Project Success Takes On-going Leadership

The Top Ten Reasons Projects Fail (Part 4) by Frank Winters, appearing on April 16th in Gantthead. This article is not about the 4th reason for failure. It's a continuation of a series. Winters has published five articles in the series. The series is good. This article is very good. In it Winters explores the role of leadership to project success.

When there is a leadership vacuum and negative inputs are coming from those who should be leaders, it's up to the PM to fill the vacuum and overcome the negativity. That's one reason the No. 1 cause of project failure–inadequately trained and/or inexperienced project managers–has everything to do with the project manager. The buck must stop someplace, and for projects that place is the PM's desk.

Get this, Winters is saying project leaders must be in on-going conversations of why the project matters:

The project manager's role includes an obligation to fully understand the goals and objectives and then do what it takes to lead the team in that direction. This almost always requires a constant stream of reminders of what the goals and objectives are. Very often, the stream goes up the chain as well as down. It's very easy for the team–including upper management–to forget why the project was commissioned in the first place. The project manager must not let this happen.

Winters offers five characteristics of project managers:

1. Understand, believe in and continuously communicate the project's purpose.
   It is the PM's job to keep the team and all stakeholders focused on and excited about the objectives.
2. Behave with a high degree of personal integrity.
   (Integrity) means maintaining a balance between what is good for the project and organization, and what's good for the team and the individual team member's personal goals.
3. Be a supportive, constructive source of strength.
   Effective leaders focus on the strengths of those they lead, not on weaknesses. Maximizing the value of the strengths of the team members will produce the most good.
4. Be honest and clear in all communication, particularly when making progress reports.
   Telling the truth is only half the battle. The project manager must also have a plan and must communicate what the plan is with the same degree of clarity and honesty.
5. Have a plan, know it well and be willing to change it when necessary.
   Of great importance is the PM's ability to know when change is needed, coupled with a willingness to make the changes.

And Winters' finish is great:

PMs who are not true leaders leave the success of their projects to others–and to chance.

It's the project leadership age.

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