Why You Need a Dedicated Project Manager (PM)

We get some of our best business through what we call “project rescues” – stepping in to help a struggling project get back on track.

There are any number of ways a project can become challenged, but one of the simplest ones to fix is when there isn’t a dedicated PM.

We get it; organizations are looking to manage costs, project management seems simple enough (spoiler: it’s only simple when things are going well), and it often seems like a sensible solution to use an internal resource who has some training and capacity.

But one of the biggest risks of relying on an inexperienced or overloaded PM is that they won’t spot emergent issues until it’s too late. PMing isn’t just about updating the Gantt chart or running the meetings; one of the core skills is the ability to see around corners and get ahead of issues while they’re still small and manageable, aka, before they look like issues.

That's why using an overloaded or inexperienced PM is one way to get a “watermelon project” 🍉: green on the outside, red on the inside. In other words, the status is fine as far as management is concerned, but deeply challenged from an insider perspective.

Another core skill of PMing is the ability to have sensitive conversations. Projects get into the red all the time, and a good PM has the courage to walk into a room of stakeholders and ask for some tough decisions.

Here are some signs it’s time to bring in reinforcements:

• Deadlines missed without clear cause

• Scope creep without tracking or documentation

• Communication feels off – mixed messages, team members unclear on priorities, stakeholders out of the loop

• Disengaged or uninvolved team members and stakeholders

We are experts in the art of getting a project back on track. Want to talk more? Reach out to WorkWithUs@SolveConsulting.ca!