Why does everyone think they know how to do my job?

OR "I don't tell you how to declare variables, don't tell me how to quantify schedule risks!"

Rant time! Have you ever noticed that project management is one of those jobs everyone thinks they know how to do? So, I don't tell software developers how to write code, nor do I typically tell my senior managers how to manage (although I've had all their jobs), but I'll regularly get told about where the critical path is, or that my approach to quantifying risks is flawed, or have a group of functional managers looking over my shoulder.

First: In my considerable experience, anytime a non-project manager uses the words "critical path" in a sentence, it is almost guaranteed they've never been in project management or had formal project management training(or they are frustrated aspiring PMs who didn't get the last open PM job).

Next - software developers and creative types hate to be pinned down to commitments to finish tasks, and so when hammering out a schedule, there will always be reasons why the plan you developed is wrong and they will need to redo it for you (instead of writing code).

Lastly, when deep in the throes of developing the latest version of the project plan and schedule, project team members and functional managers alike will pull you aside into earnest meetings on why management's/the team's approach to the project is wrong and will result in disaster (again, instead of making actual progress on their tasks).

My boss says that project management is the hardest job there is, and in some respects he's right! I used to feel mildly guilty about earning what I do for the type of project management work that I do these days, but damn, when I am getting advice, direction or objections from people who all know project management in addition to their own jobs, I earn every penny!

Phillip Diab, MBA, PMP had an interesting blog post recently about PMs getting no respect. In it, he had the following interesting points:

“Management” has to accept some of the responsibility for these challenges. Typically what I’ve seen is that there are contributing factors that cause a lack of respect for PMs and the profession. They stem from:

Lack of understanding what project management is and what the project manager does.
Improper expectations of project managers stemming from the lack of understanding.
Inability to set a clear and communicable strategy and objectives to help drive the organizational projects.
Vagueness in terms of responsibility, accountability, and authority in decision making.
Poor leadership skills in terms of motivating employees and aligning them with proper expectations.

By itself, the PMP certification or other credentials mean little without the braid of experience to back them up. But an experienced PM with a solid PM educational foundation has a real deep bag of tricks to work with, just like an experienced software developer, graphic designer, videographer, etc.

So, if you hire a PMP with a decent resume, consider stepping back and letting her or him do their thing. They might surprise you.

How do they find the time?

I'm a fan of LinkedIn, to a point... It is great to be able to form connections with people that I've known for years as well as people I met more recently in teaching and speaking. Some of the groups crack me up, though. I recently joined one based on the invite from the founder, who is a prominent member of PMI. I need to revisit my settings, because the posts coming into this thing are frequent and loonnnggg.

As I read these well-developed, lengthy philosophical discourses on whether mid-sized projects and organizations require or should use scaled project management approaches, I ask myself "how do they find the time to write this?" I work at a mid-size company - I'm leading a website development project (redoing the whole site, front to back) within the context of a larger ERP implementation, and I sure don't have time to write paragraphs on methodology in the middle of the workday!

I just joined another group, and the first post I saw was something about "what killed waterfall could kill agile." Hello - Waterfall is not dead, will never die - and neither will Agile. Old project management methodologies never die, they just become less sexy. As project managers, do not get tied to a methodology. If you cannot adapt your approach to fit the project, if you cannot flex to apply the best tactics and strategy to the organizational project context, you are in trouble.

A bright consultant I know, Robert Merrill, said something like "the difference between methodology zealots and terrorists is that you can sometimes negotiate with terrorists." That's funny... and too true. Don't be a methodology zealot - you'll be boring, inflexible, and perhaps soon unemployed.

Oh, and I am writing this really early in the morning. Watch for sample chapters from my book soon!