Project Management
Projects have a wide range of complexities, and that’s driven by the size of integrating organizations, functional areas, people, geographies and much more. When you really think about it everyone who has planned a party, or some other gathering, is a project manager. Projects are defined as something unique and there’s a clear start and finish, and that defines every holiday party. So, what’s needed is understanding what tools, methods, experience, and skills are needed to implement a specific project. Not all project managers need to look alike.
Defining Projects, Project Mgt, & Program Mgt
A key element when developing project management skills is learning the language, but we need to speak not only to project managers but also stakeholders who may have differing perceptions of project management. In my content I’m speaking to people interested in learning about project and program management, so I’ll tend to speak in that language.
Career Progression
Like projects, no two careers in project management are the same, they’re unique and they have starts and finishes. There can be a development path in the discipline, it can take a career of continuing to learn new things, practicing them, tweaking them to meet your needs, and taking on additional responsibilities. Each step requires enhancing skills that we began building during the foundational years, which means developing ourselves is as important as developing those under our leadership. We all know that everything we gain will require a sacrifice as payment, that can be in personal time, financial investments, and possible disruptions to family life. So, we need to balance what we’re willing to do against the personal cost.
Two Methods: Standard (Waterfall) or Agile
My argument would be that “no new creation starts with an Agile method.” The first delivery of the base solution will take longer, is more defined, and doesn’t deliver just one value add, but delivers a minimum viable product (MVP) that includes multiple levels of functionality. Everything after that can be implemented through Agile. We need project managers that can cross between both methodologies and plan for exiting from the delivery of an MVP into an Agile framework. We need to plan the transition early in the project, so resources are aligned, and those that come in after the MVP is closed are knowledgeable and are already setting a pipeline of value-add ideas, and maybe even prioritized the first three to five value add iterations.
Different Methods = Different Structures
Because the methods of implementing a standard project are different than agile, they require different project team structures. A standard structure has the project manager reporting to key stakeholders and sponsors, in agile the owner of a product or service owns that responsibility, and the project manager or scrum master is focused on short efforts delivering added value with each iteration. This is another reason as project managers we need to build our skills in both methodologies so we know how to transition from one into the other, and we can communicate with the team how the structures will be set and why.
Building Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
It takes time to develop skills in project management. It starts with gaining a base understanding of tools and methodologies, then experiential learning over multiple projects leads to a competency of skills. Then it’s time to take those skills to the next level where we need to learn more, and practice so we enhance our skills. During this time, we are becoming more knowledgeable of the industry we’re working in, so at some point, and it’s never a clear line, but switching industries will be a challenge. It’s not that the skills aren’t transferable, it’s more because hiring managers have a difficult time accepting someone from a different background. Consider a construction organization hiring a project manager to lead a new housing development with only a healthcare background or reverse that scenario.
Complexity
Understanding It and Managing It
There are many ways complexity appears in projects, from technology through the required skills and knowledge of the people who are needed to implement. Geographies, the number of partners, and the expectations of stakeholders will bring their own set of challenges. We must apply a project management structure capable of handling the complexity of a project. A quick way to evaluate a project’s complexity is by understanding the number of people engaged or will be in the future. People represent teams, geographies, partners, and many other elements of complexity. So, if you understand how many people there are, you immediately get a sense of complexity. Don’t underestimate, and don’t assume all project managers have the experience to lead all levels of complexity.
PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition
The Project Management Institute released the updated PMBOK® 7th Edition in 2021, and there’s some radical changes from previous editions. They’ve made a very appropriate shift from focusing on processes to delivering value. For me this shift came many years back, so it makes me happy to see the most globally accepted certifying body, PMI® has caught up. Making a shift in approach like this takes years of coordination with project management experts, and the evolution of the discipline is continuing to rapidly change. My recommendation to all the PMP® holders out there, and that’s over 1.5m globally, >500k in North America, get the latest edition, read through it, and see what applies to your world. You can also submit development units to maintain your certification.
