Where Does the Project Manager Fit Into the Work?

Why PMs must anchor themselves to the point of success, not just administration

This article is part of the “Project Management in Emergency Management Playbook” for Academy Subscribers.

One of the recurring conversations I had when overseeing a portfolio of preparedness projects was about what project managers (PMs) were actually doing on their projects. Especially on larger teams, there’s a natural drift toward becoming a “pure” project manager: orchestrating the entire show, delegating work down to lead planners, and keeping the administrative machinery moving.

While some projects truly require that model, it carries a risk for the project manager. Over time, the project manager can end up detached from where the real work happens—the deliverable taking shape, the stakeholder conversations that define direction, or the decisions that determine how an exercise will be run. The role becomes administrative: budgets, contracts, invoices, and calendar invitations. Important, yes—but not the pinnacle of project leadership that many emergency management, public safety, and corporate security professionals aspire to.

That drift is exactly why I wrote the Project Management in Emergency Management Playbook. By documenting both the administrative and operational elements of project management, PMs can learn the mechanics of project design and delivery, then delegate the admin functions to a Deputy Project Manager or support staff. Free from being consumed by logistics, the project manager can step back into what the role should be: an operational leader.

So what does that mean in practice? I often ask PMs a simple question: What is the single critical point in this project that will determine whether it succeeds or fails?