On Project Control and a PM's Authority

“What obstacles do project managers face to successful completion of an Information Technology project?”

Independent Financial Services Professional

“In order to ensure the Project Manager's control over a project, he/she should, at a minimum, have the authority to own one side of the project management triangle i.e. if any two are altered, for example, Scope and Resources, the PM has the liberty to adjust the third (delivery timeline) accordingly or if the delivery timeline is shortened, the PM should have the authority to reduce scope or add more resources to the project.

It is essential that there is a clear understanding and communication of which side is owned by the PM in order to ensure success.

This may seem very basic, but more often than not, projects fail because businesses make changes to one or two sides of the triangle, and expect the others to remain unchanged.
In order to track and measure these changes, a robust change management process needs to be in place backed by an effective communication methodology which ensures that all stakeholders are aware of the change, its impact, associated risks and have signed it off.

So, in order to ensure the success of a project, the PM should, at the outset clearly establish and communicate which part of the triangle he or she owns.”

MüTō Observation:

To a project manager, the topic that you framed can be summarized as "Lack of authority."
I completely agree with your summation, to paraphrase "clearly communicate authority" as being a responsibility of the PM. However, we are rarely in a situation where the sponsor/beneficiary or suppliers actually understand the Resource/Scope/Timeline relationship.

So in reality, it is pragmatic to presume that the state of the project in its infancy is that these elements are not understood, and should therefore be an educational topic up front in the project, And then a topic for reinforcement throughout the project.

This places the PM in a state of 'authority' that is stronger than any expressed authority, as it is an acceptable perception of leadership.

Just imagine, the Project Manager that clearly communicates authority throughout the project, and has an expressed managed level of comfort over "the triangle".

That's only the beginning.