During this current economic decline, many of us are exposed to situations that are not necessarily what we signed on for in the beginning of our PM career.

Companies are forced to evaluate cost margins and that generally means project cutbacks. Our sponsors and/or customers have to choose which projects to keep and which to close.

Of the projects that survive the hit list, we as project managers are handed a budget reduction target to achieve. Typically this forces us to make tough decisions as cuts are generally derived from staff reductions. This is a major disruption to the project environment as there is among other things demise to social relations, a negative impact to motivation, and the staffs? perception of the PM is altered. If the PM does not handle this situation correctly, instantly the staffs? perception of the PM transforms from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. This is what I am calling the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde syndrome.

So I ask the PMStudent community to share some of their experiences. Tell us about some of your good (Dr. Jekyll) & bad (Mr. Hyde) experience during the past few months. Share your insights on how a PM can best plan for and implement such an endeavor as a budget reduction exercise. Socialize on how a PM can control against the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome during these most uncertain times that lie ahead of us?