This week in pm-clinic: the white knight
After a few weeks on hiatus, the pm-clinic is back. With a vengeance. New tales of management challenges and great advice await.
This week in the pm-clinic discussion forum:
I was asked by to take over a troubled project. This group is managed by my boss’ peer so I am now dotted-line-reporting to him for this project. This
senior-level manager is not happy about being forced to use me. The project teams are strong but have been micro-managed by said manager who repeatedly
puts the cart before the horse – one of the major reasons the project is in trouble.I, as the white knight,” am being asked to keep the listing ship from completely sinking. Expectations for getting it on track are high, while still meeting some of the originally set timelines.
How do I both manage this project and a sponsor who doesn’t want me as the PM?
-Signed, the white knight
I think there’s one thing you can safely (hopefully) exploit. Said manager isn’t your boss – you’ll just report to him for some time. That’s make the situation far more comfortable than if the micromanager was your boss.
I’d try here three things – two of them to manage the project and one to manage the manager.
1. Get some authorization from decision-makers, although you probably have some of that already. Someone has chosen you to be a fireman, so you can expect you won’t be sent into the fire alone.
2. Force things you believe are right for the project even when it means several conflicts the manager. You should at least win some time (with help of decision-makers if absolutely needed) to fix some of the problems.
3. Point on the manager as co-author of first small successes, apart from the team of course. Even if that’s window-dressing, he should soon understand that you’re not an enemy and you’re working on him and his success. The he should stop interfere with your work.
With a bit of luck it can work.
There are 2 related issues – can you salvage the project? Dunno – the only person who can answer that question is you. There are usually many reasons a project runs into trouble, rather than just one great big issue you can fix quickly and get on with. You’re in a far better position than anyone on here as to how to fix them – but the fact you said the team is strong is a good sign.
The second question is how to play the politics. The best advice I can give you here is “make the project sponsor look good”. Find a way for him to take credit for something cool, measurable progress, a happy client, anything – just make him realize that you can make him look like a star. Even if he doesn’t like you, and feels put out about having to use you, he’ll soon realize the beneficial impact you have on his career.
The two are related because the best way to make the sponsor look good is….to rescue the project. I’d invest in a white charger, some chainmail, an a mace.