Okay, that’s just not true. Of course it costs.
But Project Management can bring real value to an organization.
Project Management is often seen as simply overhead, an expense. And there is some truth to this sentiment. After all, the benefits that accrue from properly executed project management – and more importantly from properly executed projects – may not be apparent at first glance. Project managers cost money, this is undeniable. Good project managers cost more money.
But so do computers and printers and the network and the tools you use to do your work. These all cost money. Some of them can be had for cheap – and then need to be replaced or upgraded sooner rather than later. There are others on which you’d never skimp. You understand that investing now is a savings in the long run – whether because of greater reliability (less down time, lower cost of ownership) or because they just work better.
I’m here to tell you that a good PM is worth the investment, just like buying an HP or IBM instead of those white box PCs your cousin Dave assembled in his basement.
Why? What makes a good PM and how do they bring value to the organization?
So let’s start by clearing up a common misconception: “PMs are responsible for projects completing on-time and on-budget.” This is true, but a former boss (who I respect greatly) said, “That’s ‘C’ work.” It’s just getting by as a PM. You need to be able to do this every time, for every project, to get a passing grade.
How, then, does a PM get a higher grade? Oh, so many ways:
- Risk management: Having a clear understanding of how to recognize, categorize, and manage risks – things that can happen to impact the project and the company. This is a foundational skill for a PM, but doing it well gets higher marks.
- Stakeholder management: Project management is about people much more than it’s about the subject matter of the project. A PM should have a working understanding of the subject – but more importantly, a PM has to listen, and ask, and explain, and coordinate with people who are the experts – both in the requirements for the project, but in how to accomplish the goals. Balancing the needs of the sponsors with the capabilities of the organization, and communicating all of this in a clear, concise manner, sets good PMs apart.
- Requirements management: It is axiomatic that, for a given project, the sponsor knows best what they want. Some person or committee or team understands what the final result is supposed to do or look like or achieve. They just don’t necessarily know it at the outset. This is where solid requirements elicitation, documentation, and validation come into play. Now, this can be the realm of the Business Analyst – and if the organization has this function, that’s ideal. But the PM is ultimately responsible for making sure that all of these are in place and that they are maintained throughout the project.
- Problem solving: While PMs are not necessarily the solution architects, they do facilitate the process. From identifying the actual problem underneath an issue to creating and promulgating solutions, the PM brings together the right people, prompts the conversation, makes sure the proceedings are recorded, and generally shepherds the problem-solving to its solution. This is about listening, probing, and even playing the contrarian if need be.
- Team Building: Depending on the organization, PMs may be utilizing internal people, external contractors, and/or vendors to populate their project teams. Often, teams are different from one project to the next. Some organizations use the same people for projects as they do for operations; that puts a lot of stress on the team members – and on the PM. The PMs job is to take these disparate resources and focus them on the goals of the project. Because there can be so much variability in the make-up of the team, each project might need to go through a team-building process. PMs do this as part of their scope.
- Facilitation and Miscellaneous: PMs are often required to schedule and run meetings, make purchases, track invoices, maintain project records, and of course, create and maintain project artifacts. Every bit of this is important to the successful execution of a project – and should be re-used to the extent possible on future projects. A “lessons learned” session should be part of every project – what went right, went needs to be improved for the future.
All of these things compose the work of a PM. And all of this is above and beyond the simple “blocking and tackling” aspects of budget, scope, and schedule. PMs are responsible for keeping the team and the project heading in the right direction, establishing and enforcing accountability, bringing out the best possible results for the project sponsors and the whole Organization.
Each of these deserves its own post. Hey, that’s a great idea! Stay tuned!
Bringin’ the PM Value!
Want to learn more about our services, and how we can bring value to your company? Get in touch with us! Or get on our calendar!