Skills and Project Managers: Relationship between Personal Characteristics and Performance Indicators

Abstract

The project management (PM) has gained relevance in organizations for being considered a tool that increases the efficiency of the projects, allowing a better control of costs, schedule and quality of projects managed under the methodology. The traditional definition of success in PM is based on the triple constraint (cost/timeline/scope), for every type of project executed. In contrast to this approach arises the adaptive approach suggested by authors who advocate that each project must be measured and managed in a different way. Within this approach include the view that the project manager must assume the role of a team leader, and that human and relational issues are relevant to the performance of the project. This work consists of an explanatory and quantitative research that relates critical success of success with leadership skills. To define the capacities to be studied, four leadership theories served as the basis for the study. The results demonstrate that the leadership skills of the project manager impact significantly some critical factors of success, while others were not impacted. The comprehension about how the leadership skills of the project manager impact the critical factors of success of the project, can both bring greater effectiveness in the recruitment process, development and direction of project managers career, as well as assisting organizations and managers who use techniques and tools of project management to better assess and define critical factor of success of the projects. To the project managers, this work can assist in the understanding of how to mobilize their leadership skills in a more results and superior performance in their projects.