Project management: An evaluation of the client and provider attribute paradigms

Within the realms of Project Management, debate continues as to the desired attributes of the Project Manager. There can be little doubt that effective Project Managers are required to be competent. This leads to the search for clarity as to what competence the Project Manager needs to display in any given situation i.e. what role must be undertaken at any point in time. Clients when seeking to engage a Project Manager have a schematic role paradigm within which they expect the Project Manager to operate. This role paradigm if met, establishes the Project Manager as competent in their eyes. Whether this maps directly onto the providers' role paradigm and the actual attributes of the Project Manager is the nub of the question. Over 7,000 individuals and organizations were targeted through a postal questionnaire that sought their responses to a range of questions relating to the expected attributes. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the returned questionnaires were undertaken to establish the clients' attribute preferences against those delivered by providers of the service. The findings present a plot model showing the Provider Attribute Profile and the User Attribute Profile. These indicate areas where the perception of the requirement for that attribute varied between the groups. Underlying reasons for this divergence are considered and discussed.