The Differences Between an Internal and External Project Manager

• Yamasaki Sato, Carlos Eduardo ^[1] ; Gnanaratnam, Ajantha Samuel ^[2]
  1. [1] Univesity of Sussex
  2. [2] Lloyds Banking Group
• Localización: Gestão e Projetos: GeP, ISSN-e 2236-0972, Vol. 5, Nº. 2, 2014 (Ejemplar dedicado a: maio-agosto), págs. 1-23
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The differences between an Internal and External Project Manager (IPM & EPM) are usually overlooked in the project management literature. However these differences may have a significant importance when selecting a project manager, having possible adverse impact on the overall project performance if these differences are not properly considered. This paper elaborates a framework for the differences between an IPM and EPM and tests it against three organisations using quantitative (survey) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) research methods. The research concludes that both types of PMs should not be viewed within the same light, as they each have a different role, skillset, issue management style and project success rate. In particular, IPMs tend to deploy a more ‘reactive’, whereas EPMs tend to use a more ‘proactive’ management style. Also, moving from IPM to EPM is frequently seen as a career progression. These differences may have major implications on how project managers are selected, promoted and recruited.