I authored a one-page article for PM Network® magazine that briefly addresses this question. The full article, called “Great Expectations,” can be accessed here. I expect a lot from a senior project manager, far more than I expect from a project manager. Extracting information from my article, here is my response to this often asked question.
Although I often hear it said that the main difference between the job description of a project manager and a senior PM is the size and complexity of the project they run or the number of projects they run, there is much more I expect from a senior project manager.
Listed here are 10 expectations that I have of senior project managers. This is not an exhaustive list but, nevertheless, does reflect many of the major differences. Whether you are hopeful to become a senior PM or already are a senior PM, how do you stack up against these expectations?
- Mentor less-senior personnel. There is no better way to learn a craft than with assistance from a mentor—especially when you are first starting out. Senior project managers should mentor those around them in aspects of the profession such as leadership, methodology, tools, people skills and navigating politics.
- Evaluate performance. A senior PM has the skills to know what is expected of a PM and should be able to help evaluate that person’s performance—especially since management often seeks their skills, opinions and recommendations.
- Identify PM-related training needs. They should be able to evaluate the readiness of a project team or organization and then recommend the related training required to ensure the effective application of project management and leadership principles.
- Conduct training. A senior PM must be able to teach many of the skills—both hard and soft—that are required for the successful planning, execution, delivery and support of projects and their products or services. They must also qualify project management training vendors and monitor their delivery and effectiveness.
- Perform project reviews. They should have the ability to either individually assess the health of a project or lead a small team in doing so. It is important for the senior PM to be able to net the review findings so that the most important problem areas, as well as most noteworthy areas for praise, are clearly identified.
- Turn troubled projects around. Any project manager with satisfactory performance should, for the most part, be able to turn around small and some medium-sized troubled projects. But a senior PM should be able to turn around any-size troubled project in his or her industry.
- Help hire or place project managers. A senior PM can significantly contribute in the interview and selection of new project management hires. Moreover, he or she can be called upon to determine the placement of project managers onto specific projects.
- Make continuous improvement a priority. They should have a solid grasp of basic and many advanced project management principles, along with having experience in successfully applying and advancing those principles. Continuous improvement is a distinctive characteristic of high-level project managers.
- Think like a business person. Project management is mostly about business. A senior PM should understand the business need for each project and make on-going decisions based on what’s best for the organization—even if that means challenging senior stakeholders on critical success factors.
- Be a role model for integrity. Integrity is not optional. However, many project managers are shaky in taking the initiative to ensure a project is always being run effectively and with proper governance. Senior project managers should champion the promotion of integrity in all endeavors.
In closing, a senior PM’s performance is viewed by peers, management and other members of a project or organization as continually adding value across an organization—unless that senior PM is exclusively focused on a single major project. Senior PMs are highly valued organizational assets and represent respected leadership positions in any progressive organization.