There is an old saying that states that project managers are simply managers for people. We have been hearing that over the years. Is it true? Are project managers only people’s managers? It has some truth in it as the project management staff is really responsible for people and manages them, so they are basically people’s managers but this is it not all what they do. Let us take a look at the following facts. Project managers have to acquire a certificate from the PMI, which is an ISO recognized certificate. Also some project managers acquire a Masters Degree in Project Management. All of these certifications and credentials make it clear that there is more to a project manager than to simply manage people, it is a part of the job, but it is not the main function.

There are three P’s in project management. The three P’s are people management, performance management and process management. Starting with people management, which is the famous function of a project manager. A PM is the leader of the team. He helps them and guides them in order to achieve the targets of a certain project. He is what links the team together and makes them collaborate because without collaboration and connection, the project will fail.

The second P is process management and it is as important as the first P, people management. Without this, the whole project will be in jeopardy. This is due to the fact that without proper process management of the project, the knowledge areas will not be clear and will also not be managed which would dismember the whole team and would push the project into total chaos. To make it simple, without process management, the project will be lost and will drift away like a bottle in the sea.

The last P is the performance management. This is one of the most important tasks of a project manager. Without managing the performance, the performance levels will vary and will not be consistent. This could lead to disastrous results. This is why it is vital for a project manager to manage the performance of the team members to make sure that they are giving the project their best. This can be done by keeping track of the performance of each individual and judging the quality of his work. After all of this, it is clear that project management contain a lot more than managing people.

In order for you to succeed in being an effective project manager you have to define the target and the goal of the project. You need to know where this project is going and what it is trying to achieve. For instance, if your boss asks you to organize a blood donation campaign from the employees. You have to know the scope of the project. You have to know if this project is aiming to donate as much blood as it can to the blood bank or is it another reason such as elevating the community profile of the company. Knowing the real reason and target of a certain project would help you exceed and manage it well. This is why knowing the real scope and aim of a project is one of the bases of successful project management.

As the head of the project management staff you also have to know all of the activities involved. For instance, will the company provide transportation for the employees from and to the blood bank or will they be asked to drive themselves. Knowing the activities will help with the organization and planning as it will have a great effect on the work scope that will have to be done throughout the project. You also need to acknowledge the stakeholders because you will have to ask for their help. You need to understand and know what they are expecting by the end of the project as this will help you plan and manage your project more efficiently.

The next step in your project management crusade is to understand and define the expected outcome of the project. You need to know what are the products, things or services that are expected to be delivered when the project is over. For instance, if you are the project manager of an advertising campaign then the client expects a piece of art work or an advert in the newspaper. Understanding the deliverables will help you plan and manage your project much easier.

Another vital step in project management is to make sure that there is communication between the different team. Each team has to know what is asked from it and what is it expected to deliver. All the teams need to have a good level of communication with each other as well. If there is no communication between you and the teams and between the teams themselves then the project will be deemed to fail.

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