Interview with Cornelius Fichtner - Part 3

The PMI Sao Paolo Chapter has recently published an interview they did with me. It's in Portuguese. This is part 3/3 of the English version:

According to your work experience as a Project Manager, how did you see the evolution of this profession over the past years?

I have seen a move in 3 main areas: certification vs. experience, process vs. exploration and strategy vs. tactical. This has good and bad sides.

Companies increasingly require a PM to have a certification. This ensures that all project managers will have more or less the same basic understanding of the profession and the tools that we use. We now all know the difference between a project plan and a project schedule. However, this also leads to the situation that your certification has a more important role than your actual ability and experience to lead a project. While it is nice to be certified, it is better to be able to drive a project to a successful completion.

Along with the certification came best practices in how a project should be executed. There are a large number of project management methodologies available for implementation. These give process and structure to every one of your projects. The danger is that you might be tempted to follow them blindly and expect that you will succeed “because we use a best practice process”. With experience (usually negative ones) we PMs learn that the best practices are sometimes not the best way and that we have to explore other ways of getting things done. (This is also why good project managers have a lot of stories to tell... ;-)

Lastly, I find an increasing gap between the strategic thinkers (usually fresh out of the University) who develop excellent PowerPoint presentations on how projects fit strategically vs. an understanding of how projects are managed and executed at a tactical level. We need senior project managers to step up and bridge this gap as “consultants” to ensure that the strategy set by our senior management can indeed be implemented.

In your point of view, what are the main challenges to a Project Manager?

In my career I have found two main challenges. The first one: micromanaging supervisors. I have mostly worked on small to medium sized projects in matrix organizations. This usually leads to the problem that the line manager considers himself to be the “owner” of the project. They have the best intentions and want to make the project succeed. Unfortunately this then becomes a dictatorial exercise in micromanagement, which is difficult to escape if you have no real power as a PM.

The second challenge is the incredible skill set that we are expected to have. You have to be a great communicator, be able to manage the budget, create a sensible schedule out of vague estimates and you have to be a subject matter expert, too. It takes years to build all of these skills, which will lead to a lot of “dead” project managers on the side of the road.

Which was the major challenge you have faced in your Project Manager career?

Working in matrix organizations means that team members are assigned to your projects “because they are available” and not “because they have the skills that you need”. So you often have to live with results that are below expectations because there is no one more qualified available. Now please go and explain this to your customer...

Which tips you would give to a Project Manager who is just beginning his/her career and to those who are studying for the PMP Certification test?

A good start for a new PM is to realize that “everything is a project” and that basic project management principles can be applied and tested (usually quite safely). So buy yourself a “project management for beginners” book and then apply what you have read to everything that you do.

For those who want to become PMPs, I offer the following 10 steps:

Step 1: Read the PMI Credentials Handbook.
Step 2: Make sure that you are eligible.
Step 3: Become a PMI Member & Member of your local PMI Chapter.
Step 4: Sign up for the Exam.
Step 5: Read the PMBOK® Guide. Twice.
Step 6: Listen to a PMP Audio Workshop or Read a PMP Preparation Book.
Step 7: Take an In-Person PMP Workshop.
Step 8: Answer as many Sample Questions as you can.
Step 9: Study Hard and have a Plan.
Step 10: Take the Exam.