Role of Project Manager

Project management is quite often the province and responsibility of an individual project manager. This individual seldom participates directly in the activities that produce the end result, but rather strives to maintain the progress and productive mutual interaction of various parties in such a way that overall risk of failure is reduced.

A project manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client based on knowledge of the firm he/she is representing. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the contracting party, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realized.

In whatever field, a successful project manager must be able to envisage the entire project from start to finish and to have the ability to ensure that this vision is realized.

Any type of product or service - buildings, vehicles, electronics, computer software, financial services, etc. - may have its implementation overseen by a project manager and its operations by a product manager.

According to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), the project manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the project objectives, managing a project includes:

• Identifying requirements
• Establishing clear and achievable objectives
• Balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time and cost
• Adapting the specifications, plans and approach to the different concerns and expectations of various stakeholders.
  

Project managers often talk of a “triple constraint” – project scope, time and cost – in managing competing project requirements. Project quality is affected by balancing these three factors. High quality projects deliver the required product, service or result within scope, on time and within budget. The relationship among these factors is such that if any one of three factors changes, at least one other factor is likely to be affected. Project managers also manage projects in response to uncertainty. Project risk is uncertain event or condition that, it occurs, has positive or negative effect on at least one project objective.