"What Projects Are Best Lead by a Third-Party Project Manager?"

Answers to the following can clarify whether your project will
benefit from a PM consultant as its manager or its advisor.

1. Is the project similar to other projects in the organization?
   Generally, one-time or atypical projects are the best candidates for leadership by a PM
   Consultant.  One exception is a temporary increase in regularly occurring projects that
   does not require additional full-time employees.
    
2. How much total time will the project require?
   Project management consulting services are recommended for two to eight-month projects.  Projects requiring more than a year tend to be less suited to third-party management
   and can be subject to questions about the PM's employment status.
    
3. Will the project manager manage the project or be responsible for extensive,
   specific project tasks?
   A project manager needs to be familiar with the project and capable of managing those
   who are responsible for project details.  Expectations of project management and extensive,
   specific task management usually expect one person to perform two jobs.
    
4. Are project team members dedicated to the project or assigned to multiple projects?
   Some resource sharing is to be expected on every project.  As a rule, the more key
   resources are dedicated to the project, the greater it's chances of success with third-
   party project management.

Summary: Infrequent or one-time projects of two to eight-months duration that require more project
management than task management and have reasonably dedicated resources are best suited to
third-party professional project management.

Projects that do not meet most of these criteria, but can still benefit from professional project
guidance from Project Support Services.

for additional Project Management Services information.

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