Let’s face it — being a project manager is arguably the most difficult job one can have in the A/E industry. A project manager is responsible for directing and coordinating seemingly countless activities and interactions. Each day in the life of a project manager can involve dozens of interactions with clients, consultants, employees and firm principals.
The primary mission of a project manager is to achieve a successful project outcome. In my opinion project success at an A/E firm is defined by three criteria. Meeting or exceeding client expectations, professional satisfaction with project results and a fair profit for the owners of the firm. For major projects achieving success is a balancing act that requires skill, assembling the right staff, support of the firm’s principals and perhaps even a little bit of luck..
One of the obstacles to the successful project outcome is what I refer to as that Stockholm syndrome of project management. The Stockholm syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with them. The Patty Hearst kidnapping and her subsequent willing participation with her captors in a bank robbery is a classic example of the Stockholm syndrome.
So what does this have to do with project managers at A/E firms? Well in my experience, I have seen project managers develop extremely close relationships with their client and the project they are managing. He or she does a great job in meeting or exceeding the client expectations and they are professionally satisfied with the quality of work. However due to the amount of time they are spending with their client working on the project, they begin to be an advocate for the clients interests to the exclusion of their employers. This is not to say it is a conscious decision on their part — but a natural evolution of the client/project manager relationship — especially if the principal of the firm is relatively hands off.
When focusing on tight deadlines and in an effort to keep the project going it is very easy to overlook the steady increase of project scope. Scope creep as it is commonly referred to, can take many forms such as additional meetings, extended schedules, “small” redesigns, program changes and so on. The project manager not wanting to delay the project or to avoid uncomfortable conversations with the client simply performs the work requested.
When presented with the financial impact of these actions by the Controller or other management, the project manager often becomes and advocate for the client and the project to justify their actions or inaction. This is an example of the Stockholm syndrome of project management in action. By not identifying the project scope creep up front and requesting a fee adjustment before the work is performed we are steadily chipping away at the project profits. Sometimes the scope creep is so large that it would more accurately be categorized as scope leap!
How to Avoid the Stockholm Syndrome of Project Management!
Here are a few tips on how to guard against the Stockholm syndrome at your firm:
1. Do not leave your project manager as the sole client contact. It is important that a partner or firm principal be also be in regular contact with the client. This is for the benefit of the project manager, the client, the project and the firm.
2. Hold regular project business reviews (twice a month) where we compare percent of budget spent to the percent of project complete. Any negative variance from budget can be an indication of unpaid scope creep and the Stockholm Syndrome.
3. Financially reward project managers for expanding the paid scope work before it is performed.
As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback. hcannon@aecmanagementsolutions.com.
