ROLES OF PROJECT MANAGER

Wanna run a project? ………or ........... Are you a project manager? .......or……. Are you a student of project management?

If, your answer is “yes” then,

you need to understand about the roles of project manager irrespective of the size, types and nature of the project. This will help you to get prepared in advance.

Roles can be defined as the organized set of behaviors. It relates to positions that can be identifiable.

Project manager is a person who manages all the project activities. He is the leader of the predetermined project. He is responsible and accountable towards the project. the actions of project manager can either ‘make or break’ the project.

Project is defined as a predetermined set of the activities operating in the dynamic environment that involves different kind of resources which are designed to achieve predetermined objectives within the limitation of time, cost and quality.

The project manager must understand about the importance of the project management.


The roles of project manager is a difficult job. 

This is because, he manages all kind of project resources. The resources can be human resources, physical resources, financial resources, social resources and technical resources. He has also develop managerial tactics in order to adapt to the environmental forces. The environment influences the projects and the projects too gets influenced by the environmental forces. These forces could be internal as well as external. Internal forces comprises of customer, competitors, suppliers, stakeholders and employees. Similarly external forces comprises of political, legal, economical, social, cultural and technological factors.

Project managers has to work under dual responsibilities. He has to cooperate with the project team members as well as with the line departments.

The various roles are of project manager are as follows:

• Control and reporting role 

• Project co-ordination role 
  

• Project implementation role 

• Interfacing role 

• Planning role 

• Information role 

• Self-management role 

• Financial management role 

• Decision making role 

• Leadership role 

• Other roles 

The above points are briefly described as follows:

1. Control and reporting role :

Different problems may occur while performing the project work. It may be in terms of cost, time and quality and environmental forces. To control the problem, manager should identify the actual problem by supervision and then he has to prepare the report it to higher hierarchy.

2. Project co-ordination role :

A manager should have good coordination among his team members. This will help to increase efficiency of the team members. Therefore, in order to get the project completed within its limited period and targeted cost, the project manager must have continuous coordination with the team members and other functional departments whenever required.

3. Project implementation role :

Project implementation is concerned with mobilization of available resources. A project manager has to set the project work and allocate the task among the staff. projects implementation must be done as per the project planning. 

4. Interfacing role :

Every project activities is to be performed by proper communication and with mutual understanding. Thus, project managers should continuously link all of the team members and evaluate their working abilities. The project manager must understand the common barriers of team development and take do all the necessary steps in order to overcome it.

5. Planning role :

Planning is deciding before doing any work. Project manager has to plan for the utilization of resource and has to estimate time, cost and quality before starting the project. (For details regarding project planning)


6. Information role :

On the basis of communication, project manager has to gather information from project, provide status report and send information through different channels. The channels of information can flow from any of the following direction. It could be downward, upward, lateral and diagonal way. inside and outside the project.

7. Self-management role :

Project managers should ensure that 'right man gets the right job'. For this, staff should be managed properly. Only proper staff will increase the efficiency of the project work. All of this is to be done by the project manager.

8. Financial management role :

Financial resources are not only sufficient to achieve the project objectives. It should be managed properly by the project managers. He has to have a birds eye view upon the fraud and misuse of finance.

9. Decision making role :

The project manager is a decision maker about projects day to day activities. He is also a trouble shooter when problem arises. The decision role is concerned with :

• Allocation of resources 

• Negotiation process 

• Disturbance management 

• Management of the changes (Political changes, Economical changes, Demographic changes, Social changes, cultural changes and technological changes ). 

10. Leadership role :

Project manager is the chief and leader of the project team. He leads all team members under him then he could never finish the project in stipulated time with same cost and same quality. Therefore a project manager is a coach as well as facilitator.

11. Other roles :

• Interpersonal role 

• Change management role 

• Balancing role and 

• Mediator role

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