'Why to become a Project Manager? Why I did?' by Vladimir Ivanov

My passion changed from Programming to Project Management. I am board member at International Project Management Association Latvia since 2001, am assessor and give classes also on Program and Portfolio Management.

I hear many stories of people who somehow found their "ways to a project management profession". Let me share the best ones!

Set of persona-based stories that could help programmers and people in other roles to better understand if Project Managers job is good for them or not by looking how other people got there. For each case pros and cons are analysed. I was influenced by reading some of Adizes' books.

Transcript

1. WHY TO
   BECOME A
   PROJECT
   MANAGER?
   WHY I DID?
   VLADIMIRS IVANOVS
   ITSM.LV
   AGILETRANSFORMER.COM
   

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2. • Programming for PDP11 in 80’s
   • Novell admin, PM in telco
   • CIO in retail
   • Consultant, trainer
   VLADIMIRS IVANOVS, ITSM.LV
   AGILETRANSFORMER.COM
   

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3. WHAT DO WE EXPECT?
   PROJECT MANAGER = LEADER
   

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4. PROJECT MANAGER
   =
   PERFECT MANAGER
   ?
   

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5. 4 PERSONAS
   All characters appearing in this work are fictitious.
   Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
   

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6. PRODUCER
   • Bachelor in Computer Sciences
   • Knows at least 3 Programming languages
   • Promoted to PM because success in
   technical lead role
   • Biggest success – automated process
   • Extreme side - «The Lone Ranger»
   • Works very hard, FISH (First In, Still Here)
   • «YES» = «YES», «NO» = «NO»
   • Does not train, does not delegate
   • «WHAT?» oriented
   • Busy solving today’s problems
   • The Peter Principle «We promote people to
   the level of their incompetence» is about him
   

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7. 4 PERSONAS
   

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8. ADMINISTRATOR
   • In charge of Release and Testing Process
   • Loves Processes and Documentation
   • In and out on time
   • Desk clean, Manages «by the book»
   • Extreme side - «Bureaucrat»
   • Silence = «NO!»
   • Typical answer: «NO!» = «MAYBE»
   • «HOW?» oriented
   • Focus on what Should be done
   • Would rather do wrong things right
   than the right things wrong
   • - Did you had any language barriers?
   - No, they did!
   

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9. 4 PERSONAS
   

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10. ENTREPRENEUR
    • Contributor, innovator
    • Often changes direction and priorities
    • No fixed time for meeting, coming & going
    • No agenda, does all the talking
    • Likes to see much activity, rushing, chrisis
    • Overloads subordinates
    • Extreme side - «Arsonist»
    • Silence = «YES!»
    • Typical answer: «YES!» = «MAYBE»
    • «WHY-NOT?» oriented
    • Little appreciation for time, scope, budget
    • Is first to propose Agile, DevOps, Lean etc
    • Potential «Teacher»
    

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11. 4 PERSONAS
    

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12. INTEGRATOR
    • Integrity – a must for good Leader to have
    • Compromising
    • Listens well
    • Sensitive to power play
    • Spends his life in meetings, everyone talks
    • Extreme side - «Super Follower»
    • Typical answer: «Yes/No» = «MAYBE»
    • «WHO?» oriented
    • Potential «Good Right hand or Shepherd»
    • «I don’t know the way to success, but the
    key to failure is trying to please everybody»
    Bill Cosby
    

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13. MANAGEMENT STYLES (PAEI)
    RESULTS
    PROCEDURES,
    SYSTEMS
    MOTIVATION,
    CO-OPERATION
    CREATIVITY,
    CONTINUITY
    WHAT?
    HOW?
    WHY-NOT?
    WHO?
    

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14. MISMANAGERS, MANAGERS
    AND LEADERS
    

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15. CONFLICT OF STYLES
    

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16. 9 CHARACTERISTICS
    OF GOOD MANAGERS
    1. Self-aware
    2. Conscious
    3. Well-rounded (no zeros in PAEI code)
    4. Knows strenghts and weaknesses; know his uniqueness
    5. Accepts strenghts, weaknesses, and uniqueness
    6. Can identify excellence and weaknesses in others
    7. Can accept and appreciate differences in others
    8. Knows how to slow down and relax
    9. Creates a learning environment, in which conflicts can be
    resolved, by both commanding and granting mutual trust and
    respect
    Source: Ichak Adizes, «The Ideal Executive: Why You Cannot Be One and What to Do about It»
    

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17. WHY TO BECOME A PROJECT
    MANAGER?
    

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18. Dr. Ichak Adizes, world's leading expert on improving the performance of business
    and government through fundamental change
    MANAGERIAL JOB IS FAR TOO COMPLICATED
    FOR ANY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL TO DO...
    WE NEED A COMPLEMENTARY TEAM.
    

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19. READING
    

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20. CREDITS
    1. Ichak Adizes, «Mastering Change (The Power of Mutual Trust and
    Respect)»
    2. Ichak Adizes, «The Ideal Executive: Why You Cannot Be One and
    What to Do about It»
    3. Ichak Adizes, «Management and Mismanagement Styles»
    4. Ichak Adizes, «Managing Corporate Lifecycles»
    5. Blog, Leveraging 3 Primary Management Styles,
    http://corporatestrategiesbyskillpath.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/lev
    eraging-3-primary-management-styles/
    6. PAEI Project, http://paei.wikidot.com/adizes-methodology
    7. Picture, http://www.pinterest.com/pin/345299496400794458/
    8. Picture, http://f.pmo.ee/o/2014/11/13/3518977t1h5536.jpg
    9. Picture, http://www.management.com.ua/events/adizes_2013-5.jpg
    10. YouTube video «Adizes: What is a Leader»
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SF0xSr5wW4
    

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21. CONTACTS
    linkedin.com/in/vivanov
    vladimir@ivanov.lv
    +371 29160633
    v.ivanovs
    @vivanovs
    vivanovs
    

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