The basic-level manager will coordinate or supervise a single-disciplined task of low risk. The basic-level manager is responsible for applying the project management process (see Chapter 1) to ensure that the technical task is accomplished within the cost and schedule parameters established for the project.

One month to six months.

Figure 6-1 contains the primary subjects that constitute the Basic Skill Set. Each subject is followed by an abbreviated definition. You can expand these abbreviated definitions and that fundamental knowledge by reading James Lewis’s Fundamentals of Project Management. This book will give you insight to all the subjects you need to know to conduct a small project. You can also review the documents referenced in the appropriate paragraphs of the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) under the column labeled PMI. Should you desire further amplification of the subjects, refer to the two far-right columns. The column labeled APM will refer you to the topics of the APM Project Management Body of Knowledge (APM BOK) and the column labeled ICB will refer you to the elements of the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB). You can find these documents referenced at “Suggested ReadingSuggested Reading” under the Advanced Skill Set.

Figure 6-2 contains the subjects, ordered by reference number (top row), and the proficiency requirements (bottom row) that the basic-level manager must achieve in order to operate efficiently at this level. Basic-level subjects are shown in bold.

Figure 6-2. Basic-Level proficiency requirements.

The world of project management is wide open to you at this point so you can leverage the basic-level subjects with any of the subjects in any of the levels that follow.

You can expand these abbreviated definitions and that fundamental knowledge by reading the Fundamentals of Project Management.

Without a doubt, the PMI’s PMBOK provides all the subjects required for this level as well as the next. Read and understand the PMBOK (Project Management Institute, 2000) knowledge areas and meet the limited experience requirements to get ready for the basic level.

In Fundamentals of Project Management, James Lewis applies the knowledge areas of the PMBOK to real-world exercises. For example, his Chapter 6, “Scheduling Project Work,” applies to PMBOK knowledge area 6, “Time Management.” His Chapter 4, “Using the Work Breakdown Structure to Plan a Project,” is a combination of parts of PMBOK knowledge area 4, “Project Integration Management,” and PMBOK knowledge area 5, “Scope Management.” These two books should be read together. Any seminar listed in any of the skill sets will be great but none is necessary for this level.

The advanced-level project manager will lead a multidisciplined team to achieve a task of moderate risk and moderate complexity. In addition to cost, schedule, and scope management, the advanced project manager now has the responsibility for selecting team members and ensuring that they understand the project and its objectives. The advanced-level project manager will interpret the task requirements, and create, implement, and manage a complex project plan that ensures that all requirements are met and all deliverables accrue to the customer at the proper times with appropriate quality.

One to three years, depending on the complexity of the project.

Figure 6-3 contains the subjects that constitute the advanced-level skill set. Each subject is followed by an abbreviated definition. The abbreviated definitions can be expanded by reviewing the documents referenced in the columns headed PMI, APM, and ICB. PMI refers to the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). APM refers to the topics of the APM Project Management Body of Knowledge (APM BOK). ICB refers to the elements of the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB).

Figure 6-4 contains the subjects, ordered by reference number (top row), and the proficiency requirements (bottom row) that the advanced-level manager must achieve in order to operate efficiently at this level. Advanced-level subjects are shown in bold.

Figure 6-4. Advanced-Level proficiency requirements.

Now, it’s time for you to broaden your effectiveness and work on your persona. The time-honored book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey is a good place to start. It is a break from the regimen of book after book of the “Firm” subjects to a look at the personal habits by which others judge you. The book presents explanations of “Dependence” and the transition to “Independence” and then to “Interdependence.” This book introduced the concepts of teamwork and synergy. And its ideas are just as effective today as the day it was written.

Ken Blanchard wrote the original The One-Minute Manager in 1981 and updated the book in 1999. Its three principles are as relevant now as they were then. However, the book has been further updated for the times in his newer book Leadership and the One-Minute Manager. In this book, Blanchard talks about the one-minute manager and situational leadership attuned to today’s strategies. It is likely we will cycle back through all those strategies in the near future.

Gung Ho! expands the management techniques of The One-Minute Manager to include the concept of energizing and empowering the modern employee.

In his book, The AMA Handbook of Project Management, Dr. Paul C. Dinsmore pulls together the talents of forty-one respected practitioners of project management to contribute their expertise, each in a selected subject. The book covers the subjects you would expect, such as startup, structure and organizations, teamwork, and quality, and also covers such subjects as research and development projects, new products, and cross-cultural projects. It will have a place on your project management bookshelf for years to come.

In his book Introduction to Simulation and Risk Analysis, James R. Evans uses the Excel spreadsheet as a teaching and operational tool to illustrate simulation modeling concepts and analysis of results. Excel is a tool common to almost every office software set and can be used in direct support of your project.

Tom Harris wrote I’m OK, You’re OK during the Transactional Analysis phase of management techniques. This little book contains some basic people-to-people relationships that are almost immediately recognizable but heretofore didn’t have names. The book became the starting point for several comedic spin-offs (I’m OK, But I Don’t Know About You), but nevertheless it has a lot to say.

Written for both team leaders and executives, Glen M. Parker’s Cross-Functional Teams provides checklists and sample training programs to help establish effective teams. His data is based on his consulting experiences with many large and medium businesses and will help you in your search for the right training courses for your projects.

The following seminars and subject areas are recommended for this level.

The PMI seminar “Contracting and Procurement Management” covers the procurement process from start to negotiation and award, then through performance and completion for project managers to understand their roles as well as the roles of procurement personnel.

The PMI “Risk Management” workshop uses an array of practical management tools to build risk models for standard risk identification, quantification, qualification, response development, and risk control. The idea is to establish a common approach that can be used for all projects, not just one.

The AMA seminar “Effective Project Leadership: Building High Commitment Through Superior Communication” covers not only basic communication but the specifics of team dynamics and conflict management as well. The seminar covers communicating during project planning, implementation and closure and the “nits and grits” of running effective meetings, what to do when crisis hits, performance reporting, and building commitment to the project.

The expert-level manager leads programs of moderate to high risk and complexity and may be involved in several programs simultaneously. The expert-level manager is responsible for program budget and schedule as well as program technical performance. The expert-level manager leads an interdisciplinary staff and team. The expert-level manager is responsible for profit or loss. The expert-level manager is the primary customer contact, is responsible for customer satisfaction, and may be responsible for follow-on business. Follow-on business activity may involve writing and managing proposals, arranging for partnerships and teammates, and negotiating or leading the negotiating team.

Two to five years, depending on complexity.

Figure 6-5 contains the subjects that constitute the expert skill set. Each subject is followed by an abbreviated definition. The abbreviated definitions can be expand by reviewing the documents referenced in the columns headed PMI, APM, and ICB. PMI refers to the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). APM refers to the topics of the APM Project Management Body of Knowledge (APM BOK). ICB refers to the elements of the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB).

Figure 6-6 contains the subjects, ordered by reference number (top row), and the proficiency requirements (bottom row) that the expert-level manager must achieve in order to operate efficiently at this level. Expert-level subjects are shown in bold.

Figure 6-6. Expert-Level proficiency requirements.

In addition to achieving the specific proficiency requirements shown in Figure 6-6 you can leverage your proficiency at the expert level by reading the following books and attending the following seminars.

Change your customers from simply being satisfied customers into Raving Fans by using Ken Blanchard’s ideas that teach how to define a vision, to learn what a customer really wants, and to institute constant, effective customer-centered systems.

Use my Blueprint for Project Recovery to recover from a problem on your project or program, or to control the planning so you don’t have issues to recover from.

How you handle change is really the subject of Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese? Just about the time you have the “cheese” (rewards) figured out, someone moves them. The concepts are applicable to the business world and to one’s personal life.

Just mention “risk” and watch the eyeballs of the project manager snap. Risk is inherent to all projects and compounds exponentially as projects become more and more complex. In Identifying and Managing Project Risk, Tom Kendrick addresses risk from an overall project standpoint and provides a base from which you can move to your specialty. It appears to me that risk is the most addressed subject in the project management list of subjects. Every month, articles about risk appear in all the periodicals. Software has even been developed to assist the project manager in identifying and controlling risk. Still in all, risk exists in every project and must be controlled, and this is a good place to start.

Even though the book is titled for small business, Successful Proposal Strategies for Small Business by Robert Frey provides insight to proposal strategies for almost all sizes of companies and most of the agencies you can think of from concept to printing.

Managing the Project Team is Vijay Verma’s third volume in “The Human Aspects of Project Management Series” and covers team dynamics, inspiring performance, and creating self-motivating project teams.

At this point in your project management career, you should have covered just about all of the “Firm” subjects. Now is the time to add depth to the firm subjects, concentrate on the “Soft” subjects and to work on your persona. Most of the seminars recommended at this level are a combination of subject areas (that is, not single subjects) and lean more to the human or people side of the business.

The specialist-level manager leads projects or programs of moderate to high risk and complexity, manages an interdisciplinary staff, and may be involved in several projects or programs simultaneously. The specialist-level manager is responsible for project or program budget, schedule, and technical performance. The specialist-level manager usually acts as primary customer contact, is responsible for customer satisfaction, and may be responsible for follow-on business.

Five to ten years.

Figure 6-7 contains the subjects that constitute the specialty-level skill set. Each subject is followed by an abbreviated definition. Specialty-level subject areas include specific areas of interest or responsibility, such as leading virtual teams, conducting international business, working with AID (Agency for International Development), and so on, but in truth, there is no end to the category of specialties.

Figure 6-8 contains the proficiency requirements of the specialist-level subjects, by reference number (top row), and the proficiency requirements (bottom row), that the specialist-level manager must achieve in order to operate efficiently at this level. Primary subjects are shown in bold.

Figure 6-8. Specialist-Level proficiency requirements.

Because the specialty area is so broad, you will see an admixture of subjects presented here. In truth, these subjects need to be whatever you need to support your specialty. That’s not a cop-out, it’s just reality, and when you reach this level, you will have no difficulty “filling in the blanks.”

How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone, Anywhere Around the World by Frank L. Acuff presents in-depth information for international negotiating. The author separates the world into six regions consisting of forty-one countries and calls for different negotiating methods with each one. A “Fast-Fact Summary” is provided for each nation allowing the reader to quickly grasp the uniqueness of that country.

Aligned to conducting business around the globe, The Distance Manager by Kimball Fisher covers the main topics that a project manager must consider when using virtual teams through discussion of using e-mail, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing for maximum effectiveness; of mastering the people skills required to manage from a distance, of virtual team building, and of strategies for managing multiple locations.

Written more like a white paper than a book, Martha Haywood’s Managing Virtual Teams nevertheless asks, and answers, all the right questions. For instance: What are the four key principles for effectively communicating at a distance? And, questions near and dear to the heart of all project managers: How do I know they are really working? How do I know they are working on the right things?

The selection of specialty seminars will be directed by the character of the specialty and will be numerous.

The principal-level manager leads very complex and high-risk projects and programs. The principal-level manager oversees budget and schedules and directs an interdisciplinary staff. He or she has primary responsibility for program growth, including new technology. The principal-level manager is the primary customer contact and is responsible for customer satisfaction. Programs will likely include new technology and may include new product development. Programs may be international in scope or application. Portions of the projects or programs may be “virtual” and encompass several locations, including overseas locations. The principal-level manager is responsible for profit or loss. The principal-level manager will be responsible for follow-on business and may be responsible for new business. The principal-level manager will likely direct the marketing of the follow-on or new business activity.

More than ten years.

Figure 6-9 contains the subjects that constitute the Principal Skill Set. Each subject is followed by an abbreviated definition. As you can see, these subjects are beyond the scope of the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), the topics of the APM Project Management Body of Knowledge (APM BOK), and the elements of the IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB) under the column labeled ICB. Note that the subject areas are purposely broad.

Figure 6-10 contains the proficiency requirements of the principal subjects, by reference number (top row), and the proficiency requirements (bottom row), that the principal-level manager must achieve in order to operate efficiently at this level. Principal subjects are shown in bold.

Figure 6-10. Principal-Level proficiency requirements.

In addition to achieving the specific proficiency requirements shown in Figure 6-10, you can leverage your proficiency at the expert level by reading the following books and attending the following seminars.

The project office is not only a way to conduct projects, it is also a way to conduct business. In their book Creating the Project Office: A Manager’s Guide to Leading Organizational Change, Randall Englund, Robert Graham, and Paul Dinsmore suggest that the project office leads to better products, and can lead to organizational change by transforming the organization from function-based to project-based.

The authors interviewed over 150 CEOs to get the inside dope on how they run their companies. In Maximum Leadership, Charles Farkas and Phillippe DeBacker share the results of their interviews in five strategies for success.

Where do we stand with regard to others in our business? H. James Harrington’s High Performance Benchmarking shows the “what’s” and “how’s” and how they come through in this first book on benchmarking.

Originally published by nine co-authors in 1996, this book has undergone editorial change by Miki Halliday and was republished in 2001. Coaching, Mentoring, and Managing, edited by William Hendricks, advocates treating your employees as real people and helping them along the way with coaching instead of condemning, and mentoring instead of maligning.

Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton bring their “balanced scorecard” concept from seminar to book form and extend it into a performance management framework in The Strategy-Focused Organization.

Business strategy with a practical application is the theme of Strategic Planning: A Practical Guide for Managers, by Drs. Harold Kerzner and Peter J. Rea. The authors use a dozen or more case studies to show how it’s done in different companies.

Although Alvin Toffler’s The Third Wave was written twenty years ago, it has as much thought-provoking insight as Future Shock. It is worth taking time to read it.

The “Reinventing Work Series” by Tom Peters consists of three books. The books are titled: The Brand You 50, The Professional Firm 50, and The Project 50. Each is a list of fifty actions to reinvent the work of that subject area. Naturally, we are most interested in The Project 50 but the others are important as well.

Now for the seminars appropriate to the Principal Skill Set.

Appraise Your World was created by the Management Research Group of Portland, Maine. Where do your decision styles come from and how do they compare with a like group? Everyone is affected by a Professional/Public Self, Leisure Self, Personal Self, and Inner Self. Each of these factors includes four or five subfactors. The importance you place on each of these subfactors affects the way and ways you make decisions. Appraise Your World collects your response to these individual subfactors and compares them to a norm. The purpose is to give you an insight to how and why you make decisions and how you relate to your peers. Such inclinations will affect how you progress in your career, among other things.

The Leadership Decision Styles Survey was created by the Center for Creative Learning in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is usually presented by company training departments whom they certify in the process. Each company is franchised to handle the course. Using a series of case studies, the leader (you) decides how he or she will handle the decision required for each case by using one of the five methods as a basis. The results are analyzed by plotting your decision style against the recommended decision style for each case and then summed into a decision profile that represents you. The five decision styles form a spectrum, from making the decision alone to making a decision with the entire team involved.