Project Management
The Accidental Project Manager (Cont.)
Looking back at the interview with Professor Warburton and Ed Shea, the discussion highlights the concept of being an accidental project manager and how a simple task is regarded as managing a certain project. Calling upon someone to take up the responsibility of initiating tasks to achieve an end goal by utilizing resources is classified as project management whether or not the person given the PM responsibility likes it or not (Ricahrson et al., 2015). The interview was able to provide a good sense of understanding the concept of accidental project manager from another perspective away from the conventional though that PM is on a greater level authority, scope of tasks, and range of skills to accomplish. Going back to the interview, it is apparent that being an accidental manager is about taking on a job a regular basis and it doesn’t matter whether the presented task is work related or personal in nature (Bourne, 2006).
In a real world practice of project management, people often think that they are only engaged in project management if the conditions of the task provide them with authority to maneuver resources and manpower on grand scale. People do not often realize that the elaborate work and the complex processes that they undertake in their life are already manifestations of being a project manager (Gillard, 2009). For example, when a student was given a task to complete a group science project, it is only that time that student will view the task as project management. However, being at school and engaging in the learning process already encompasses the context of project management. Going to school is a task that requires managing time to ensure that assignments and class schedules are met while also managing resources to ensure that the needed materials for learning are acquired. The end result of such undertaking is graduating and going up to the higher level of learning. It is the same as being a project manager where succeeding in the given tasks are the ultimate end goals.
References
Bourne, L. (2006). Project relationships and the stakeholder circle. In PMI Research Conference (pp. 1-17). Melbourne: Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd.
Gillard, S. (2009). Soft Skills and Technical Expertise of Effective Project Managers. Issues In Informing Science And Information Technology, 6(1), 723-729. Retrieved from http://iisit.org/Vol6/IISITv6p723-729Gillard599.pdf
Richardson, T., Earnhardt, M., & Marion, J. (2015). Is Project Management Still an Accidental Profession? A Qualitative Study of Career Trajectory. SAGE Open, 5(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2158244015572098
