Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez, DBA, BCBA
Bueno Ventures
Today, project managers are in multiple industries and at various levels in organizations, with a scope of work ranging from small to large scale projects. One thing clearly differentiates a successful project manager from a mediocre one: they don’t forget the M! Managing a project requires more than just looking at the work activity list, timelines, Gantt charts, Pareto analyses, and meetings. The project manager is in a prime position to collaborate with the people executing the project, or the position of managing others and creating a positive work environment for all. The challenge, of course, is that most project managers feel they are not in a positive of authority. So how can project managers take on the managerial role in the project? What does that look like?
Management can be summed up by a core set of behaviors:
Providing clear and concise direction. To get behavior started, people need clarity of direction. Who does what, by when, and how are basic elements of giving people the direction they need to be successful.
Measuring and monitoring progress against a goal. Without data, it becomes a guessing game as to whether people are doing what you setout to be accomplished. The goals may be achieved, but were they achieved precisely as you intended them to be? Management requires knowing whether behavior occured as expected.
Providing positive, ongoing, and constructive feedback consistently. The team is launched, the project manager has a key role, to provide feedback to the team. Without feedback, more guessing occurs on all parties.
Problem-solving when things don’t get done or aren’t done as expected. Challenges occur during a project, and a scientific approach to solving problems is critical.
Diagnosing Performance, taking a “don’t blame the person first” stance. Project managers should attend to the environment of any situation to ensure optimal success for everyone. Behavior analysis teaches us that behavior is influenced by the environment, so the individual performer is behaving because the environment is supporting that behavior. Don’t blame the person first, look to the environment to diagnose performance.
Holding people accountable when things don’t get done, on time or as expected. A project has a time expectation and various activities must get done. If expectations are nto met, management requires talking to people about the situation and identifying why it didn’t get done, on time, and to expectations. Don’t avoid it, people need the feedback, coaching and direction – that’s accountability.
Celebrating successes, wins along the way, and the goals achieved. Best part of a management job is celebrating the achievements of others, at least in my opinion. Behavior that is followed by positive consequences is more likely to occur in the future. Take the time to celebrate the achievements along the way.
There is a wealth of literature providing theory, techniques, and research on management behaviors that accelerate and sustain high performance. The core set of behaviors I am describing is derived from such literature, particularly applied research in the field of organizational behavior management (OBM). The lack of “management” focus in project management is astounding. In my own experience, project managers excel at scoping the project, analyzing pitfalls, and sharing information about progress.
However, few project managers I have observed excel in engaging with people throughout the project, managing expectations across stakeholders, diving deep into solving problems with people before assigning blame, and recognizing accomplishments along the way.
Do you know a project manager not managing? My advice is to share the core set of behaviors in this article with them. Have the individual do a quick self-assessment, and then encourage them to collect feedback from the very people they are managing on the project. These behaviors are a key differentiator between a project manager and a project planner.
Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez, DBA, BCBA
CEO and Co-Founder, Bueno Ventures
Manny is CEO of Bueno Ventures Management Services, a venture capital and management services firm working with small to mid-size businesses to grow and scale using OBM techniques. His accomplishments across his career include launching OBM consultancies, strategy execution for Fortune 500 companies, and national and international speaking engagements. He has authored articles on the subject of OBM, published in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored the four-volume book, “OBM Applied! A Practical Guide to Implementing Organizational Behavior Management” and “Quick Wins! Accelerating School Transformation through Science, Engagement, and Leadership.” Manny is a Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, and has had the great honor of serving as President and Executive Director of the OBM Network, a 400+ professional member organization. In addition, Manny has helped launched successful startups, and recently began leading the OBM Alliance, an organization dedicated to the growth of OBM practitioners. Manny received a Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of South Florida’s MUMA College of Business, a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis at the Florida Institute of Technology, and a dual bachelor’s degree in criminology and psychology from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.