When it comes to implementing project management in organizations, there are three common, but often dangerous words: “Please do it.” Many companies are trying to be “first to the market,” and it doesn’t matter if the final product or service achieves the expected quality in the first place. As a result, organizations are spending large amounts of money “just doing it” for the wrong reasons at the wrong time and in the wrong way.

 

They have project managers, but they don’t support them. They simply don’t believe project definition and project planning must be done before implementing and executing it. In Spain, I helped three big companies implement project management across their organizations. All three knew they could improve their project management methods, but they could not find the right time to do it. “Too busy” and “too stressed” were the management team’s usual excuses. Despite this, they continue sending people to be trained in project management, and spending a lot of money on project management training and consulting.

 

When I delivered project management training for these organizations, all attendees seemed to be interested, but most of them told me, “Although my manager has sent many project leaders to this training course before, we rarely, if ever, have time to put best practices into action.”

 

Find the Time
With a clearly defined mission, vision, and strategy acting as the primary filter for project decision-making, organizations can change their project approach. Better communication between project managers and executive decision-makers is a necessary step on the path to improvement. Often, project managers concentrate on individual projects, whereas executives look at the big picture.

 

I, as a project manager, have learned that one way to overcome those obstacles is to better understand the company and how projects are linked to the company’s strategy. Executives and project managers have a great opportunity to create a culture of working together.

 

In speaking with upper managers at a telecommunications company, I learned that “rapid to market” was the project’s most important goal. Taking this principle into account, I proposed drastic process changes, such as retrospective analysis (learning from past experiences), training executives in filtering information and project-focused decision-making, and maintaining strategic focus using project management.

 

A project management culture first and foremost requires the right project managers—leaders who actually want the job. Implementing project management in organizations supports true leaders who are able to think holistically, not only for one particular project. Everyone in the organization must look after the same interests.

 

Wheat and Chaff
Companies striving to maintain and improve their competitiveness and expand their market will inevitably be faced with implementing project management as a practice. Some organizations aspire to set up effective project management offices or simply choose to appoint project leaders/managers to manage cross-functional projects in addition to their existing responsibilities. Whatever the approach or the goal an organization may have, establishing an effective culture has proven to be a very hard task. Ten years from now, successful organizations will be defined by those who have implemented project management effectively and have established a project management culture.

 

Global markets rapidly change and customers become more demanding. Organizations that can respond more effectively will achieve the greatest financial success. When we use the words “change” or “customer demands,” we also must realize that project management can respond to unique customer needs better than traditional management techniques.

 

Project leaders who are able to use an executive lexicon to be understood by upper managers will be able to sell them the advantages of taking time for organizational success.

Related Links
Cinda Voegtli interviewed executive colleagues to find out what qualities they saw in their MVPMs (Most Valuable PMs). (Understanding the business was a huge factor.) PMOs and department heads looking to develop their in-house PM talent may want to take an inventory to guide their efforts. This guideline provides step-by-step suggestions for implementing project management processes.