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The software engineer and the project manager provide complementary skills and work collaboratively on shared activities. The three main activities of the project manager are organizational liaison, personnel management, and project monitoring and control. The "Liaison" section discusses the project manager's role as a go-between for the technical team and agents who are not members of the technical team (such as project sponsors, users, IS management, vendors, and so on).
In the "Personnel Management" section, you will learn that this job entails working with personnel and human resources to hire, fire, and provide employees with professional development.
The "Monitor and Control" section explains that project monitoring involves tracking project progress relative to budget. Project control means implementing changes when progress is not satisfactory (such as training or revising project plans).
Personnel Management
Career Path Planning
Motivating is an immediate activity of the project manager, but all employees and managers should be encouraged to develop longer range aspirations, as well. The project manager should help plan, with each individual, the tasks from this project that can be used to further his or her career.
The project manager should discuss goals and career paths at the beginning of the project and at least annually during performance reviews after that. The discussion should include a frank assessment of current perceptions of the individual's verbal, organizational, and professional skills, as well as helping the person plan courses, assignments, or opportunities to improve his or her performance. There should be direct ties from performance to rewards. Any time an individual does something significant enough to be mentioned on an appraisal, he or she should be told and either praised or counseled to change.