
monitoring the implementation of tasks and their adjustment, if necessary;
monitoring of internal (psychological climate in the team) and external (legislation, economic situation) factors influencing the progress of the initiative;
preparation of reports on the progress of the implementation of the initiative.

7. Closing the project after the end of its life cycle:

preparation of the final report and analytical note;
motivation of the team based on the results of work and its dissolution;
finalization of all documentation and its archiving.

Thus, it can be said that the project manager must organize successful execution the task set by the customer, taking into account the established deadlines and budget, quality criteria, human resources, as well as additional requirements put forward by the investor. The main goal is customer satisfaction with the result.

Project manager requirements

Leading companies in developed countries have long begun to introduce a project approach into their work. This method made it possible to concentrate all the best resources in the most promising areas, promising serious technological breakthroughs and big profits. IT companies acted as "pioneers", followed by other high-tech industries (manufacturing, construction, banking), after which they began to work on projects everywhere.

In the 1990-2000s, project management began to be practiced in Russia along with the traditional process management However, a personnel problem immediately arose, since, as it turned out, a qualified manager or specialist is far from always an effective project manager. New approaches demanded new qualities from people. A real project manager not only has theoretical knowledge and practical skills, he must be the driving force behind the initiative, a good psychologist be able to work in stressful situations. Working from 5 to 9 is not typical for these people, usually their working day is irregular.

So, let's briefly dwell on the requirements that the employer puts forward to the candidate for the position of project manager. All of them can be divided into four groups.

1. Education:

preferably a higher education that provides professional knowledge in the industry or field of activity in which the initiative is being implemented;
taking short courses in management skills e.g. project management.

2. Experience:

is established depending on the responsibility and complexity of the proposed tasks;
usually requires up to 3 years of experience in a particular field in various positions, plus experience in independently managing initiatives in this area.

3. Professional skills may require a variety of (special or general), it depends on the direction of the company and the organization of work in it:

Personal qualities:

communication skills, the ability to find a common language with different people;
the ability to select a team and manage it in an operational mode;
leadership qualities and ambition;
the ability to analyze and quickly make the most optimal decisions;
high stress resistance and performance;
Readiness for frequent business trips or moving to a new place of residence.

A project manager who possesses all of these qualities is highly valued and well paid. However, it should be noted that a manager rarely works alone, usually he selects a team with which he goes to success. This gives him the opportunity to take the most professional workers and strengthens his position in cooperation with the customer, since the dismissal of the project manager can lead to the departure of the entire team and the forced suspension of the undertaking.

Project manager(from the English project manager - project manager) - a person who manages work in a specific area of the organization's activities and is responsible for it. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in economics and psychology (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

The project is a work area limited in scope and timing. Project manager - a person who manages the work on the implementation of this section and is responsible for its results. Unlike the project manager, the head of the firm or division is responsible for the activities of the firm / division as a whole, and the cycle of his work is continuous.

Important qualities

The project manager, no doubt, must have outstanding personal qualities, among which are responsibility, communicative flexibility, the ability to make decisions, focus on results, and the highest efficiency.

Knowledge and skills

The project manager has a good understanding of the industry specifics of his project, knows how to work with people and has the skills project management. This means that he understands the issues of cost and financing, supply, contracts, quality, risks, communications, security. To achieve the goals of the project, it brings together people who are unfamiliar with each other, with completely different professional experience and culture, into a harmoniously working "single organism".

Project manager training

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1. Available higher education in the field of project management and start working as a "project administrator", "assistant project manager".

2. Occupying a different leadership position, manage individual projects, simultaneously expanding and systematizing theoretical knowledge and practical management skills in this area.

3. As an expert, regularly take on projects in your field.

Project managers are needed not only in commercial companies, but also in state structures. There are a number of areas where all activities for the most part consist of projects: construction, IT.

However, even in those areas where activities are built on the basis of regular business processes, a significant increase in efficiency can be achieved by applying project methods.
Every year the profession of a project manager becomes more and more promising and in demand in the market.

The project manager needs to improve his skills from time to time, because the business process becomes more and more complicated all the time.

Where can a project manager improve his skills?

take an MBA course (from the English master of business administration - master of business administration).
take a refresher course in Western business schools or in domestic universities, training companies.

There are international standards for project managers: various systems for evaluating the qualifications and certification of project managers.

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