Welcome to Advanced
Project Management
Leadership and the Project
Manager
Agenda
Topic Learning Outcome
Recap Previous Topic
Leadership in the project context
Activity 1: Project Leadership
Leading successful cross-functional teams
Activity 2: The Project Champion
Enabling successful teamwork
Activity 3: Leaders and champions
Review of Apply & Consolidate Activities
Recap, Q&A, Next steps
Today’s Learning Outcomes
Critically explain the importance of leadership in project
management
Recognise traits that are strongly linked to effective project
leadership of cross-functional teams
Identify the right structure of teams and plan effectively
Recap previous topic
Leadership in the
project context
Leadership in the project context – terminology
Project manager Sponsor
Project leader Champion
Formal recognition
Seniority
Leadership in the project context – challenges
Goals
Team
members Stakeholders
Vision, direction, momentum
Feedback,
influence,
commitment
Motivation,
support,
development
Leadership in the project context – activities
• Owning the vision and business case
• Translating strategic objectives into project objectives
• Championing the project upwards and outwards
• Leading the team through ambiguity and challenge
• Ensuring the business is prepared
• Understanding the business
• Providing an escalation route
• Monitoring progress
Leadership in the project context – specifics
• Acquiring resources
• Motivating the team
• Setting the vision
• Communicating
Activity 1: Project
leaders
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
Collaboration Activity 1: Project leadership
This activity is designed for learners to explore the importance of
leadership in project management and the challenges of leading project
teams.
Conduct some independent research on the concepts you have studied
as part of this webinar preparation and answer the following four
questions:
1. What are the differences between leadership and management in the
project context?
2. What traits do project managers need to be successful? Do these all
relate to their role as ‘leaders’?
3. Pinto describes projects as being ‘leadership-intensive’. Is this the
case, and if so, why?
4. Are leaders ‘born’ or ‘made’?
You have 20 minutes for this exercise
Resources provided: None
Leading successful
cross-functional
teams
Organisation
The cross-functional team
Marketing Finance Operations HR IT
Project
Team
The cross-functional team
– golden rules
• End-to-end accountable leader
• Clear goals, resources and deadlines
• Success of the project as the main objective
• Keep projects under review – valid business case
The cross-functional team
– success factors
• End-to-end accountable leader
• Clear goals, resources and deadlines
• Success of the project as the main objective
• Keep projects under review – valid business case
• Defined rules and procedures
• Physical proximity
• Team member accessibility to each other
• Establish a team identity
• Reward good behaviour
• Build personal relationships with each team member
Situational leadership – Hersey & Blanchard’s model
Supporting Coaching
Delegating Directing
Supportive behaviour
Directive behaviour
Leadership styles – Blake Mouton’s Grid
Country club Team member
Impoverished Authority-obedience
Concern for team
Concern for organisation
Middle of the
road
Activity 2: The Project
Champion
Collaboration Activity 2: The Project Champion
The scope of this exercise it to study the case study on the River Fez, taken from
Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. Learners should then
conduct their own research on the topic before contributing to the group
discussion.
Each group is going to read the case study, then spend some time conducting
independent research, and reply to one of the following questions:
Group 1: What role did Aziza Chaouni play in getting the project off the ground?
E.g. project sponsor, leader, champion, project manager? What were her
responsibilities?
Group 2: How does the leadership role evolve from getting a project started to
seeing it through to successful completion?
Group 3: What sets Chaouni’s approach apart from others you have come
across? What could you take from her approach and apply to future projects?
Group 4: This project is expected to last 20 years. What are the challenges for
leaders of projects with long durations, and what can they do to overcome these
challenges?
Your group has 30 minutes for performing your tasks.
Resources needed for this exercise: Aziza Chaouni and Her Project to Save a
River.pdf
Enabling successful
teamwork through
structure and
planning
The project team – challenges
• Temporary – may have a day job to return
to or be distracted by
• Individuals come and go – high turnover
• Motivation through shared goal, but
changes can be demotivating
• Wider range of skills and personalities
than a ‘functional’ team
The project team – considerations
Personalities Skills Geography
Working
environment
Culture
The project team – assembling
Identify skills required
Identify personnel to match
skills
Talk to potential team
members
Negotiate with functional team
manager
Renegotiate with top
management
Adjust schedule,
budget and/or
scope
Try to get partial
assistance
Notify top
management of
consequences
Success?
Success?
Assemble the
team
Develop skills
inventory
Assign
responsibilities
Clarify roles
Agree methods
and procedures
Conditions for team success
• Direction
• Diversity
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Rules of engagement
• Defined roles
• Creative dissent
• Accountability
• Trust
• Fun
Activity 3: Leaders and
champions
Collaboration Activity 3: Leaders and Champions
The scope of this exercise it to study the case study on the Delhi Metro, taken from
Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. Learners should then
conduct their own research on the topic before contributing to the group discussion.
Each group is going to read the case study, then spend some time conducting
independent research, and reply to one of the following questions:
Group 1: What did the project team do differently to achieve success where previous
projects had failed? What makes Dr Sreedharan a ‘project management rock star’?
Group 2: What aspects of this approach were a function of the project environment
(geography, sector, culture, politics and so on)? What aspects were universal and so
applicable to all projects?
Group 3: What type(s) of project champion does this project need to succeed? Are
there any missing from the case study you would recommend exploring?
Group 4: How would you describe Dr Sreedharan’s role? Is he a leader, a champion
or both?
Your group has 30 minutes for performing your tasks.
Resources needed for this exercise: Dr. Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, India’s Project
Management Rock Star.pdf
Review of Apply &
Consolidate
Activities
Recap, Q&A, Next
Steps
Key Takeaways
• Leading a project requires a range of skills, capabilities
and aptitudes
• Strong communication skills, emotional intelligence and
credibility are most important.
• We can consider leadership and teamwork with models
like Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational Leadership and
Blake & Mouton’s Leadership Styles.
• Teams working on projects have specific attributes,
particularly that they are transient, multi-disciplinary and
have a high turnover.
• Project managers need to be proactive in building teams to
mitigate against the risks they propose.
Source: pixabay.com/ Accessed 4 January 2021
Next Steps
• Review the fundamental concept
• Go through the Module Overview and Introduction (if not
done yet)
• Go through the Preparation and Apply part of this week (if
not done yet)
• Go through the Consolidation part of this week
• Go through the Preparation and Apply part of next week
• See you next week same time!
Source: pixabay.com/ Accessed 4 January 2021