Why do some astronomy projects succeed, while others fail? There are obviously many different factors that can and do influence the outcome of any given project, but one of the most prevalent characteristics among successful projects is the combined skills and qualifications of the project manager (PM) at their helms. But this begs an obvious question: what exactly makes a project manager "skilled and qualified?" Asked another way, are there common traits, philosophies, and/or techniques that the most successful PMs share, and if so, what are they? The short answer is yes, the majority successful engineering project managers have significant skills, habits, and character traits in common. The longer answer is there are at least seven of these key traits, or "habits" that many successful PMs share and, more importantly, implement within their respective projects. This paper presents these key factors, including thoughts on scope and quality management, cost and schedule control, project team structures, risk management strategies, stakeholder management, and general project execution.

Date Published: 8 August 2016
PDF: 14 pages
Proc. SPIE 9911, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy VII, 99110M (8 August 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2228381

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9911:
Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy VII
George Z. Angeli; Philippe Dierickx, Editor(s)