Ask most Project & Program Managers
what the future of the competence is, and I’ll bet 9 out of 10 would say
“Agile”.
It’s not that I disagree Agile
thinking is a positive trend. I just don’t see it as the full picture, and
certainly not a silver bullet. Part of this view is that as logical and
intuitive as the values are, the principles underpinning it are still
susceptible to many of the challenges that threaten traditional or “waterfall”
approaches. More than anything else, this is a lack of practicality in
constantly changing environments, with varying levels of organisational
maturity and buy-in. I sincerely hope agile academics keep looking for
solutions, but I don’t see this changing soon.Let’s assume then, and this is a
reality for many, that:
- Teams
are not /cannot be colocated
- Teams
are demotivated and stretched, trust is not established
- Business
don’t / can’t work closely with a project team, or have delegated product
ownership
- Scope, Time and Cost are fixed
- The
organisation is in transformation somewhere between Waterfall and Agile
There are reasons
for the above, often out of immediate control of the project manager. So if we
accept these (the factors over which the current PM obsesses!) cannot be
changed, the challenge for a project manager to still deliver Business Value
becomes far more complex. Mastering this dilemma is our future. This
is a big opportunity for the Consultant Project Manager. So what does this
"Business Value Delivery Manager" look like?
Through discussions
with clients, colleagues, and Communities of Practice, a number of competencies
have been identified as contributing to future-proofing a PM profile. I have
tried to summarise these in the model below:
Able – “Multi-Competent”, to manage and
coordinate not only “delivery” but also analysis, design, functional /
technical and other workstreams.
Adaptable – to changing organisations,
ambiguity, multiple methodologies, and imperfect scenarios.
Articulate – Communicates risks, issues and
progress clearly, frequently and with purpose across multiple levels.
Agile - Find the best way to apply agile
values, and adapt agile principles in the pursuit of optimal business value.
Academic – Understand and apply critical
Industry/Subject Matter Expertise and Business Knowledge.
Approachable – Relationship focussed, and intent on
supporting and leading internal / external business, project teams and
individuals to success.
Aware - Of organisational and strategic
direction, the competencies above, and the influence these have on one’s
project.
Moving Up the Value
Chain
It is clear when
one looks at these “competencies” that there is an increasing expectation of a
project manager, and specifically as a consulting PM, that they can operate at
levels we traditionally thought of as “programme” and “portfolio” related.
Operating at
Programme and Portfolio levels generally requires a much broader experience and
exposure to transitional environments, business strategy, business case
development & benefits realisation, project leadership, and stakeholder
engagement at c-levels. This can be a huge challenge when the PM in question is
new to consulting.
With PMOs
increasingly becoming governance and capability support offices however, there
is a vacuum which the PM is being asked to fill.
Owning Business value
– Not Just a PM Thing
If we accept that
the ultimate value of a consulting PM is to deliver business value (as opposed
to PM artefacts), it becomes necessary for us to understand the project
lifecycle in its entirety, and address any impediments. We also need to
focus on obtaining the experience, education and exposure in these areas to
supplement our core PM skills.
Lastly, I see this growth opportunity extending further than just to project managers. With governance and delivery frameworks often well defined in a large organisation, this PM core competence becomes less important. This means that senior Process, System and Business Analysts, Change Managers, and Enterprise Architects amongst others can transition into similar “Value management” roles. In fact, it is most likely they will add immense value through the application of their core competencies to the delivery cycle, which they would otherwise not have had opportunity to do.
