Although no one may have assumed the official role of Project Sponsor, someone secured the funding for this project, and someone appointed you to manage it. Talk to that person, explain the role of the Project Sponsor, and notify him that you will consider him your Project Sponsor and/or Project Director unless someone else is identified to fill that position. (See Pitfall #1 – No Sponsor, No Champion)
Accurate estimating takes a lot of effort, knowledge, available historical data, and a bit of luck. Chances are, your estimates are going to be off; the only questions are, by how much, and what will you do about it.
Your lack of accuracy could be due to one or both of the following: (1) you did a lousy job estimating (usually due to lack of historical comparative data) and/or (2) things changed. In the first case, take responsibility for your mistake, use it as a “learning opportunity,” and make sure everyone realizes what you are doing. In the second case, make sure everyone’s aware of the changes as soon as they occur, and use the change control umbrella to cover you. Remember – management hates “surprises.” It is better (for your career, at least!) to be off by a lot if everyone knows about it well ahead, than to be off by a little – and have it be a total surprise to the decision-makers.
In both cases, it behooves you to document your estimating process and assumptions, and reforecast on a regular basis. If an underestimate becomes apparent, identify root causes, define corrective actions and alternatives, and work back with the Project Sponsor and/or Project Director to head off any significant degradation of Project Schedule.
And finally, if your project is in real trouble, it may be time to initiate Project Triage.
It’s called "Customer education." Encourage your Project Sponsor and/or Project Director and your key Customers to read (or at least peruse) this Guidebook. Explain to them the benefit they will derive from proper planning. Illustrate your arguments by pointing to other projects (hopefully, disastrous) and explaining why they failed (hopefully, due to lack of planning). Seek persuasive allies among their colleagues. And finally, use it as a continuous improvement opportunity: explain what has to be accomplished, and ask for a creative way of getting the same result using some other means. Who knows, they may actually come up with a process improvement that you can use as a best practice later on. (See Pitfall #7 for more details.)
This is a kind of variation on the theme of the previous question. You can either try to persuade the folks that it’s the right thing to do, or lead by example and just do it the right way. It is unlikely that everyone doesn't understand project management; seek out people with similar ideas, and have them bolster your arguments. Brandish this Guidebook and follow the practices it advocates.
Great question! Management means "getting work done through others." Delegation is one of its principal tenets. Depending on the size of the project, the Project Manager may be physically unable to perform some of the duties outlined in this book. For example, take new team member orientation. Ideally, the Project Manager would spend a chunk of time with every team member, inculcating proper disciplines and techniques. However, what if the Project Team comprises hundreds of members? Project Team Leaders must be identified to take on those responsibilities. But remember, it is still the Project Manager’s responsibility to verify that delegated tasks are being executed correctly.
The most succinct way to answer this question is this: the Project Manager must do whatever it takes to have every task done right, on time, and within budget. Whether you accomplish this by sitting on the beach and firing off occasional e-mails (improbable), or by spending all your waking moments in the office (undesirable), you are still doing a fine job.
The first thing to remember is it doesn't pay to fight your Project Sponsor. The Project Sponsor and/or Project Director is your principal ally and benefactor. Reason, persuasion and education are the way to go.
First, make sure your Project Sponsor and/or Project Director knows that you are both trying to accomplish the same goal: to solve a business issue with the product of the project. Second, make sure the Project Sponsor and/or Project Director understands – and agrees with – the approach the project is taking. Finally, once you have established commonality of interests, you can gently educate your Project Sponsor and/or Project Director on the responsibilities of the position, and if his understanding differs, try to come to terms to which you both agree. Always argue from the benefit standpoint, explaining how a particular action on her part will benefit the project – and eventually the Project Sponsor.