PM Outside the Box

With the growing popularity of social media platforms and their use as a key form of communication, I oftentimes find myself scrolling through timelines, updating statuses, and watching cat videos on mediums such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. If you tend to do the same, I'm sure you have noticed a spike in quizzes that are supposed to either: a.) tell you something you already know about yourself or, b.) provide you with some result that makes you wonder "who the hell is this thing talking about". While these quizzes are sometimes just for fun and usually completely ridiculous, I recently came across a quiz while browsing LinkedIn called "What Type of PM Are You". Considering my role as a technical PM, and a newly certified PMP (woot woot!), I was inclined to answer the questions and see my results.

After truthfully answering a series of question which, in my opinion, only scratch the surface of what is required to determine the true management style of a PM, I got the following result: "The Task-Master PM".

Everyone knows a task-master when they see one. This is the project manager who rides herd on their team to the point of exhaustion. While it can be tough working on a task-master’s project, they can be very effective at getting project team members to prioritize the work they need completed, even if it’s just to get them off their back. Task-masters thrive in executing a clearly defined plan but they often struggle defining that plan. They like things to be black and white and gain satisfaction from the number of boxes they can check off their list each day. This type of PM is best for deployment projects where they're tracking the same handful of tasks thousands of times.

I think it is important to note that I think certain parts (most parts) of this analysis are absolutely absurd as they apply to me, however, the result is true as it concerns my definition of a "task-master". I also believe that it is impossible to put a PM in a box, as it is important to be the right type of PM due to the robust nature of the field of project management.

This particular quiz could have also yielded the following results: Executive PM, Diplomat PM, Planner PM, Friend PM, Heroic PM, Innovator PM, and Architect PM. Out of 1252 total responses at the time that I took the quiz, over 60% of the individuals that took the quiz fell into the categories of either Executive, Innovator, and Task-Master.

Source: https://www.pmtype.com/

Between my academic and professional experiences, I've learned that outside of being a strategic liaison, a project integrator, a mentor, a leader, and a firefighter, that a PM must also be a chameleon.  It is important to evaluate every situation and "blend in", or adjust your management style based on the situation. Despite my personal quiz result making me seem like more of an operations manager, I can acknowledge that every project is different. Requirements change. Resources change. Timelines change. Management and leadership styles should follow suit if a PM expects to successfully implement a project.

Although I was NOT willing to take the quiz more than once to get definitions for each of the PM types listed, Mr. Allen Eskelin, CEO of Peak Portfolio and CEO of Grid Decision, managed to capture them in his post "8 Shades of Project Manager". While I'm 99.9% sure that this post was published before the quiz, for the sake of this entry, I am certainly pleased that his post exists for my reference.

I digress...

Mr. Eskelin notes in his post that "many project managers fit more than one type" (Eskelin, 2016). To further expand upon this statement, it is sometimes necessary to step outside of your comfort zone to be the PM type that is required for project success. "

Sometimes you have to be the task-master. When your project isn't making progress, it may be necessary to be the annoying person that pushes the team along so that you can check the boxes.The goal is to help prioritize and guide the team, understand and remove obstacles (SCRUM Master whether you're certified or not), and direct the team based on specific tasks as described in the PM Plan.

Maybe it's necessary to be an architect - "look at the big picture and the details at the same time" (Eskelin, 2016).

There are clearly times where it is appropriate to be more of an innovative type of PM. When requirements are ambiguous or your processes and procedures are out of whack, in order to be successful, it may be necessary to come up with a new way to do things in order to complete the project.

While I advise against this, there are times where maybe a PM needs to be the hero. We're all guilty of it: working more hours than we should, checking emails on our days off, and answering the phone on some weekends. Although I am a STRONG advocate for work-life balance, there are some instances where the PM must "save the day".

In more "political" environments such as government agencies, sometimes it is necessary to be the diplomat. A diplomatic project manager understands the company's culture, and masters how to navigate through it.

Since PMs rely heavily on interpersonal skills and relationships, it may also be necessary to sometimes just be a friend. While this is something that I personally am still working to improve on a professional level, one can easily understand the value in building genuine connections and being likeable overall as a PM.

We all also know a planner that lives and dies by the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), or in my case, by their calendar. When dealing with the specific tasks of a project's scope, it may be necessary to be a planner. If you're not, it will likely create problems later in the project.

Lastly, PMs will sometimes need to wear their executive hat. Depending on the organization, the size of the hat (it might even be a party hat, or perhaps an invisible hat) may vary. Regardless, when it comes to managing a project, the executive PM is a true leader and is generally adaptable.

As I write this entry, I can see parts of myself in each of these PM types and I'm sure many readers can as well. As Project Managers, I think that is is important that we learn each of these management styles, and practice them when appropriate. Although it is easy to cling on to the management style that you think works best, take some time to understand your project and resources. What is best for the company culture? What is best for your personal well being? What is best for the project team? Is this an agile environment? How much time do you have? Is the project on schedule? Does this project fit into the company's strategic goals? Is you project sponsor risk averse? Is this an enterprise-wide effort? All of these questions (and so many more) are criteria that should be considered throughout the project lifecycle, and should be used to determine your management type. Please, PM outside of the box and chameleon your way to project success.

Source:
Eskelin, A. (2016, June 15). 8 Shades of Project Manager. Retrieved February 28, 2017, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/8-shades-project-manager-allen-eskelin/

UPDATE: Allen Eskelin is the confirmed author of the quiz referenced in this article.