1ournal Article Analysis

This section oI the report is a critical analysis oI the provided source material What it takes to be a
good project manager,` by Barry Z. Posner (1987). More speciIically, this will be an analysis oI
Tables 1-3 oI the article; how the inIormation presented Irom the study directly correlates with: The
problems which arise over the course oI a project; the necessary skills a project manager must possess
in order to be successIul; and how both the problems which arise and necessary skills are in direct
correlation with each other. Amongst this analysis there are also direct parallels between the
inIormation listed here and what our team has experienced.
Analysis of Table
The Iirst table presented in the source material shows the most common problems that project
managers will Iace in the course oI leading a project (as collected Irom the survey oI project
managers). The problems listed in the table involve a variety oI areas Irom not being allocated the
necessary resources to successIully complete the project, to internal breakdowns in the project team
itselI. These problems all arise Irom diIIerent issues, some oI which are outside the control oI the
project manager, and some oI which come about as a direct result oI their inIluences. As such the
problems addressed in the table have been broken into two groups; those which are related to the
project setup, and those which are a direct result oI the project manager`s skills (or lack thereoI).

!roblems Relating to !roject Setup
1. Resources Inadequate
A Iundamental lack oI resources; whether they be relating to budget, available personnel or time; is
almost certainly a result oI improper rationing by the upper management. A project manager has very
little chance oI successIully completing a project iI he has not been allocated suIIicient resources to
complete said project. Occasionally it is due to the Iault oI the project manager underestimating the
requirements oI the project and requesting insuIIicient resources, however this is a rare occurrence
and the Iault will usually lie with those in charge oI rationing available resources.

2. Meeting ('unrealistic) Deadlines
Once again this problem arises Irom those outside oI the project governing vital aspects oI the project,
thus resulting in an unsuccessIul venture. In this case it is the setting oI unrealistic/unattainable
deadlines. Even the most experienced project manager will Iail to complete a project iI not enough
time has been allocated to them.

7. Changes in Goals and Resources
An abrupt change in either the Iundamental aim oI a project or in the resources allocated to a project
team will almost always have a catastrophic eIIect on the success oI the project. This is another
problem which arises outside oI the control oI the project manager.

!roblems Relating to the Skills of the !roject Manager
3. Unclear Goals/Directions
The setting oI unclear goals/ team members being unsure as to what they need to accomplish, is a
problem that arises directly Irom the available skills oI the project manager and their ability/inability
to successIully manage multiple tasks and personnel.

4. Team Members Uncommitted
Whilst the initial reason Ior a team member to become uncommitted and complacent about a project
may be out oI the control oI a project manager, it is their job to ensure the oIIending team member
overcomes their issues with the project. A renegade team member must be dealt with quickly, using
the skills oI the projects manager, to ensure that they don`t end up having a lasting detrimental eIIect
on the project.

5. InsuIIicient Planning
The problem oI insuIIicient planning also arises due to errors on behalI oI the project manager.
InsuIIicient planning in the early stages oI the project will no doubt result in the creation oI other
major problems as the project matures. As such it is the duty oI the project manager to ensure that
there is a strong plan to Iollow initially, such that it won`t cause conIusion amongst team members in
regards to goals/objectives.

6. Breakdowns in Communications
A breakdown in communications amongst the project team will usually arise as a result oI
mismanagement on behalI oI the project manager. II a project manager is lacking the necessary skills
in terms oI communication and organisation there will no doubt be problems arising Irom a
breakdown in communication amongst team members.

8. ConIlicts between Departments or Functions
As the leader and Iinal authority on all areas relating to their project, one oI the duties oI the project
manager is to deal with any departmental or Iunctional conIrontations both swiItly and peaceIully.
Should any conIlicts go unchecked it will most certainly maniIest as a damaging result on the project
as a whole.

Handling Changes
This is a problem which has not been listed in the top 8, but has been Iaced by our team in the course
oI our project is the loss oI a vital team member; more speciIically our team leader had to withdraw
Irom the course upon completion oI the Context Report. This presented the team with a unique
circumstance; it presented a test oI not just the project manager, but oI the team as a whole. It assessed
the team on its ability to cope with the loss oI its most vital member and its ability to continue
working despite this loss; it tested the skills and abilities oI the new leader to be able to position which
had already been established; and it showed us to what standard our Iormer team leader had
perIormed.
Analysis of Table
The critical analysis oI the second table oI the source material is based on what personal skills a
project manager should possess to be successIul. The complete analysis contains our descriptive
interpretation oI the skills oI a project manager, how our team would rank the skills listed and any
other skills we would think to include.

!roject Manager Skill Factor Descriptive Analysis
Communication Skills Listening The ability oI a Project Manager (PM) to actively
listen to each and every team member, who is
attempting to be heard, in regards to issues such as
new ideas, disputes, project modiIication, etc.
Persuading This reIers to the ability oI the PM to persuade all
team members to agree on important aspects oI the
project, so that everyone is aware oI and working
towards a common goal.
Organizational Skills Planning The ability oI a PM to successIully create and
implement a project plan, which provides
suIIicient detail Ior all aspects oI the project to be
addressed and completed.
Goal-Setting The ability oI a PM to set realistic goals at
suIIicient intervals oI time to ensure that the
project plan is being Iollowed and the all areas oI
the projected are being completed according to
schedule.
Analysing The ability oI a PM to constructively/critically
analyse several aspects oI the project
simultaneously.
Team Building Skills Empathy The PM`s ability to understand the common
problems that they`re team Iaces throughout the
duration oI the project.
Motivation The ability oI the PM to keep all team members
constantly motivated and working towards the
completion oI the project.
Espirit de Corps The ability oI the PM to keep internal morale,
within the team, at a suIIiciently high level; so as
to keep up a steady Ilow oI constant progress
towards the pre-identiIied goals.
Leadership Skills Sets Example The PM sets standards that the whole team should
strive to achieve, both in terms oI quality oI work
and in speed oI completion.
Energetic The ability oI a PM to stay energised throughout
the liIe oI the project. This includes a keen
propensity to work, as well as remaining in high
spirits even when it seems that some aspects oI the
project are not progressing according to plan.
Vision (Big Picture) The ability oI a PM to 'see the Iorest through the
trees. ie, to be able to not become so
overburdened by individual details that they lose
sight oI the primary purpose oI the project. But at
the same time, to be able to see all the individual
components as a whole and the importance oI each
part they play in the overall grand design, this
statement applies to both physical mechanical
components and the individual members oI the
team.
Delegates The ability oI a PM to share necessary tasks and
pursuits evenly between the individual team
members. That involves more than simply
divvying up tasks among members so that
everyone has an equal workload, it also involves
giving each team member task relevant to their
skill set, knowledge and experience.
Positive The ability oI a PM to stay positive and upbeat
throughout the liIe oI the project, whether things
are going perIectly to the project plan, or problems
have arisen that are causing quite considerable
obstacles that must be overcome; it is beneIicial to
have a PM who is able to remain in high spirits
and conIidence.
Coping Skills Flexibility The ability oI a PM to remain Ilexible and
understanding in the midst oI strained
circumstances. It is important Ior a PM to
understand that some goals and objectives will
need to be modiIied as the project matures, they
must be able to remain Iocussed keeping the team
Iunctioning as problems arise which require
change.
Creativity A good PM should not just be able to lead and
delegate, but also add to the project design using
their own skills and creativity. Being especially
creative also has its advantageous in resolving any
and all problems which will undoubtedly arise
over the course oI a project. Creativity can lead to
inventive and resourceIul ways oI solving
problems, which can on the rare occasion lead to
the project being in a better position than beIore a
particular problem had arose.
Patience The ability oI a PM to display patience is certainly
beneIicial as most problems must be consulted
with both calm and level-headedness. A Project
Manager lacking in patience will most likely rush
into many things and in some cases inevitably
cause more problems than are solved.
Persistence A good PM should certainly be able to persist at
any all projects he is tasked with as there will
undoubtedly be issues which can only be Iixed
with due diligence and dogged persistence.
Technological Skills Experience A good Project Manager should have adequate
experience working in diIIerent positions within
previous projects/endeavours. This will enable
them to successIully empathise with the team,
delegate eIIiciently, as well as utilise many oI the
other keys skills listed here.
Project Knowledge The PM should already possess a sound
understanding oI the Iield in which the project is
Iocussed, beIore initial commencement. A team is
only as good as its leader, so that leader must
possess adequate knowledge oI the project and
should be well-versed in the appropriate Iields.

Ranking of Skills by Team
In Iollowing with the tasks outlined by the criteria sheet a team analysis oI these skills was conducted
and the results are as Iollows:
O The order oI skills is similar to what we as a team have experienced, however we did think
some slight re-ordering was required. By our experiences the list would read: Leadership
Skills, Organisational Skills, Communications Skills, Team Building Skills, Coping Skills
and Technological Skills.
O In regards to additional skills which a good project manager should possess, we believe a
good manager should also be relatively skilled in: Business Entrepreneurship, Lateral
Thinking and Quick/Decisive Decision Making.

Analysis of Table
The breakdown oI the inIormation presented in Table 3 is as Iollows:
O The most highly desired skill (Communication) is connected to the sixth most common
problem (Breakdowns in Communications).
O The second most highly desired skill (Organizational) is connected to the Iirst (Resources
Inadequate) and IiIth (InsuIIicient Planning) most common problems.
O The third most highly desired skill (Team Building) is connected to the sixth most common
problem (Team Members Uncommitted/Weak Inter-unit Integration).
O The Iourth most highly desired skill (Organizational) is connected to the third most common
problem (Unclear Goals/Direction), as well as Interpersonal ConIlicts
O The IiIth most highly desired skill (Coping) is connected to Handling Changes (the problem
which our team had to deal directly with).
O The sixth most highly desired skill (Technological) is connected to the second most common
problem (Meeting 'unrealistic Deadlines).
As is clearly displayed in this breakdown; the most highly desired skills Ior project managers to
posses do not directly correlate with the most common problems which will arise during the course oI
a project. There are most likely several reasons Ior this occurrence but upon critical analysis by our
team we decided that the most likely reason is that most project managers possess the necessary skills
to quash any problems that they are able to control beIore they become so prominent as to have a
noticeable result on the project. To elaborate; since the top three most desired skills are
Communication, Organisation, and Team Building, it can be assumed that individuals with those
particular traits would be more likely to be selected as project managers. As such they already possess
the tools necessary to deal with any conIlicts initiating Irom Breakdowns in Communications,
InsuIIicient Planning, and Uncommitted Team Members; and thereIore ensuring that those problems
are less likely to arise and hence pushing them down the list oI those people surveyed. As such the
two most prominent problems, as Iound Irom the collected data, are Inadequate Resources and
Meeting ('unrealistic) Deadlines. These two problems commonly result Irom Iactors which are
unable to be controlled by the Project Manager, thus causing them to be at the IoreIront oI main
problems since the since most Project Managers are able to exercise a certain degree oI control over
the other problems on the list.