from a Gantt chart jockey (part 2)
ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Yogi Schulz
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Reasonable project management makes an essential contribution to IT project success. Sadly, the reverse is also true. Absent, incompetent, or insufficient project management invariably contributes to project failure.
As an executive who needs the IT project to succeed and is likely the project sponsor, how can you recognize if a superior, competent project manager is leading your active project or an insufficiently disciplined person who exhibits Gantt chart jockey behaviors is leading? The difference will determine project success or fiasco.
In part one of this article, we learned the qualities to look for in the first 5 of the 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This article discusses areas 6 through 10. Here’s how to differentiate good from bad project management and determine if intervention is required.
Project Human Resource Management
Gantt chart jockeys:
- Like to hire their friends with whom they enjoy working.
- Believe in the self-managed team concept that allows unfettered leeway for project team members to manage their work without consideration of their ability to do so.
- Allow toxic or non-contributing project team members to remain out of fear of upsetting someone in management who may think the person is capable or assigned the person to the project because there was no other place for the person.
The project soon becomes a runaway project with no discernible completion date.
Reasonable project management of human resources is indicated by:
- Position descriptions for every role on the project team.
- A selection process that vets candidates for the project team.
- A performance management process that includes exit management.
- Active monitoring of the work of project team members by the project manager.
Project Communications Management
Gantt chart jockeys spend most of their time interacting comfortably with project team members and little time communicating to sometimes intimidating senior executives and stakeholders. Intermittent communication focuses on good news. Discussing issues that threaten the project outcome is avoided in the hope that the problems will disappear or resolve themselves. Project status becomes a mystery to the organization.
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How to cite this article: Schulz, Y. (2025). How to tell a proper project manager from a Gantt chart jockey (part 2), PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue II, February. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pmwj149-Feb2025-Schulz-projct-manager-vs-gantt-chart-jockey-part-2.pdf
About the Author
Yogi Schulz
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Yogi Schulz has over 40 years of Information Technology experience in various industries. Yogi works extensively in the petroleum industry to select and implement financial, production revenue accounting, land & contracts and geotechnical systems. He manages projects that arise from changes in business requirements, from the need to leverage technology opportunities and from mergers. His specialties include IT strategy, web strategy and systems project management.
Mr. Schulz regularly speaks to industry groups and writes a regular column for IT World Canada and Engineering.com. He has written for Microsoft.com and the Calgary Herald. His writing focuses on project management and IT developments of interest to management. Mr. Schulz served as a member of the Board of Directors of the PPDM Association for twenty years until 2015. Learn more at https://www.corvelle.com/. He can be contacted at yogischulz@corvelle.com
His new book, co-authored by Jocelyn Schulz Lapointe, is “A Project Sponsor’s Warp-Speed Guide: Improving Project Performance” Also available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Project-Sponsors-Warp-Speed-Guide-Performance/dp/1637424833
To view other works by Yogi Schulz, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/yogi-schulz/
