Project Management: Building a Project Management Competency
My professional goal is to improve the overall success rate of projects. Proactive project management (Pro-PM) results in successful projects by gaining stakeholder buy-in through strategic vision, effective communication, deliberate planning methodology and building effective teams. With over 30 years of experience in the system integrations consulting industry, I have recovered failing projects for a multitude of clients ranging from manufacturing all the way to travel and hospitality. Currently, I am aligned with Blackstone and Cullen (a local consultancy) that has a culture of “do it right, get it done.” My professional background includes working as a program manager for a big five consulting firm and as a major global system integrator.
As indicated in last week’s article “Project Management: Utilizing a Reactive Methodology,” a project can be recovered before it is cancelled and labeled as a total loss with the proper approach. But how do we increase the probability of project management success within an enterprise? By implementing a project management competency for effective risk mitigation, resourcing and time management.
Develop a project management competency to meet goals and objectives
First, let’s determine the essential items needed to create project management competency in order to meet the goals and objectives. It comes down to three things: developing high-performing leaders, targeting the business value first and driving a culture that produces results. Breaking down these items further:
When developing high-performing leaders, the project managers should be principle based and focused on the best practices for scaled implementation and capable to handle multiple initiatives as a shared resource. At best, this leader should be able to plan, organize, assess and monitor the management of projects.
Focusing on business value first and foremost is achievable when based on the project implementation within scope, cost, quality and schedule.
A project management culture is created by behavior and action of accountability, support, respect, trust and overall celebrating team success.
Next steps for project management competency
Start by building out the resource structure with the senior leadership sponsor and senior program managers’ hiring, onboarding, mentoring and coaching of the project managers. Next, develop a training camp based on what project managers need to be great at: executing project integration processes coupled with other foundational activities; driving the creation of process artifacts; and focusing all team members through achievement.
Outcomes of a project management competency
All stakeholders understand the why of the project which is based on the business goals, benefits and value along with their accountabilities and responsibilities. Team member progress is directed through integrated project plans tying together all parts: first, program initiation, second, program management plan development and third, program infrastructure development (PMBOK®). All teams will share the lessons learned and the knowledge gained through these experiences.
Measuring the effectiveness of a project management competency
The bottom-line for why building a project management competency are the results. If the project delivery success rate is increasing and the number of failed projects are declining while the turnaround rate is also increasing, then the stakeholder buy-in is strong and constant. This means the applied project management competency is successful and effective.
In summary
Stakeholders buy-in
Without this, a project cannot be successful. Understanding what is important to stakeholders through the use of active listening is key to developing relationships. There also needs to be engagement, open communication, mutual trust and respect. Buy-in leads to ownership on what the effective, efficient delivery of the project needs to look like. This includes exact activities to enable adjusting and aligning behaviors as well as taking actions towards the targeted and desired business value outcomes.
Proactive Methodology
This should be used from day one as it avoids failure and sets a project up for the best possible chance of success. Each project has an active sponsor with a strong business case defining the value as listed on the realization schedule. Project plans are structured for scope, cost, quality, schedule and value. Monitoring and managing the progress of tasks are performed through frequent and consistent check-ins with teams. Weekly and monthly status reports are created to inform the executives, stakeholders and other leadership of updates. Stakeholder engagement is maintained by daily communication on progress.
Reactive Methodology
Failing projects can be recovered before they are cancelled. This must be executed consistently and with repeatable processes. Start with confirming senior leadership’s commitment. Then conduct an assessment with analysis on all project aspects: resources; deliverables; and project variables. Report and share these results along with resolution options. Complete the re-plan and restart of the project. Finally, drive to a successful implementation.
Real project management competency success is about developing the right people
Success always starts and ends with a great team. Build your project management competency with a highly skilled and energetic project manager. Leaders that learn quickly through their onboarding, orientation and applied mentoring are the most ideal candidates. They always produce the best outcome by adapting, aligning the project processes with the goals and benefits toward achieving the business value.
