TENTATIVE

Occ. Code 2850100

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SERIES

Project Managers apply a wide range of specialized knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to direct and coordinate human and material resources at all phases of a project -- origination, initiation, planning, execution and control, and closeout.  A project is a temporary effort with defined objectives and results undertaken to develop, modify, or enhance a product, service or system; it has a specific beginning and end date.  Project Managers balance competing demands and mitigate risks to ensure the delivery of an acceptable product to stakeholders and the project sponsor that is within budget, scope, time and quality standards.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Project Managers may be assigned to a Project Management Office (PMO) or to a program area that has a continuing need for project management skills. In either assignment, the depth and breadth of skills and knowledge, and the duties performed, are comparable.  Project Managers perform tasks across all nine project management knowledge areas -- project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, procurement and risk.  Each knowledge area includes a grouping of skills and abilities, all of which are necessary to successfully guide various activities of a project.  A Project Manager must understand, identify and apply project management tools and techniques appropriate to each project phase and across the nine knowledge areas.

The levels of project managers are distinguished by the depth and breadth of the knowledge areas that they must apply to successfully manage a project or portfolio of projects.  The complexity of a project is determined by project scope, risk exposure, span of control, diversity of skills-sets and capabilities, and other factors such as the size of the projects budget, number of team members and their skill level.

PROJECT MANAGER 1:   coordinates portions of projects of small or medium scope or assists in coordinating portions of a larger project; is assigned to projects generally characterized as being internal to the organization and similar in nature to other projects that the organization has conducted in the past, producing deliverables of a reasonably standard nature with low risk, and having teams composed mostly of members from the same program area.

PROJECT MANAGER 2:  independently oversees projects of small to medium scope or assists higher level staff in managing all areas of a larger project; may direct a small PMO; oversees projects producing deliverables that may be standard in the industry but new for the performing organization; and may supervise lower level staff.

PROJECT MANAGER 3:  directs a complex project or manages multiple projects of medium scope in a cross-functional environment; may supervise a small PMO that provides coaching or consulting services to program staff involved in overseeing projects; and supervises staff in projects that may extend beyond the organizations boundaries, having deliverables that may be innovative and therefore not yet standardized in the industry, and having teams composed of employees from diverse program areas.

PROJECT MANAGER 4:  directs a moderate size PMO, which has significant authority over projects or may directly manage projects. The PMO may be enterprise-wide, overseeing all types of projects, not those related specifically to one area (e.g., engineering, information technology). The incumbent directs complex projects in a cross-functional environment. These projects may be internal and/or external; have scope that may extend beyond the organizations boundaries and deliverables that may be new and unproven and thus have high risk; and have teams from different organizations and agencies.

PROJECT MANAGER 5: manages enterprise or strategic project portfolio projects from medium to large scope in a cross-functional environment. Under the general direction of executive management, the incumbent directs IT governance and strategic planning activities for multiple project management offices supervised by Project Managers 3 and 4.

RELATED CLASSES

Positions in numerous titles manage projects. Positions outside of this occupational specialty, however, are classified based on a predominant body of expertise, specialized licensure and duties which include project assignments (e.g., an engineer may serve as an "Engineer-in-Charge" to oversee a specific engineering project. The duties of various managers may also include project assignments within their program area (e.g., managers in information technology and agency-specific program managers). These program managers are classified to manage programs with ongoing operations that cover the mission, functions, activities, laws, rules, and regulations which an agency is authorized and funded by statute to administer and enforce.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

          PROJECT MANAGER 1

Develops or uses pre-existing project management plans and documents to coordinate and support the activities of a project team; participates in reviewing project proposals or plans to define basic scope statements, and documents basic project requirements; determines project start and end dates and establishes critical milestones within the project schedule; records and reports schedule progress and project expenditures; records quality metrics concerning the project and product performance; compiles project reports and communicates project status; interacts with stakeholders and coordinates the activities of the project team to ensure that the project objectives are met;  designs, develops and/or refines templates to support project management; may train agency staff in basic project management processes and tools; prepares project portfolio or project inventory reports; organizes and maintains a project management library, project tools repository, or a project management website; and assists a higher level Project Manager or program area manager on more complex projects.

          PROJECT MANAGER 2

Develops detailed scope statements, and documents project requirements for complex projects by eliciting business goals, information needs, and relative priorities from end users, subject experts and others; balances resource alternatives and potential solutions; develops a project schedule including identifying and scheduling project deliverables, milestones and required tasks using project scheduling software; documents and presents resource needs to agency management and coordinates project activities with those of program areas; may manage project budget using project cost estimating tools; designs and implements quality metrics to analyze project performance; develops project communication plan; compiles detailed project reports and communicates project status to stakeholders; directs or coordinates the activities of project staff; identifies risks and their potential impact on the project; manages contract relationships; makes decisions on changes in project schedule; performs tasks to advance the programmatic goals of the PMO, such as analyzing the performance of projects in a project portfolio or inventory; conducts training on advanced project management topics, such as quality management, and risk analysis; plans and conducts project analysis sessions, such as project close-outs and Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions; and may supervise lower-level staff.  

          PROJECT MANAGER 3

Evaluates project objectives within the parameters of budget, time and scope; actively manages the integration of project processes including impact analysis resulting from changes in project scope, budget or schedule; independently conducts requirements gathering sessions; analyzes interdependencies among scope requirements; utilizes quality improvement tools and techniques such as checkpoints and checklists;  develops and implements a formal risk mitigation plan; performs risk analysis and risk mitigation; documents solutions and prepares cost benefit analyses supporting alternative approaches; conducts Make or Buy analysis and solicitation planning; interacts with high-level stakeholders including top agency executives and vendors;  controls the activities of the project team to ensure that project objectives are met; supervises lower-level staff; develops and implements project management processes and policies; and analyzes a broad or complex portfolio of projects in terms of project performance, interrelationships among projects, problem identification and planning for mitigation of project issues.

PROJECT MANAGER 4

Manages complex projects or multiple projects from medium to large scope in a cross-functional environment; develops procurement plans, may oversee the development of requests for proposals; participates with agency counsel in developing contractual vendor agreements, etc.; may conduct insourcing vs. outsourcing analysis; develops organizational change management plans to address a projects impact  on an organization; interacts with stakeholders and their agencys top executives on project activities; may also interact with mid-level management of external agencies; supervises project staff at Grade 25 or higher; may manage a moderate size PMO; may serve as a portfolio manager, responsible for balancing priorities and making recommendations to agency executives regarding projects and investments in such projects; may communicate directly with control agencies and vendors to ensure that the project objectives are met; and develops and implements project management processes and policies.

PROJECT MANAGER 5

Develops enterprise policy, standards and procedures for statewide IT investment portfolio management and governance; provides direction and guidance to project management offices; liaisons with IT executives, control agencies, and the Governors office, and assigns projects throughout the enterprise; determines and manages priorities and evaluates placement of Project Managers throughout the agency; steers statewide strategic initiatives and multi-agency initiatives; directs the analysis, development, implementation, and quality assurance of the largest IT initiatives; ensures alignment of projects with the mission and vision of the agency; represents agency executives, as needed in various forums; prepares reports and advises agency executives on project status and performance; and, performs the full range of supervisory responsibilities.

COMPLEXITY

The work of Project Managers requires specialized training, experience and skills.  Project Managers must constantly balance schedule, quality, scope and budget, and continually monitor project activities against project critical parameters to accommodate changing requirements and ensure that project goals and objectives are successfully met.  Whether assigned to a PMO or program area, Project Managers use methodologies, principles, tools and the nine project management knowledge areas.

The complexity of a project, and therefore the level of a Project Manager, is influenced by a number of factors including:

• Composition and number of team members supervised by the Project Manager (span of control).

• Diversity of functional expertise of staff directly engaged in the project (Information Technology, Legal, Financial, Human Resources, etc.).

• Strength of project organizational structure (i.e., whether team members are responsible to external functional managers, are co-located or are assigned full-time to the project).

• Involvement of consultant staff that must be acquired and supervised by the Project Manager.

• Involvement of key stakeholders not under the control of the Project Manager but have a high level of influence and authority over the project.

• Frequency and criticality of information and diversity of media (e.g., newsletter, website, etc.) used to communicate with project stakeholders.

• Level of management authority vested in the team members (functional area supervisors and managers).

• Skill level of the project team members (novice through highly competent).

• Size of the project budget in relation to the type of project that must be managed, and diversity of budget funding streams.

• Responsibility for developing, justifying, managing and controlling the project budget.

• Use of cutting edge versus proven technology.

• Inclusion of sub-projects within the scope of the project.

• Complexity of the procurement processes involved.

• Probability and potential impact of risk that must be managed.

• Political sensitivity and public visibility of the project.

• Inter-agency or inter-governmental impact of the project.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

Project Managers 1 typically do not supervise lower-level staff. 

Project Managers 2, 3, and 4, heading a Project Management Office, generally supervise lower-level staff, depending upon the size and scope of the agencys project management program.  They exercise both administrative and technical supervision, but allow their subordinates considerable latitude in accomplishing work.

Project Managers 2, 3, and 4, when assigned to manage specific projects, direct and coordinate the activities of staff from various business areas to accomplish work.  These Project Managers may not be responsible for the regular supervision of these individuals, who may be temporarily assigned to the project. Project Managers, however, may evaluate the performance of team members contributions to the project.

Project Manager 5 manage project portfolios, and provides direction and guidance to multiple project management office directors.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

PROJECT MANAGER 1

Open Competitive:

1.     Seven years of project management experience which must include Planning and at least three other of the management process groups: origination (including governance/work intake, portfolio management, capacity/demand planning); Initiating; executing; controlling; and, closing. This experience must include the development of significant project management deliverables such as scope statements, schedules, budgets, quality plans, risks plans, and, communications plans, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

2.     Associate's degree and five years of the required experience as described in option 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

3.     Bachelor's degree and three years of the required experience as described in option 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

4.     Master's degree and two years of the required experience as described in option 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

5.     Current certification from the Project Management Institute as a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and five years of the required experience as described in option 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

6.     Current certification from the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Program Management Professional (PgMP).

PROJECT MANAGER 2

Open Competitive:

1.     Eight years of project management experience as described under option 1 for Project Manager 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

2.     Associate's degree and six years of the required experience as described in option 1 for Project Manager 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

3.     Bachelor's degree and four years of the required experience as described in option 1 for Project Manager 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

4.     Master's degree and three years of the required experience as described in option 1 for Project Manager 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

5.     Current certification from the Project Management Institute as a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and six years of the required experience as described in option 1 for Project Manager 1, and completion of twenty-one contact hours of project management training within the last six years; or,

6.     Current certification from the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Program Management Professional (PgMP), and one year of post-certification required experience as described in option 1 for Project Manager 1.

Promotion:  one year of service as a Project Manager 1.

PROJECT MANAGER 3

Promotion:  one year of service as a Project Manager 2, or two years of service as a Project Manager 1.

PROJECT MANAGER 4

Promotion:  one year of service as a Project Manager 3, or two years of service as a Project Manager 2.

PROJECT MANAGER 5

Promotion:  one year of service as a Project Manager 4, or two years of service as a Project Manager 3.

Revised:  8/15

NOTE:  Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe.  Standards cannot and do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by a class.  The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written.  Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.