Should Only One Person Be The Project Manager For The Life Of The Project?

ross_valusoft says : OK, how about this question and its sub questions.

How can one person be the best PM for all phases?

Is it a good idea to share the role amongst the team members so that they can get a better idea of the PM's problems?

Should the PM be a generalist or an expert?

salcorp says : Total "feeling" decision.
I´ve seen projects done both ways succeed and fail.

Currently I work alone. This has its ups and downs because I have to be able to talk head-to-head with quality assurance specialists, tehcnical experts and management/stakeholders.

The pros is that if you do this right you end up with an array of expertise beeing able to deal with most of the projects aspects making you more agile for any other project that this situation calls for.

The cons is that you can end up overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information that you have to absorb and deal with. A specific background (technical in my case) helps but is definitely is not necessary and may end up being a total null for the project.

If you end up overworked and overstressed then delegating is the most usual and personally profitable solution depending in the quality of the people you work with. This comes with no surprise but that is where the biggest risks for your own job appear. Snakes are everywhere and its hard to find the right flute to charm them with.