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The 4C's of an Ideal Project Manager

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Program and Project Management

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Mellacheruvu Adi Saasthry
Director, India

The 4C's of an Ideal Project Manager

To be excellent, a project manager should be:
- Communicative - Communication is the artery of any project and information is the blood that should flow seamlessly. The PM has to be communicative to all levels of the organization who are involved. It is not just to be communicative, but communicate effectively the right information at the right time to all the stakeholders of a project.
- Collaborative - Projects are a joint intellectual effort of many minds. The PM should lead any activity in a project and should take a collaborative approach. For example when adopting this approach, the PM is involving the client in project activities from the beginning, indirectly getting a buy-in. It becomes easier for the client to take decisions in any activity and overall it saves time in the project.
- Committed - This can make or break lots of decisions and has a tremendous impact on the project, and on the relationships and trust between the PM and various other constituents. A PM, once committed to a deliverable or a milestone, can never go back. By sticking to a commitment he builds relationship and trust.
- Creative - Customers are quenched with creative meaningful ideas that help them to meet the business or competitive market needs. The PM should be in the forefront with creativity in dealing with client’s problems or requirements. Also, he should be creative in leading the team. Problems do creep in a project, but the PM should be creative with array of new ideas to deal with them.
 

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20
Foure-Joopen Helga, France
 

Add Extra C's: Coordination and Concentration

The four C's indicated above could perhaps be complimented by two others which are: - Coordination,... Sign up

 
13
Peruch
Management Consultant, Belgium
 

The Ideal Project Manager is a Leader

Mr Saasthry, I like your points, what you tell us is that a good project manager should also be a l... Sign up

 
5
Leonard Stewart, United States
 

Add Extra C: Cool

I would add another C: Cool, as in cool under pressure. A PM must respond to many pressures with ap... Sign up

 
4
Asad Ali
Manager, Pakistan
 

Add Extra C: Caring

Agreed, but I would add yet another C for Caring, because it is one of the most important sources fo... Sign up

 
2
alice fernandes, Kuwait
 

Establishing an Ideal Project Team

Very good points are listed but very rare to find all of these in one person. Every person has some ... Sign up

 
5
Shankar Lakkaraju, India
 

Caring / Empathy

@Asad Ali : I agree with Caring; without empathy towards "your" team nothing can be achieved. Feel t... Sign up

 
2
Mohamed Hisham, Sri Lanka
 

The Ideal Project Manager

It becomes clear reading the above that the subject of project management includes team work, leader... Sign up

 
10
umesh bahadur, India
 

Add Extra C: Couragious

Great. I would like to add courage in taking decisions and to stand up to criticism when things do n... Sign up

 
1
Frank Yost, United States
 

Leadership

@Asad Ali : I could not agree with you more. People are losing sight of what it means to be a true l... Sign up

 
3
Macil Eddy, United States
 

Add Extra C: Centered

What about centered as in centered on the end goal, and not the project itself. It seems that faile... Sign up

 
4
isaiah
Accountant, Kenya
 

Extra C: Cost Effectiveness

Cost effectiveness is also key. Cost-time tradeoffs are to be considered. For example, certain proce... Sign up

 
0
Madan Gopal Agarwal
Business Consultant, India
 

Behavioural Traits for a Good Project Manager

Good and useful summary of behavioural traits for a good project manager. As such, any job needs te... Sign up

 
1
Prof. Dr. Karl Kuhn, Azerbaijan
 

4 C's are Good, But Other Qualities are Needed as Well

I agree that these are prerequisites supporting project management excellence. But they are not suf... Sign up

 
0
wil son chnyamurindi
Zimbabwe
 

To Succeed as a Project Manager

Over and above all else, the PM should visualise the goal, motivate himself/herself through interim ... Sign up

 
1
Tom Smulders
Business School Marketer, Netherlands
 

The 4C's of a Project Manager

Very good points, I wish I had realized it earlier in my career. I understand now what the reason is... Sign up

 
12
Mark Song
Manager, China
 

Add Extra C: Customer Oriented

I would like to add another C: customer-oriented. Sometimes most PMs would like to focus on products... Sign up

 
11
aurelian cojocaru, Romania
 

Project Manager should be C-L-E-A-R

To complete the picture, there is also the CLEAR acronym for a project manager: - Credibility - you... Sign up

 
8
Ioannis Chassiotis, Greece
 

Requirements for Effective Project Manager

The above mentioned 4C's can equally apply to effective management & leadership in general. And of ... Sign up

 
1
James Kimani Mwaura
Manager, Kenya
 

Project Management Tools

On a basic level, the project manager should also be able to use tools for project management such a... Sign up

 
0
Shadrack Ashibo Atanda, Kenya
 

Project Manager Traits

I totally agree with the above C's.. enlightening! If I had known all this earlier, then my organiza... Sign up

 
0
Rannona A Rantao, South Africa
 

Project Manager and Transformational Leadership

I agree with the various comments on the required C's as ideal traits for a project manager. I'd li... Sign up

 
3
Roller Saint Pierre, Haiti
 

Ad Extra C: Culturally Oriented

What about "culturally oriented". A PM must understand the organizational culture in which he is ope... Sign up

 
3
Robin Lahiri, United Kingdom
 

On Extra C: Centered on Goals

@Macil Eddy: I couldn't agree more. In many organisations, especially where "project management" be... Sign up

 
3
Mohd Alduwaihees
Strategy Consultant, Kuwait
 

Add Extra C: Candid

I would like to add another c (candid) telling the truth in evaluating the different stages of the p... Sign up

 
0
Marco Brandimarte
Project Manager, Italy
 

Add Extra C: Coherent

Coherence increases reliability of relationship and leadership. If a PM is coherent, it's easier for... Sign up

 
1
Nzuza, South Africa
 

On: Client-oriented

@Mark Song : Mark, I agree. As a project manager, you are employed by the client to help them impro... Sign up

 
1
francisco, Brazil
 

Consider Replacing Collaborative by Cooperative

I think, instead of, collaborative, you should put cooperative, because cooperative is larger and go... Sign up

 
0
COL SUNDER LALVANI
Coach, India
 

An Ideal Project Manager: Before the 4 C's

I would rate leadership as the most essential characteristic of an effective PM. After all the PM is... Sign up

 
0
Mellacheruvu Adi Saasthry
Director, India
 

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INPUTS !

Thank you to all of you, it pays really to enrich our thoughts, and experiences, I am delighted with... Sign up

 
0
Maia de Lourdes Larrea, Ecuador
 

On Extra C: Care / Caring

@Asad Ali : For Saasthry's 4 C's, the most important thing is to have behind all of these a high mot... Sign up

 
0
Bergmann
Business Consultant, Germany
 

Caring? Project Manager must be Passionate too

Talking about caring... from my point of view a projct leader must be passionately fighting for his ... Sign up

 
0
Andile Ace Kwakweni
Project Manager, South Africa
 

4 C's of an Ideal Project Manager

Just about every "additional" comment and "counter" argument that flows from the original contributi... Sign up

 
1
Alexander Weihs, Germany
 

Extra C: Coach

I like these 4C's and would like to suggest another one: coaching for team members and executives.... Sign up

 
0
Alberto, Spain
 

The Project Manager Should Be a Good Finisher too

I agree with many of above opinions. Additionally I think that the ideal project manager should be a... Sign up

 
1
Ana Gonzalez
Mexico
 

Culture Matters

@Roller Saint Pierre : I agree. Culture is another C even though is not a characteristic itself (Ed:... Sign up

 
0
Oscar Pinto
Project Manager, Portugal
 

Add Extra C: Competent

I would like to add another C. Competent: a competent leader possess in-depth practical and theoreti... Sign up

 
2
Kerr
Manager, Ireland
 

Add Extra C: Consistency

How about consistent? What I mean is that a PM must always stick to the project management process. ... Sign up

 
6
Maria Montero
Coach, Venezuela
 

The Human Part!

I agree with everything said here. In my short experience with project managers I have learned that ... Sign up

 
0
Oscar Tobar
Consultant, Guatemala
 

4C + Time, Costs and Quality

I agree totally with these four fields of a PM´s behavior, but supported with knowledge of the stric... Sign up

 
0
John A. Williams
Project Manager, Netherlands
 

4C's are Keys to Success in Project Management

It's good to see that more attention is being given to the 'soft side' (relational and situational a... Sign up

 
0
Joel Nicaragua, Nicaragua
 

On Courage

@Umesh Bahadur: You are totally right. What we always find in the field are questions like: "Are you... Sign up

 
10
Ana Lilly Sander Padilla, Mexico
 

So.... The 12 C's of a Perfect Project Manager...

I was reading all of your your comments, and I thought most additional traits that were mentioned ar... Sign up

 
7
M Johnson
Management Consultant, Australia
 

Combine 4 C's of an Ideal Project Manager with the 7S as a Checklist

I like this. Perhaps the 4 c's could be combined with McKinsey's 7 S's in a matrix to provide a chec... Sign up

 
2
nan zeng, China
 

Using the Cs for Selecting a Project Manager

In my opinion, it is necessary to determine the features or competencies a PM should posess by takin... Sign up

 
0
Anwar Saleem, Pakistan
 

Caring - Passionate > Motivating

@Bergmann: caring here doesn't mean pampering, caring here stands for motivating. When a leader is o... Sign up

 
-1
Reshma Sreedharan
Teacher, India
 

Extra C: Conscientious

The 4 C's mentioned are the core of being a successful project manager. But conscientiousness is al... Sign up

 
0
Anwar Saleem, Pakistan
 

Technically Prepared - Skilled

@Maria Lairet: I agree, being technically prepared or being competent is a must, but competency is o... Sign up

 
0
Dilip Khanal
CEO, Nepal
 

More Project Manager Traits...

It seems that we are stuck with Cs as Shaastri initiated the discussion. I think being conversant wi... Sign up

 
0
Bergmann
Business Consultant, Germany
 

Caring & Passionate

@Anwar Saleem: Yes, your are right. I agree with this meaning of 'caring' emotionality, passionatel... Sign up

 
0
bhusan, India
 

Essential Traits in the Form of 12 Cs

@Ana Lilly Sander Padilla: I think you summarized the discussion well in the form of 12 Cs. Each an... Sign up

 
3
Heather Jones, New Zealand
 

4 C's in Practice?

The C's sound good in theory, but how do they actually work in practice...... Sign up

 
0
V SHRIDHAR
Consultant, India
 

Creating Team Spirit

The 4Cs are definitely the most important qualities. I believe also Caring & Cool are equally impor... Sign up

 
0
Paolo Mazzoni, Italy
 

Managing Customer's Change Requests

All interesting and valid opinions. In my experience I think one of the most valuable is the PM's ab... Sign up

 
0
Mahmoud, Saudi Arabia
 

Catalyzation ~ Caring

I would like to add Catalyzation which is very near to motivation process. I believe it's more powe... Sign up

 
0
Sam Oum
Director, Cambodia
 

Add Extra C: Concluding

Concluding is also one of the most important C's for project management...
Ed: thanks Sam, nice
... Sign up

 
2
John Moses
Manager, Nigeria
 

Extra C: Current

In my own opinion, the list is ending. Apart from being communicative, collaborative, committed and ... Sign up

 
2
Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
 

Thanks for This Nice Discussion

Thanks Mr. Saasthry for the 4C's and all other contributing members for the Additional 8 C's (or eve... Sign up

 

More on Program and Project Management:
Methods, Models and Theories
Discussion Topics
topic The Most Important Thing in Project Management: the Word MANAGEMENT
👀The 4C's of an Ideal Project Manager
topic Best Practice: Five Crucial Project Conversations
topic Project Management Basics
topic Criteria Program versus Project?
topic Project Success Factors
topic How to Convert a Project into a Road Map for Product Development?
topic Project Transition Into the Operational Activities
topic Leadership in Project Management
topic Project Downsizing Approaches
topic Project Lessons Learned
topic Build Project Support First
topic Creating Ownership in the Project Team
topic Agile Project Management Methods
topic Effective Project Communication
topic Project Manager versus Business Analyst
topic Objectives of Project Management?
topic Are Project Managers Born or Made?
topic Priority: Deliver the Project
topic Project Manager Soft Skills
topic Project Expectation Management
topic Project Hierarchy Structure
topic Why Project Management? Importance
topic Cultural Factors in Project Management
topic Managing Delays of Projects Caused by Owner
topic How to Prepare Project Reviews?
topic Project Management Office
🔥 National Public Projects Implementation System (NPPIS)
topic The Use of Mobile Devices in Project Management


top

More on Program and Project Management:
Methods, Models and Theories
Discussion Topics
topic The Most Important Thing in Project Management: the Word MANAGEMENT
👀The 4C's of an Ideal Project Manager
topic Best Practice: Five Crucial Project Conversations
topic Project Management Basics
topic Criteria Program versus Project?
topic Project Success Factors
topic How to Convert a Project into a Road Map for Product Development?
topic Project Transition Into the Operational Activities
topic Leadership in Project Management
topic Project Downsizing Approaches
topic Project Lessons Learned
topic Build Project Support First
topic Creating Ownership in the Project Team
topic Agile Project Management Methods
topic Effective Project Communication
topic Project Manager versus Business Analyst
topic Objectives of Project Management?
topic Are Project Managers Born or Made?
topic Priority: Deliver the Project
topic Project Manager Soft Skills
topic Project Expectation Management
topic Project Hierarchy Structure
topic Why Project Management? Importance
topic Cultural Factors in Project Management
topic Managing Delays of Projects Caused by Owner
topic How to Prepare Project Reviews?
topic Project Management Office
🔥 National Public Projects Implementation System (NPPIS)
topic The Use of Mobile Devices in Project Management
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