Project managers serve as the point of contact to management, vendors and clients for each project. Project managers fulfill the role of organizing resources, developing a project plan, directing tasks and monitoring the projects status and budget. The goals and objectives of a project manager are successful completion of each project on time, within budget and to customer satisfaction.
Timely Project Completion
Timely project completion is a primary goal of all project managers. Project managers manage to a schedule and constantly monitor the project tasks to make sure the project in on schedule. The managers must anticipate any derailment of project deliverables that might compromise a project's timely completion. Many projects depend on an inflexible start date, even if that means working around the clock. Extra project time means extra dollars for the company sponsoring the project. Projects running behind cost more because resources are often paid by the hour.
Project Completion on Budget
On the outset of a project, a budget is set with estimated costs for resources, staff, vendors and materials. Project managers must manage this budget and ensure that costs do not spiral upward. The managers must obtain an estimate of all project costs and work with the company's financial department to confirm the final budget. At project conclusion, when the project costs are more than anticipated, the blame often falls on the manager. Staying on budget until project completion, or to saving money on a project, is one indicator of project success.
Customer Satisfaction
Another measure of project success is customer satisfaction, whether the customer is external or internal. Project sponsors may measure customer satisfaction with satisfaction surveys about the customer's perception of the implementation and outcome of the project. Project managers strive for seamless implementation of projects. When things go smoothly in a project, the customer is happy and may return for future services.
Lessons Learned
Every project is an opportunity for learning. One implied goal of each project is to better the project management process. With each new project, the manager and her team learn to perfect the information gathering, project documentation, completion of tasks and implementation procedures. Every project leads to lessons learned to help build a more cohesive project management experience. In the case of project management, the more experience the better.
