Let’s broadening the way we think about project management in our companies. For those who haven’t yet made the leap, it’s time to bring project management to the whole organization. What does that mean? The answer to that question comes in the comments we get around the world….
…“Management doesn’t get it.”
…“Executives tell us what they want, but don’t follow through when we need support on our projects.”
…“All they see is bottom line – they don’t understand implementation.”
This sentiment underscores a key premise of whole-organization project management understanding: everyone involved in projects must understand their own – distinct – roles in project management, from practitioners, to managers, to executives.
Seeing where this call for organizational project management comes from is important: it comes from the people managing projects. It comes from those who are saddled with day-to-day objectives and milestones, delivering results when it counts. What these people are bubbling up through the organization is a drive for greater methodological awareness against accepted standards in the field, and support when and where they need it.
Another key premise to an organizational project management approach is ensuring that the people involved in projects execute their roles in the process. This involves a sophisticated and realistic approach to managing the portfolio of projects across the organization, the programs that make up larger strategic initiatives, and the projects that enable the organization to deliver strategic results.
Over FrankKooijmans
