roles and responsibilities of the project manager

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

The Project Manager is the person responsible for developing , in conjunction with the Project Sponsor , a definition of the project . The Project Manager then ensures that the project is delivered on time , to budget and to the required quality standard (within agreed specifications . He /she ensures the project has sufficient resources and manages relationships with a wide range of groups (including all project contributors . The Project Manager is also responsible for managing the work of consultants , allocating and utilizing resources in an efficient manner and maintaining

a co-operative , motivated and successful team Additional responsibilities include : managing and leading the project team , recruiting project staff and consultants , managing co-ordination between the partners and working groups engaged in project work detailed project planning and control . Control would incorporate Developing and maintaining a detailed project plan Managing project deliverables in line with the project plan Maintaining records of and managing project issues

Resolving conflicts at project level Managing project scope and change control and escalating issues where necessary Monitoring project progress and performance Providing status reports to the project sponsor Managing project training within the defined budget Liaison with , and updates on progress to , the project steering board /senior management Managing project evaluation and dissemination activities Managing consultancy input within the defined budget Final approval of the design specification Working closely with users to ensure the project meets business needs Definition and management of : User Acceptance Testing ' stage Identifying user training needs and devising and managing user training programmes

As an illustration of the roles and responsibilities of a Project manager , I am going to use the simple example of changing the wheel of a car with one person in charge (project manager . In the exposition that follows , the steps followed will be under the headlines of the five essential ones outlined in the PMBOK

Initiating

The initiating stage in replacing a punctured car-wheel is the process of preparing to replace the wheel . To begin with , the project manager or whoever is overseeing the operation , ensures that all the tools necessary for the job are available . The tools necessary in this case would comprise the jerk , wheel spanner , the unique key-for some car models , maybe some props such as stones where there is a possibility of the car slipping downhill and finally , labor

Planning

Once the initiating stage is completed , we move on to the planning stage whereby different strategies are proposed and quickly debated with one being agreed upon . The role of the project manager in this stage is to ensure that everyone is given an opportunity to express their opinions on how best to approach the problem . Then , he /she should harmonize every participant 's views and in cases if the group cannot reach a resolution unanimously , he /she should apply his /her critical thinking abilities and skills in choosing the most reasonable approach that would be most efficient , effective and feasible . The planning would entail deciding which nuts to unscrew first e .g . diagonally , where...