Foster community
Creating a sense of belonging and community is pivotal in creating an ardent project management arm and is accomplished by engendering a sense of belonging and a sense of value. There are many ways of doing this but the most illustrative and effective means that I participated in was by taking field trips to locations where our project teams had delivered projects to see them in action. On one trip we visited the USS Ronald Reagan to observe how our project delivery was empowering the warfighter daily. These also serve as great opportunities to get true feedback from the user about what worked well and not so well.
Certifications
While many people do not see the value in certifications, when encouraged for the right reasons, they can provide lasting value. For one, they set a standard knowledge and vernacular that the project management community can use to communicate. It also motivates team members to immerse themselves in their project management profession while preserving a sense of belonging to those that pass that certain rite of passage in earning that certification.
Beyond these advantages, I have colleagues that have received 20% more in pay simply for having project management certifications. On the other hand, I have seen many, otherwise qualified individuals, rejected from employment because they were not certified. While this is more true of people looking to work in the government industrial base, it also happens in other industries, particularly in tight employment conditions reminiscent of the 2008 recession.
Senior leader offsites & working groups
Making a practice of including senior project managers (PMs) to senior leader planning sessions is imperative. Not only will this build the needed rapport between executives and the project management arm of the company, but, assuming PMs opinions are solicited, will also provide insight to the feasibility of strategic objectives.
I have been in myriad senior leader planning sessions and often watched in awe as daydreams of grandeur were painted across the canvas of the future despite flawed assumptions and devoid of resource allocations made for implementation. Not surprisingly, these planning efforts died on the vine within weeks or months.
Diversity of Experience
Strategic planning and the resulting objectives can be as diverse as the industry the company operates in, it’s customer demographic and firm’s core capabilities. This means that the project management practitioners that will take strategic strokes on paper, into reality, will also need to have experience sets and backgrounds that are varied and commensurate with the diversity of strategic objectives. What this means is that senior leaders need to routinely hire project management practitioners from industries and disciplines that are different than those commensurate with the company, its industry, and its workforce demographic.
A recent study on the benefits of hiring a diverse project management workforce asserts that one of key advantages is that it provides the company with a broader perspective and gives the organization a stronger foothold in the diverse marketplace it operates in. This diversity also allows the firm to pivot more nimbly than competitors who only hire project management practitioners from the same industry and disciplines.
Assigning the arduous task of strategic implementation to project management practitioners is a key first step to translating thoughts into reality. However, like any department, it must be nurtured and intentionally included for project management to flourish and deliver the true business value it has the potential to provide.
Questions to Consider
How effective is your project management function in translating strategic planning into reality?
When is the last time senior project managers were a vibrant part of the strategic planning process?
Do you actively foster the growth and cohesiveness of your company’s project management community and culture?
What would it mean if you could strengthen the implementation arm of the business by simply providing the adequate care and feeding your project management function deserves?