Competent project managers consistently apply their management knowledge, personal behaviors, and performance capability can be the real difference between the success and failure of your project despite the governance structures. The wrong PM will drain your time, money, and resources. Thus, the hiring process became a crucial part of a successful project manager's journey.
So, how to find & hire the right candidate?
Competences that are most likely to impact the performance of managers in the area of project management consists of five different dimensions:
- Knowledge competence to evaluate the project manager's knowledge on the application of processes, tools, and techniques for project activities. The knowledge competence can be demonstrated by passing an appropriately credentialed assessment, examination, or accreditation ( PMP, prince2, …).
- Performance competence to figure out how the project manager applies project management knowledge to meet the project requirements. The performance competence can be demonstrated by reviewing/interviewing the candidate actions during project execution (if possible), or by simulating test scenarios.
- Personal competence to review the candidate's behavior while performing activities within the project environment. Personal competence can be demonstrated by assessing the project manager’s behavior during the interview, and performing a background check on the candidate, and review his track records.
- Industry Competence to check the project manager's understanding, knowledge, and experience in the target project industry. Having a project manager familiar with the company industry gives him the extra mile to make a difference.
- Organization Competence to examine the ability of the candidate to understand, accept, and adapt to the company's culture, processes, and regulations to integrate smoothly in the new company to outperform during the project execution.
The HR department and PMO can use a checklist that addresses the competencies and attributes companies need to evaluate and screen prospective project managers for a new project. With such a checklist, companies can ensure that the most skilled project managers are assigned to the most critical projects.
With the Core Competencies Checklist companies will be able to determine which project manager has the best mix of knowledge, experience, and personality for a specific project.
Finally! Having the right candidate with the best mix of knowledge, experience, and personality for a project and the company will minimize project failures and maximize their project's return on investment. But this is not enough to ensure success! Therefore, companies should have a clear roadmap to hire, introduce, develop, and retain project managers in a company.