What managers really mean when they “empower” us as PM

The simple, honest answer is: “PM is the one to blame if a project fails.”

Managers delegate project management to a professional project manager because they need somebody accountable to achieve the project management goals, mainly those related to schedule and cost management. From a financial perspective, above all things, projects need to finish on time and on budget:

Let’s say Apple is running the project to produce the next version of the iPhone. What is the major concern of Apple top managers? They can only complain of how much the project is costing. While the project is on execution, only negative cash flows are produced. Apple accountants take the project as investments consuming resources, paying third party services, buying assets, expenses, etc. Apple gets positive cash flows after starting the operation phase: there will be operation expenditures in factories and stores, but also sales and revenues. Then Apple will be able to validate the business case and make sure that they get the return on investment within the approved timeframe.

Professional project managers are aware that their performance will be evaluated at project closure. If the project was planned to take 10 months but it takes 15, it is a failure. If the cost baseline is €500k but the actual cost is €800k, it is a failure. The person to blame is the project manager. Blaming a project manager could not be easier. Everyone knows how to count months and euros.

To play knowing the rules, the professional project manager has a defensive strategy: before it gets too late, involve stakeholders in the problems and seek the solutions with them. “It is not Jose’s project; it is the organization’s project”. When problems arise, the question should not be: “What do I need to do as a PM?” The question should be, instead: “What do we do as an organization?”

Frequently Asked Questions

What do managers really mean when they say they “empower” project managers?

They are assigning accountability. “Empowerment” often means the project manager will be blamed if the project fails—especially on time and cost metrics.

Why are project managers evaluated at project closure?

Because closure reveals if the PM met key metrics like timeline and budget. It’s the moment when success or failure becomes objectively visible.

How should PMs respond to this accountability?

By proactively involving stakeholders early, sharing responsibility for decisions, and positioning the project as a shared organizational effort.