Even project management, which seems to be a static field, is constantly evolving. Sometimes, even for the best. Trends change, methods and ideas change, so companies try to build PM infrastructures that are better able to manage projects and have better tools.
These are the trends I have been anticipating. These trends are all occurring in project management infrastructures within companies. Let us know what trends you are seeing.
The establishment of top-level project leadership within the corporation.
It was something I suggested and it seems to be growing. Although it is not always the Chief Project/Program officer (CPO), I was thinking of, I have noticed that more PMO directors report directly to C-level executives and sometimes even to the CEO. This is a positive thing. When managing larger projects, it is important that your organization’s senior leaders are involved in project management. Projects that aren’t conceived by the organization may be managed as one-off projects or by individuals who are forced to assume PM roles without any prior PM experience. This could cause project failures to occur more often than they should.
Company-wide project status reporting.
One size does not fit all project reports. They can be tailored to meet the needs of different stakeholders. To quickly show project health to your C-levels, a great dashboard is essential. This dashboard will be needed by your customer to pass on the chain of command. We are seeing project status reports almost as often sent out as enterprise-wide newsletters. It is a great way for team members to be recognized for their work and deliverables. It makes it easy for everyone to have the information they need about a project. Amen…smart move.
Participants in project status meetings.
It’s a positive thing to see it more personally. It’s something I hear from colleagues. Senior leaders should attend project status meetings on an ongoing basis. This is to ensure projects are on track, especially when trouble arises, and to show clients who have high-ranking jobs that they care. I don’t believe a CEO can solve every technical problem affecting a project. Instead, they can be more aware of a project’s problems and better equipped to help remove them. It shows the client that we are working together. Both help a lot. Both of these help a lot.
Client pre-sales are being handled by project managers more frequently.
This was something I did with an organization in the 2000’s. It was a great way for all my departments, which I led, to do an estimation and budget well for next year. It worked well. All their project budgets were much more on-target than they were a year ago. Your project managers should be involved as full-time engagement managers. This will lower customer expectations and allow for resetting once the project is actually completed. Project