For every project manager who runs IT projects and has a technical past, this is a nagging question. After all, we all like to dabble right? We like to show that we can still perform to some degree on the technical side while still being able to run a large project. It’s like taking pride in being able to help you kids with their complex math problems many years after graduating from college. It’s our nature to want to show off. If not to our kids, then to our technical team. We hate to have them think we’re not ‘one of them.’ We don’t want them to think that we are no longer technically relevant.
So the question begs to be answered – is it bad to be too hands-on as a project manager on a technical project? Myself, I would have to say ‘yes.’ I’ll get to why in a minute though it may be somewhat obvious. First, though, I’d like to invite our readers who are out there managing technical projects to respond. How many of you get your hands dirty – like it or not – on technical projects by assisting in development, data loads, performance tuning, etc.? Do you like it? And if you don’t get to, do you wish you could.
The PM role
I think we all understand that the PM role is one of tracking, control, oversight, and accountability – both being accountable for about everything project-related and holding others accountable for their assigned tasks and responsibilities. What the PM role is not about is software development or playing with the latest and greatest technology on the project. Shifting a PM’s focus to actual hands-on work with the technical solution can take too much away from the oversight responsibilities leaving a dangerous communications gap that can cause serious problems on the project. If the project manager is playing with technology, they may not be meeting the customer’s needs or serving the project and team well and that is their true role on the project.
Leaving the technical work to those who are best suited for it is in the best interest of the project. If the project is very small, it may be ok for the PM to take on a somewhat technical role. However, if the project is large or very visible, it is imperative for the PM to stay grounded and focused on what they were hired to do. And if the project manager finds themselves being pulled into a more technical role on a project that they can ill afford to give that extra time to, then they must speak up and request additional technical resource support to fill that void. It’s in the best interest of the team. It’s in the best interest of the project. It’s definitely in the best interest of the customer. And it’s in the best interest of the project manager as it’s no longer part of their career path.