Did you ever wonder why it is so hard to get a suiting project manager when looking for an external professional ?!
I will try to examine the frequent mismatch of supply and demand a little:
In the majority of cases project responsible people look for someone who will run their projects. Having an educated guess about the requirements necessary they compile a profile “plan and control the project, reporting, budget, and schedule responsibility” etc., which looks like a very generic and universal description of what a project manager does, may be plus a little about language skills and industry knowledge in addition.
In many companies this profile now is handed over to HR and/or Procurement. There the expectations about project management and the multifold skill sets and levels in this discipline is not necessarily understood or differentiated. OK, they are looking for a consultant – what is that guy allowed to cost according to the list…
The request then is posted at some providers and recruiters on the Preferred Sellers list, where the search’s key words run through the data bases for matching everything containing the term “project”. The result is probably a list of developers with project experience, junior project managers who by chance have led a small team or sub-project, and it accidentally may end with a “Greybeard”, who is able to manage even difficult an complex projects professionally.
The most fancied question in the request then is “What is your best price all-in?” The recruiter’s most frequent answer to a follow-up question, e.g. what the project is about to produce, how big the team or budget or the count of suppliers and stakeholders involved is, or what tasks and expectations the customer has: “Oh, I think I need to check this. I will come back to you soon.” You will probably never hear again from him.
Now, what do you think you are going to get offered,
for example what kind of “project managers” for the “best price” you will be meeting for interview? And what are you expecting then as results for your project? I assume you know enough about project management and the PM tasks in your project to not be satisfied with that search at all. So there is the question:
Look for a high qualified professional via the “usual” recruitment?
Please do that only with a razor-sharp profile for your procurement and provider, and do talk about the price not before the understanding and expectations about the assignment are the same on both your and the candidate’s side.
You can also ask an experienced project manager nonbinding what qualified project managers use to take to do the prospected PM work., and then brief the purchasers a little to differentiate these “consultant” profiles concerning the skill level. You will increase your chance significantly to get a competent project manager for you project. Good success !
Read more about he topic at http://www.pm-professionals.eu/profiling.htm (German)