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MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

good at what he does when we are talk- ing about design. His numbers add up, his projects get built, and he knows how to prepare a set of highway plans and specs that the Arkansas DOT will like. But Chuck is a lousy communicator. He doesn’t want to sell, doesn’t look success- ful or inspire confidence in clients, and he really doesn’t have any interest in run- ning projects. He likes – and is good at – technical work. Sometimes stereotypes exist for a good reason. Th ere are plenty of “Chucks” out there who get moved into project management, but who will never be decent project managers. Th ey simply aren’t wired for it. Yet most com- panies feel compelled to run someone like Chuck through countless in-house and outside seminars in an attempt to change him into something that he isn’t and doesn’t want to be. 6)Disorganized people make lousy PMs. You show me someone whose o ffi ce looks like hell, who is always late, who can’t find files he or she once had, and who generally operates in a state of cha- os, and I’ll show you someone who has a problem running a project in such a way that the firm makes money, the schedule is met, and the client ends up happy. And once again, no amount of training is likely to help. Th is disorganized project manager was probably showing signs of disorganization when he or she was five years old – the behavior pattern is well established by adulthood! 7)No PM can work to his potential in an undisciplined firm. When I speak of an “undisciplined firm,” I am referring to one that doesn’t have budgets on half the projects loaded into their project cost accounting system; a firm that assigns both PMs and PICs to every job, yet can’t define the di ff erences in those very dif- ferent roles; or the company that doesn’t maintain a central project file system and instead leaves all that up to chance. I have seen situations where good project managers were ruined by a lousy, undisciplined company. Th e PM fails, and the company can’t even blame him for non-performance due to the fact that so many other people in the firm aren’t performing. So perhaps it’s time to revisit the state of the art in project management in your firm. Are you doing what should be done to advance it, or continuing down the same path that isn’t giving you what you want from your PMs? MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s founder and chairman. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup. com.

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MARK ZWEIG, from page 1 4)Communication skills are more im- portant than any other skill for PMs. Th e ability to write a clear meeting memo that all project team members can under- stand, explain to the client why things aren’t going as planned, ask for extra fee when the client changes the scope of services required, or get somebody who doesn’t work for you to want to help is what project management is all about. PMs can have all of the full-wall schedules, PERT charts, project incen- tive bonuses, and kick-o ff meetings they want, but if they don’t have good com- munications skills, the project will turn out lousy. 3)Creating a satisfied client that will use the firm again is the ultimate goal of the PM. I call this process “leaving a wake of goodwill.” Th at’s what it’s all about. Unless we are talking about very large projects, a firm rarely makes any money the first time they work for a new client. Th e ramp-up time to develop rela- tionships is very costly. Th e only way this expense is recouped is to work for the client again and again. to the PM. And to top it o ff , nobody re- ally expects things to go well because too often they don’t. 2)PMs can’t manage anything until they get the sale. I hear PMs in client compa- nies say it all of the time: “I don’t mind managing projects, but I really don’t want to have to sell.” Well guess what folks. We all have to sell, especially PMs. Clients want to feel comfortable that the person who will be responsible for get- ting their project completed is excited about working for them and has the con- fidence that the job can be done within the budget and time frame required. Th ey don’t want a techno-geek with no confidence, who is unwilling to vary from his two-syllable monotone responses to questions posed during the selling stage. Not to mention that the best PMs always sell extra services, when possible, while they’re doing the project. Weak PMs walk right past these opportunities. 5)No PM training program can turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse. Just like selling, some people are inherently more adept at project management than others. And despite your best e ff orts, some people working in A/E/P and en- vironmental firms will not be bolstered by more training. Take the example of a 53-year-old engineer who we’ll call “Chuck.” Chuck has been designing highways for 30 years. He’s an engineer’s engineer – you know the stereotype – multiple pens in the pocket, short-sleeve dress shirt, and dated tie. Chuck is darn

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1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com 1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560 Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399- 1900, ext. 139, or email TheZweigLetter@ TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2016, Zweig Group. All rights reserved. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 17-399- 1900, ext. 139, or email TheZweigL tter@ TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2016, Zweig Group. All rights r served. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560

THE ZWEIG LETTER January 9, 2017, ISSUE 1182 30, 2017, I SUE 185

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