A good Project Manager (PM) increases the likelihood of project success. Many enterprises judge project managers favorably if they complete their projects on time, on budget, and with few defects. This perspective is potentially misleading.

There are three reasons why management should not judge a PM as good or bad based on the success of the project. First, even a good PM often has limited control over specifications and internal or external resources. Some problems have an irreversible impact on timing or costs and result in project problems. Second, some projects experience few problems and will be successful regardless of the PM’s capabilities, sometimes camouflaging significant weaknesses. Third, it is dangerous to wait until a project is complete to determine whether or not the PM is effective.