Page 79 - Project+

performance as the project progresses. You can refer to the project baseline at any

time to determine whether you are on schedule, within scope, within budget, and
determine whether the quality standards are on target.

The Project Manager

Chapter 1 talked about the project manager in detail. You will recall that this is the
person responsible for managing the work associated with the project. The following is
a brief list of the project manager’s responsibilities and is not all-inclusive. Each of
these items will be discussed in more detail in the remaining chapters of this book.

Managing the Project Team The project team consists of members from inside and
sometimes outside the organization. You will not always have the ability to choose your
project team. Remember that in a functional organization, the most common type of
organizational structure, other managers will assign resources to your team.

Communicating with Stakeholders and Project Team Members Keeping the
sponsor, stakeholders, and team members up to date on current project status, issues,

and other information is a key responsibility of the project manager. Communicating
starts the moment a project idea is formulated and continues through to final close-out
and approval of the project.

Managing Scope Scope describes the goals, deliverables, and requirements of the
project. The project manager will capture and document scope, along with help from
the stakeholders and team members, and will monitor and manage project scope using
change-control processes.

Managing Risk Risks are events that may occur that would impact the project, either

positively or negatively, and generally have consequences if they occur. Risks are
identified, managed, tracked, and monitored by the project manager.

Managing the Project Budget Project managers are responsible for monitoring and
tracking project costs and alerting the sponsor as soon as possible if costs are higher
than expected or the project is running through funds faster than anticipated.

Managing the Schedule Most project sponsors and executive-level stakeholders
love the saying “on time and on budget” and will often chant this phrase in project

meetings. Along with managing the budget, you are also responsible for managing the
schedule and assuring that key deliverables are performed on time.

Managing Quality Assurance It isn’t enough to deliver on time and on budget. You
will also be responsible for assuring the quality of the deliverables and making certain
they meet quality standards and are fit for use.

Project Artifacts Project artifacts are the documents, templates, agendas, diagrams,
and other work products used in managing the project. For example, the project
charter is an artifact. The project manager is responsible for maintaining and archiving

the artifacts of the project.

79