A successful project manager must be someone who is able to lead their team to effectively complete the task at hand. They must be someone who is able to communicate effectively and efficiently with their team and must be able to make sure deadlines are getting met. When a change to the project manager happens, any kind of consistency happening with the project I lost as the communication will be different, the approach to the problems will be different, and any kind of chemistry will be lost. Now, this does not mean that the project will fail, but it does mean that the way of operations might be functioning differently than before. Changing up how things are done can lead to a period of inefficiency and that can have an impact on the project but as long as the new project manager has the skills mentioned previously and knows what is to be expected, then the drawbacks to the switch are minimal. The biggest challenge that a new project manager can expect is not being able to have any kind of chemistry with the team as a manager that has had the same team over a long period of time. This can lead to some slow starts since it takes time to get accustomed to how everyone works together and how well they can communicate with each other but the important thing to know is that the new project manager must be able to lead and express their thoughts to the team effectively in order to complete the tasks that need to get done. Once this has been established, they are on the right path to becoming successful in what they are doing.

Regardless of whether it is a project manager that changes or a team member, it is difficult to have a smooth transition from one person to another, especially if it is someone higher up in the management chain. As you mentioned, different project managers can have different leadership styles and it can take a while for the team to get acclimated to the new leadership style and for the new manager to grow accustomed to how the team functions. A philosophy that I feel more managers should follow is "You do not work for me, I work for you", meaning that the manager should be working as hard as they can to ease the stress on their team and be willing to adapt to their different team personalities to maintain a healthy and productive work environment. Sometimes when a project manager changes, the entire flow of the project can get disrupted, as everyone had gotten used to the environment they were in and now an unknown element has been inserted in the new project manager, which can have a detrimental impact on the project as a whole. This can be mitigated if this was a known change where the previous manager can prepare both the team and the new manager by setting expectations for each side and advising the new manager on how the project is going and its projected path, if there are any important deadlines coming up or if any roadblocks are currently being dealt with, etc. If the change is unexpected, then there is a high chance that the progression of the project gets effected until everybody becomes accustomed with each other again and the team can catch up.

I think this a great topic/question! As the other replies stated above, I think one of the biggest challenges faced by teams with a new project manager is if they have drastically different leadership styles. I have worked for different types of people where some micro-manage the project and others let you figure it out more on your own. I do not perform as well when I am being micro-managed and watched at every step of the way. I know people that are the opposite of me and will not produce work if they have a hands-off boss. I think the challenge lies if you joined a team to work with a certain type of boss and it switches throughout the project it could make it a difficult transition. I do, however, think that one of the biggest life skills to be successful on a team is to the ability to compromise. If I was a new leader on an established team and they worked well before I had arrived, I would feel that it is on me to observe how they work and learn how to best fit into the groove that they are using to produce quality work. I think respect also goes a long way; if you show the people you are working with respect and that you will listen to everyone’s opinion (not use all of them but take the time to make people feel heard) it could also help you gain the confidence of your new team and make an easier transition. Change is usually not easy and sometimes resisted, but it is necessary to keep projects going and I think respect is one of the most integral parts of a smooth transition.

A big difficulty that can arise when there is a project manager change is the lack of flow and consistency with the team. Teams get used to working under a certain manager and having sudden change could disrupt that flow. Team members tend to prefer working with the same people because it is a familiar environment and there is a sense of predictability within the team making it easy to anticipate what needs to get done. Another issue could be that the new project manager is not as knowledgable about the project as the previous project manager. While resources exist to catch the new project manager up to speed on the project and current status, it can feel somewhat taken aback to have someone new take over a project and the team. I think it's important for a PM to see the project in its initial phase up until the end phase to properly execute the plan and ensure a well performing product. 

When a project manager is changed mid-project, the one major drawback is the team chemistry and the preferred way of managing by the team. Every Project Manager has their own way of communicating with the team and leading them which may conflict with how the previous PM was leading the managing. This can both be a good or a bad thing, but which ever one it is, there will be a transitory state where everyone is trying to get to know the person and be able to work as a team. This can potentially take more time than expected and because of that it can cause a delay in what the team members are doing.

Key things to introduce a project manager is to make sure that the team knows the person and has worked with them previously. Additionally, it is equally important to to ensure that the style of management is similar to the one that the team has been used. These will ensure that the transition from one PM to the other will be as seamless as possible and will allow for the transitory stage to be as short as possible.

When given a new project manager it's sometimes difficult to get used to their managing style. Some managers take on the hands off approach, which allows the employees to work at their own pace. Furthermore, there's managers who are hovering and constantly checking in on you/ asking to review your work. Dealing with this transition can be tough, especially when you are in the middle of a project. The best way to handle this situation is to meet with your new project manager and ask for her expectations of the team so you can get a sense of the way they manager their employees. Some challenges for someone taking over as project manger are getting up to speed with the project details/ fully understanding what the investor(s) are looking for, learning how their team works, learning how to communicate effectively with their team and lastly, gaining trust from the team as a manager.

I think one of the biggest problems during this situation is that two managers might use different leading styles. Since the whole team might work with the previous team manager for a long time and the team members might already be used to the leading style of the previous manager. In that case, the team might be faced with low efficiency at the beginning when the manager has been changed. Also, even though the team managers have already done the handover, the new manager might need some time to become familiar with the work and the team members.  In my opinion, the manager and other team members should maintain good communication at this time. For the team manager, good communication could help them know every member well and better monitor their work progress. For the team member, they should alway keep the manager posted and the manager will help them with some issue.

Sometimes the success of the new project manager can heavily rely on how diligent the previous project manager was. It will take the new PM some time to learn about the project, and gain an idea of the current status. However, if the previous PM did a poor job keeping track of things, it will be much harder to gain an understanding. 

I've often seen project team members step up to fill the PM role. It is sometimes beneficial to put someone who has deep knowledge of the project in charge. This reduces the amount of time the new PM spends playing "catch up". Team members will understand the current status of tasks, and what needs to get completed. it is also a great opportunity for people to get project management experience. 

I think when a new project manager takes over there is a sort of tension between the employees and the project manager. Since they are new to the team, it is a little difficult to form relations with the employees that have been working on the project since the beginning. I feel as if the project manager will also be very behind on where the team is and will take months to catch up in understand the project and its goal. The employees might even have to take time out of their busy schedule to explain all the aspects of the project in detail and their roles so that the new project manager has an idea of each person's strength and weaknesses. This will of course take time but I think if the project manager shows that they are willing to work with the current employees and try to understand each of them, it will make the transition easier for everyone. I also believe that acclimating to a new project manager's work style also tends to become an issue. Some people tend to be more laid back and some people tend to be very on top of all the tasks. Yet switches between very drastic styles of work can lead to a very large change in the work culture and the team dynamic could also be affected. 

Hello,

This is a very interesting topic. Although I’ve never been in industry, I’m sure that changes in management are common. However, I’ve never really thought about the challenges associated with these changes. Like my peers, I definitely think that changing a project manager leads to difficulties in communication within the team and the different leadership styles may throw off the previous flow of the project. I especially agree with @knm7. Some team members may feel hesitant to trust and follow a new project manager since relationships haven’t been solidified. In addition to the challenges listed above, I would like to add that depending on the leadership style and opinions of the new project manager, he/she may prefer to adjust product design, steps in protocols, etc., which all require additional team meetings and adjustments in documentation. Getting a new project manager up to date with the current status of the project, while incorporating the aforementioned changes, all cause delays to the project schedule. It is important for a company to have a change management plan (discussed in depth here) to deal with management changes appropriately if necessary. A challenge that the new project manager alone may deal with is fitting into the team. As mentioned previously, relationships aren’t solidified following change. Therefore, the new project manager likely won’t be able to interact with other team members as desired not only on a social level, but also on a professional level (e.g. expressing concerns on product design/testing). What are some effective ways of dealing with management changes?

When a project manager change occurs, there are many difficulties that arise. Firstly, the flow of the project will likely be slowed down as it will take the project manager time to become acclimated to the project, such as the purpose, the budget, and the timeline. As a result, the manager will have to try to maintain the continuity of the project to ensure that the timeline is not dramatically changed. Additionally, the new project manager will have to build relationships with the project teams in order to get a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, which may be difficult since the team will already have a relationship with the previous manager. This relationship with the team is crucial in order to gain their trust as a manager. An issue that a new project manager may experience is how a different management style might affect the team and whether it would require a learning curve for the project team. The most successful project managers should be able to utilize their leadership abilities to ensure that the transition between managers is as seamless as possible. Their adaptability should also help them to cater to the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

Few difficulties that I can think of when a project manager change occurs is the change in leadership style, communication, and timing of future tasks. Everyone has a different style of organization and how thing should run. If the new PM has a significantly different style it may take team members sometime to adjust to the new expectations and work environment.

As a PM takes over an existing project it'll probably take some time to understand the status, goals, and future tasks of the project. The project team also has experience with working with each other compared to the new PM who probably doesn't know anyone. It will take sometime for the PM to get an understanding of the personalities within their team and how to properly manage them.

Although my example is not exactly what you are asking about, it is similar. During my internship, there was a change in a lead senior engineer and intern taking on a project while the project manager stayed the same. Smaller projects that the lead engineer was overseeing was reassigned to me when my peer's co-op term ended. While the project was in the process of being reassigned to me, the lead engineer was also reassigned. So now, you have two people who are new to the project who are quickly trying to catch up to what changes are required. The project was also a hot project that was handed off to us without the emphasis on how tight the deadline was. It took a bit for me to get used to the new lead senior engineer's availability how he wanted the deliverables to be completed rather than how my peer was showing me before they left. 

This being said, I would say that one of the biggest challenges that getting a new project manager mid project would have would be communication and how leadership style. PMs could be lax or strict, and changing from one type to the other would take some time to get used to. One PM could have preferred MS Teams or Slack communication and the other could prefer email. Although this example is not something that would be hard to get used to, it would still change how people interact with the PM.

When dealing with a new PM or any new "boss" for that matter, there is a definite period of acclimation. This is when the PM and the team gets to know each other. Challenges are expected and most of the time the challenge is the PM catching up on all the information the project entails as well as each member getting used to a new management style. As discussed in Chapter 3 of the PMBOK guide project managers can have multiple different leadership styles whether its Laissez-faire, transactional, interactional etc.. This change in leading style is a common hurdle the team have to adapt to and its also the new PMs responsibility to integrate him or herself to the team and ensure a smooth transition.