There was a time, not long ago, when I was actively researching how to go about becoming a certified project manager. Why? Well, I have always really liked helping people accomplish things and as far as I could tell, “project manager” was the job that did that. Since that time, I’ve worked with project managers and technically lived in that role and I will say this; I’m not even sure it’s an actual job.
First, if you’re a PM, no offence. I think there’s a good chance that you, in your role as project manager, are doing a very good job. I tend to think that anyone who would read content like this is interested in ways of working different from “the way you’ve always done things.” I think that anyone reading this probably takes very seriously their role as someone trying to make real and significant changes and I don’t think you’ll argue with what I have to say if you keep reading.
What exactly does a project manager do? The role can vary from org to org but the gist is this; project managers (try, and usually fail) to make sure that projects are completed on time, on budget, and in a manner that pleases those who want the projects to be done. Sound right so far? Cool.
Now imagine that your team, the people required to “do the damned thing” are capable of doing their jobs well and on time. Imagine that your organization has clarity on who is responsible for various roles and are competent, capable experts, trusted by the organization to do exceptional work. In this scenario, in an organization filled with professionals and grownups, what then does a project manager do?
Really, you can break down project manager into 2 concepts; “project” and “manager”, exclusive of one another.
Let’s talk about projects. One of the things that really pains me is how often a “project” feels like you’re starting over from scratch. It’s painful. Even if you’ve created a project A THOUSAND TIMES already and worked with MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE, often kicking off a projects is like parenting; just repeating yourself over and over again. One of the reasons that I think this is true is because of our insistence and treating “projects” and “the work” as these very different, separate, and distinct things. Instead, it’s possible to view “projects” as the work that we do. It’s possible to automate these processes to create automated to-dos AND timelines and it’s possible to scope these projects ahead of time and understand the financial implications. It’s possible. It just doesn’t usually happen that way. Here’s how it usually works.
There are approximately 36 meetings to discuss who should be in the meeting to discuss whether the project should be undertaken. In that meeting, there is an approximately 94% chance that at least one person that “has to be there” will in fact, not be there. As such, there WILL BE another meeting. Following that meeting, you’ll have a meeting to discuss what the project is. The person who owns the project and has the ultimate decision on what the project is and should be, will not be there. But they will have notes after the fact. Once you eventually have agreed on what the project is, you’ll have multiple meetings to discuss the scope, timelines, etc and none of those will produce an accurate scope or timeline. The project will start after it should start. It will be 78% over budget and will take twice as long as we said it would. And all along the way, when we ask if things are “on track”, they will be “on track”, until they are entirely off track.
The fact is that if we ran our entire business the way that we plan and execute meetings, we would fail. Spectacularly. And yet for some reason, we sort of keep doing it. But here’s an idea. What if projects were something that the org just did, as part of them being an org. What if we designed the work around the things we actually did and then just did them. Less meetings about how the work is going and more doing the actual work? It sounds crazy, but I’ve been a part of organizations that did this both ways and, let me tell you, one of these ways works.
This is not to suggest that you should shy away from teams or collaborative work but rather that this should be how you WORK, across the board. Purposeful work should be undertaken by purposeful people in purposeful teams with a purpose in mind. So if there’s no “project manager” on these “not projects”, what does the project manager do?
Well, enabling an organization to do great work does not happen with a single email or one meeting. A focused organization is organized around principles and values and ways of working and there is absolutely space for great “project management” at this level. At the org level, project managers can help design the way work is done… even without a GANNT chart. This is the crux of organizational design. It’s about enabling an organization to do great work, at an agreed upon cost, based on an agreed upon timeline. Organizational design is project management, done right, at scale.
Now about that other word; manager.
I don’t love this one. I think that people will do good work if you set them up for success. I think that generations of “managers” have been focused on “fixing people” and I think that we’ve come to an inflection point. First, let me have my “old man, get off my lawn” moment. I have personally experienced a level of entitlement with younger workers that I don’t think is particularly healthy or helpful. I think that there are (some) demands that are being made of employers that are unfair. I agree with fair wages and a safe work environment. After that, demands can get a little iffy. That being said, we’ve gone through generations of managers that were focused primarily on the idea is that people suck and they need to be managed. I disagree.
I think that systems suck and people respond accordingly. I think that project “managers” have been working off of a sad but true premise that people can’t be trusted to get the work done. BUT, I don’t blame people. I blame a system that has allowed some people to fail upwards and failed to reward those that put in the work. I think that the people side of project management can be solved through the right people, in the right seats, doing the right work. I think that if you clean up the way you hire, the culture you build, and the expectations you set for team members, it becomes unnecessary to build out a RACI chart when the real issue is actually that Dennis didn’t get his shit done. Ask Dennis why he didn’t get his shit done. Help Dennis get his shit done. Carry on.
Much like I don’t blame people for the systems they work in, I don’t blame project managers for learning to work inside of an existing system. That would be insane. Rather, I would ask that if you are a project manager, take a step back and if you’re an organizational leader take a step towards and let’s come up with some systems for getting great work done that don’t involve made up numbers and dates.