What is a Project Manager’s Role in Ensuring a Successful Project?

Anyone who has worked on a project with a seasoned project manager at the wheel is likely to say that the process went much more smoothly with better results. It is the responsibility of a project manager to lead the team to not only achieve specific goals, but also meet success criteria within a specified time frame.

We recently sat down with the manager of CBORD’s project management office (PMO), Susan Cole, to discuss how project management at CBORD plays a role in ensuring a successful project for our customers.

How does project management add to the success of a project?

Project management gives leadership and direction to projects. Leadership is provided through a strong agreed-upon communication plan, scope definition, and resource assignments among the project teams. Direction is the consistent monitoring and execution of those plans during all phases of the project.

Talk a little more about the communication plan…

As we begin onboarding a project, we first schedule a project introduction meeting to review our customer’s business and technical goals, validate the high-level scope and timeline, and identify the project communication plan. Shortly after that call, we start regularly scheduled project status meetings to monitor and track project activities and milestones. These meetings are critical to the teams to build a trusted relationship that fosters collaboration and provides a forum to identify areas of improvement, efficiencies, and innovation, and of course, identify any risk or blocking issues so they can be mitigated as soon as possible. A proper communication plan should be useful to all stakeholders and be timely and accurate.

How do you measure if a project is successful?

With all projects, there are tangible signs of success, for example, dates were met, the system is working as expected, and users of the system feel prepared to manage and maintain the system.

Here are additional indicators that the project was successful:

• The project team was able to work efficiently through the project
• All resources knew their responsibilities
• Team members were accountable
• Team is confident they will see the project goals met

When CBORD assigns project managers to projects, we are committed to monitoring all signs of success and will work with the project team to make adjustments as needed, so every team member feels the project was an individual and team success.

If a customer has their own project manager, what is the benefit of having a CBORD project manager as well?

CBORD project managers know the implementation process for the various CBORD solutions. Their expertise allows them to engage the appropriate resources at the correct time. They also serve as the eyes and ears for the implementation team, allowing them to identify when a customer needs additional assistance or guidance and to mitigate any blocking issues. Their goal is to help facilitate a seamless implementation that is on time and on budget for the customer.

Have questions about our project management methodology, or how our project management office can assist you in a current or upcoming project? Contact Susan Cole, PMP, at skc2@cbord.com.