Facilitating quality project manager selection for Indian business environment using analytical hierarchy process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop criteria for project manager selection based on desired skills of a project manager and facilitate the selection of a suitable candidate from a pool of potential candidates for the implementation of projects in the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes three major skills, namely human skill, conceptual and organizational skills; technical skill along with their sub-skills to develop criteria for project manager selection. Based on the responses of project professionals from industry, the study uses analytical hierarchy process to prioritize and identify the relative importance of different skills in the criteria in order to develop a hierarchical structure for project manager selection. Findings The study finds that at the first level of project manager selection criteria, conceptual and organizational skills are the most important selection criteria followed by human skills and technical skills. At the second level of project manager selection criteria, planning, delegating authority and understanding methods, processes, and procedures are some of the important sub-selection criteria. The weights indicating the relative importance of major selection criteria and sub-selection criteria can be used to evaluate the relative weight of a given candidate for selection as a project manager. Research limitations/implications The results in this study are derived from specific demographic conditions in India. Future research with larger samples from other countries is needed for generalizations of the proposed criteria. Practical implications The proposed method quantifies the intangible qualitative criteria to select a project manager, which can aid decision-makers in a multi-criteria decision-making environment. Originality/value This research paper is focused on the identification of critical skills for the selection of a project manager, which is almost neglected by the researchers.