Module 9 Project Manager Interview

It was a bit of a challenge for me to locate a project manager!  A friend of mine put me in contact with her father, who has been a PM for more than 30 years.  I had the opportunity to interview Norm, whose typical role has been a PM for large program portfolios in proposals and contract bidding, mainly in medical device distribution and communications.

Norm gave me a history of his path in becoming a PM and completing his PMP certifications.  His education background includes Engineering and English undergraduate degrees, as well as a MBA and the PMP certification!  He had worked in the field for 18 years prior to obtaining the certification.

Norm’s journey through project management was fascinating!  He has had the opportunity to work in government contracting, wireless and cellular technology, foreign communications, and medical devices to name a few. He shared how the first projects that he helped to lead, occurred before the advent of PC (personal computers)!!  He outlined the massive coordination efforts that were required to win a $1.2B proposal for satellite launch vehicle.  He said that it took the team 11 months to prepare a proposal that contained 13 volumes, 6,000 figure tables, and photos, which had to be manually prepared!  He said that without the coordination of everyone- from typists, to engineers, and all the others involved, it would not have been possible to win the bid.

I asked Norm about some of the biggest challenges he has faced as a PM.  He shared some instances where contract has been lost because of poor organization.  One of which, the team had spent months preparing, only to have the account manager not check the due date, and the team missed the project!  He believes that one of the bottom lines of project management is communication.  It is easy to hide behind emails and memos, without actually speaking, and as a result a lot of misperceptions may develop.  He said he is known for being a stickler when it comes to communication and has called meetings where phones were collected and doors “locked” until issues were resolved face to face!

Norm offered the following advice for someone considering Project Management as a career, “find a passion or discipline and apply it there.”  By this, he means that people are most successful when the field is one in which they are already invested.  He described the role of a PM with a nod to Scottish poet Thomas Carlyle, “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”  His inference is that the PM must be involved in the details.  They must be able to think outside the box, learn the principles and the approach [of the specific project] but also be able to filter through personalities, attitudes, desires and experiences.  His final bit of advice, “don’t be a purist in learning, be diverse but practically and realistically apply it.” 

I asked him if there was a difference with the people he has worked with who have the PMI certifications versus those who do not.  He believes that there is!  And interestingly enough, he said that it is active duty and former military members who tend to be the most successful.  He attributes this to their ability to develop and immediate grid and framework to establish project baselines.

As for the future of project management, Norm continues to see the growth of PM growing on a global scale.  He has supervised teams from India, China, South Africa, Pakistan, Israel, Spain, the Philippines, Singapore, Germany, Canada, and Australia…to name a few!  The key here is to have the framework to put together a strong organization and matrix responsibilities quickly, so that not only does a team in one country know what is required, but everyone else knows their areas and who has the backup for the other areas.  

I really enjoyed this conversation with Norm!  He provided a great picture of what the actual job entails, the challenges, the future and the great parts of this job.