Project leader

Project leader "has a multitude of responsibilities to the project team, the sponsor and key stakeholders, to their organization and the client. Project leaders usually manage specialists in areas other than their own, who have to be brought together to produce effective results. As a integrator ensures all the activities of the project are pulled together and that any links missing or broken are identified." (Coleman S., MacNicol D. 2016) Considering another aspect, K. Pandya defines poject leader as "the architect of the project success. Project leadership competencies largely influence the project success. Research has shown that the project leader is one of the most important success factors of the projects" (Pandya K. 2014, p. 3)

The Roles of the Project Leader

The key among the project leader's roles are listed below :

1. Evolving Planning
2. Responsive Agility
3. Proactive Resilience
4. Collaborative Teamwork

"The first three roles-planning, agility, and resilience-focus on coping with changes, with each role ralating to a diffrent kind of change. These three roles, which complement each other, can be implemanted effectively only when they are supported by the fourth role, collaboration."(A. Laufer, T. Little, J. Russell, B. Mass, 2018, p. 6-7) In other words "project leaders are not only responsible for managing the day-to-day technical, engineering and standard works or achieving short-term goals of the project such as conforming to the basic triangle of time, budget and acceptable quality, but also have for aligning with the rapid change in the business environment, so as to achieve long-term project objectives and Return on Investment (ROI). They also need to manage change, scarcity of competent resources, deal with various behavioral issues with internal and external stakeholders and build high relationship."(Pandya K. 2014, p. 3)

Areas of concentration

"Every project leader should have a degree of leadership ability." (Coleman, D. MacNicol 2016)

Leadership focuses on :

• Vision
• Selling what and way
• Longer range
• People
• Democracy
• Developing
• Challenging
• Innovating
• Inspiring trust
• Policy
• Flexibility

Competencies of a successful project leader

There is not one single concept the field of project management research agrees upon.There are a wealth of competencies found to be of importance for project leaders that group around the three main areas of emotional, managerial and intellectual competences. The skill set includes :

• conflict management
• stakeholder influence
• technical project management tools
• team motivation
• communication
• disciplined
• attitude towards the end-customer and users
• human resources management

Examples of Project leader

• A construction project manager is responsible for the successful completion of a building project, overseeing all aspects of the construction process while keeping the project on schedule and within budget. This includes managing the construction team, subcontractors, and vendors, as well as negotiating contracts and dealing with regulatory and environmental issues.
• A software project manager is responsible for the successful completion of a software development project, overseeing all aspects of the process while keeping the project on schedule and within budget. This includes coordinating the development team, ensuring that all requirements are met, and dealing with any issues that arise.
• An IT project manager is responsible for the successful completion of an IT project, overseeing all aspects of the process while keeping the project on schedule and within budget. This includes coordinating the IT team and ensuring that all requirements are met, as well as dealing with any technical or security issues that arise.
• A marketing project manager is responsible for the successful completion of a marketing project, overseeing all aspects of the process while keeping the project on schedule and within budget. This includes managing the marketing team, coordinating with vendors and external agencies, and monitoring the results of campaigns.

Advantages of Project leader

Project leaders play an important role in the successful completion of projects. The following are some of the advantages of having a project leader:

• Clear Communication: The project leader is responsible for communication between team members, stakeholders, and other interested parties. The project leader can ensure that all parties involved are kept informed of project progress, issues, and changes.
• Leadership: The project leader provides guidance and direction to the project team. The project leader ensures that the team has the resources and support needed to complete the project.
• Organization: The project leader is responsible for the project's overall organization, including budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation. This helps keep the project on track and on budget.
• Accountability: The project leader is accountable for the success or failure of the project. They are able to document decisions and actions taken by the team and hold team members accountable for their work.
• Problem Solving: The project leader is responsible for identifying and resolving project issues. They are able to use their experience and knowledge to identify the root cause of issues and develop solutions.

Limitations of Project leader

Project leaders are responsible for the planning, execution and successful completion of any project. However, there are certain limitations that project leaders must consider when managing a project. These limitations include:

• Lack of resources: Project leaders are often limited by the resources available, such as personnel, materials and budget. This can create obstacles to completing a project on time and within budget.
• Limited authority: Project leaders typically do not have the authority to make major decisions without approval from other stakeholders. This can limit their ability to take action and make progress.
• Time constraints: Project leaders are often under time constraints to complete a project within a specific timeframe. This can make it difficult to achieve the desired results.
• Unforeseen circumstances: Unexpected events can occur that are outside the control of the project leader, such as natural disasters or changes in the economy. This can have a significant impact on a project’s timeline and budget.
• Poor communication: Poor communication between the project leader and stakeholders can lead to misunderstandings and delays.

Other approaches related to Project leader

Project leadership is a multi-faceted role that requires a variety of approaches to be successful. Here are some of the additional approaches used by a project leader:

• Agile Project Management - Agile project management is a process that focuses on delivering value through iterative and incremental cycles. It relies heavily on collaboration, communication, and continuous improvement of the project management process.
• Lean Project Management - Lean project management focuses on efficiency and eliminating waste. It is based on the principles of the Toyota Production System and it can be used to increase the velocity of delivery and reduce cost.
• Waterfall Project Management - Waterfall project management is a traditional approach to project management. It is based on sequential phases and it is best suited for projects that are well-defined and have a stable scope.
• Scrum Project Management - Scrum is an agile methodology that has been designed to manage projects with rapid changes. It focuses on short sprints, self-organizing teams, and frequent feedback loops.

In summary, project leadership requires a variety of approaches to ensure success, such as Agile, Lean, Waterfall, and Scrum project management. It is important for a project leader to understand the different approaches and to be able to adjust their strategy as needed.

Footnotes

Project leader — recommended articles

Agile project management methodology — Project — Successful project management — Successful project manager — Process owner — Project lifecycle — Management by projects — Project owner — Organization of managerial work

References

• Coleman S., MacNicol D., (2016), Project Leadership, Routledge, New York
• Laufer A. Little T. Russell J. Mass B. (2018), Becoming a Project Leader: Blending Planning, Agility, Resilience, and Collaboration to Deliver Successful Projects, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 6-7
• Meyer A. (2014), What are the competencies of a successful project leader, International Journal of Management Cases, 16(1), p. 29-30
• Pandya K (2014),The key competencies of project leader beyond the essential technical capabilities, IUP Journal of Knowledge Management, 12(4), 39, p. 3
• Verma K., and R. Max Wideman (1994), Project manager to project leader?, p. 2-3

Author: Katarzyna Kraj