Matching Project Management Style with your Project or “Shoes must match the belt”.

After you’ve had a few projects under your belt, you’ll soon realize that no two projects will be exactly alike. Of course every project is different in the sense of scope, budget and time-frame.  Each project has its own set of challenges and unique aspects. To be successful, you need to modify your project management style depending on the project.

In broad terms I see two camps of PM’s; “Active Project Management” or “Process Oriented Project Management”. Obviously, there are more variations between the two styles. For this post I’ll take a look at the two different styles and see how they can be used in different projects.

Active Project Management or “I want to Rock n’ Roll all night, & PM every day!”

Some projects need an Active project manager.  What I mean by active is not ‘micro managing’ rather someone who is close to the team, front and center working through problems, providing leadership and solutions to the challenges. 

Active project management is great in quick “Got to Happen” projects.  The closer you are to the project the faster you will be able to identify the risks and challenges.  It’s also great in a small team where you’re involved with the details, providing support & pitching in where required. 

The pitfall of this style is that you are ‘too deep in the weeds’.  Being so embedded in the project may make managing upward more difficult.  It also requires the project manager to have specific industry experience of the project.  A “Context Free” project manager may find it difficult to use this management style.

Process Oriented Project Management Style or “Percent complete on task?  Anyone? Anyone?  Bueller?”

In contrast to the above, some projects need the project manager to be removed from the project details.  The Project Manager needs to have an overall view of the project and keep a holistic view of the project.  In this case the PM is used as an escalation point to help resolve issues. 

Process Oriented project management is better suited for larger, longer projects.  Projects that require significant overhead for a process heavy environment where you need to keep detailed documentation.  In these projects being away from the detail is required because there would be too much to manage at that level.  Your efforts are better used to manage the project from afar and keep it moving.

The challenges with this style is you’re too far removed from the inner workings of the project, making it difficult to pinpoint the specific challenge that you need to address.  Not knowing or understanding the details and how they relate to the broader project can impact information being reported.  This makes it more challenging making decisions that can resolve problems within the project quickly.

This post wasn't meant to be a long detailed introspection in project management styles.  I wanted to illustrate how two opposite styles can relate to different projects.  Another point to remember is, during a project you may require you to be detailed during a particular phase or circumstance.  Conversely, it may be better for you to be hands off.  Modifying your style can be the key to your project’s success.