In many organisations with whom mbh has worked, project managers become so accidentally. They may be business analysts, financial analysts or managers who had the project manager (PM) role thrust on them. The problem with this situation is, because the PM role is not their primary focus, core project management functions are neglected as the analyst or manager completes their usual duties.

In this "accidental" project manager environment, the ability of project managers to stand up to key stakeholders who are continually moving the goal posts, and to report accurately on project progress to the sponsor and customers, is reduced to almost nil. Hence, no matter how hard the project managers work on the PM tasks they have allocated themselves, they will never successfully complete their projects on time, within budget and to the quality needed for benefits to accrue.

The main missing ingredient from accidental project managers is their ability to lead the project team, its stakeholders and other people within the organisation. The reason they are unable to lead is because they have too many other duties to perform and thus, even if they are strong leaders, just do not have the time to be both a great project manager and do their usual duties.

To lead effectively, the project manager must be able to manage all the nine functions of the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) (Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Risk, Communications, Procurement & Contract Administration, and Human Resources). But, their ability to do these nine functions well and integrate them is nothing compared to their ability to lead and influence others. The nine functions of project management, when done well, give the project manager the knowledge to make tough decisions. However, it does not matter how well they manage these functions, if they fail to inspire and convince the projects stakeholders of the need for the project and the benefits it will bring, then the project will still fail miserably.

mbh supplies organisations with dedicated project managers whose primary focus is project management (PM), and nothing else. These are true professionals with rich PM experience and skills derived from working on large, sophisticated multiple-dollar projects. Whether it is on a temporary or permanent basis, we can provide organisations with PMs who know how to lead projects to successful completion.