How to recruit a project manager

Great, the arbitration committee has pronounced a "GO" for the project... Now to whom do we entrust the project's destiny? In a previous article, I told you about ANGE - a mnemonic for considering the skills of a project manager. This time, I'm going to talk about how to put it into practice when appointing a project manager.

The ANGE method in action: appointing a project manager

To choose a project manager, I always use the same questioning routine. In the order in which I'm going to present them to you. And if I can't come up with a name, I start my routine again with the second question:

1. What does the ideal project manager look like?
2. Which candidates come closest to matching this profile?
3. Who's available?

What does the ideal project manager look like?

The question is actually incomplete, because the right question is: What is the ideal project manager's profile FOR THIS PROJECT? In fact, there's no such thing as the ideal project manager; there are just profiles more or less suited to each project. Here are the questions I ask myself to assess the project's requirements along the different axes:

• Animation : 
  • Will the project mobilize a wide range of profiles?
  • Is the project team used to working together, or is it new?
  • Will it mix internal, external and customer resources?
  • Will the project last long? Is there a risk of losing momentum?
• Negotiation :
  • Is the "project contract" (quality / cost / deadline) under severe pressure?
  • Will the ability to negotiate room for manoeuvre with contractors and suppliers be key?
• Manager:
  • Will the project have many components?
  • Does it fit in with other projects?
  • Will it be driven by means?
  • Will methodological requirements such as PMI or Prince2 certification be disqualifying?
• Expertise:
  • Is the project completely new? Are the technologies or techniques new?
  • Is the project a variation on an existing project?
  • Does the project involve challenging experts?
  • Is the success of the project guaranteed by the project manager or the project owner?

We can give a numerical value for each of these axes. Once the cursors are positioned on these 4 axes, I have a radar graph giving the portrait of the ideal project manager. Then it's off to the search for the perfect candidate!

Read also: Project manager, the rare pearl?

Who are the best candidates, and are they available?

Without going into strict mathematical logic, I superimpose my sketch with the radar graph of the skills of the various project managers. This presupposes a good knowledge of the candidates' skills. We should not hesitate to broaden the reflection to people who are not yet project managers (we have to start sometime). You can also integrate external resources, even if it is essential in this case to add an internal resource.

Once you've found the perfect candidate, you need to know their availability! Once you've found the perfect candidate, you need to know who's available. We draw up an initial schedule of the project, which we superimpose on the availability of the selected candidates. If my rare pearl isn't available, the negotiation phase begins:

• Can the schedule project be adjusted to ensure the availability of the "angel"?
• Can it be de-staffed from the projects on which it is mobilized?
• Can we envisage a phase of bevelling for the time needed to guarantee its availability?

What is certain is that I refrain from choosing a project manager because of the lack of availability of the right candidate. I prefer to negotiate the project contract or, in extreme cases, not to launch the project at all. ANGE is the key player in the project.