Published: January 15 2009, 10:09 AM | no comments
by Steve Romero

ESI International recently revealed its list of projected "Top 10 Project Management Trends for 2009."  

I could spend hours talking about their projections but I will focus on one trend listed in their press release in a section entitled "Back to Basics for Successful Project Portfolio Management":

 "More than any year in recent history, 2009 will be a critical year for ensuring project success.  Project managers will increase their emphasis on the basics, taking a first-things-first approach and address fundamentals such as gaining and sustaining executive commitment, addressing gaps in the alignment of organizational strategy and projects, project selection, and efficient measurement process while leveraging existing resources to increase project success."

While I agree that "back to basics" is essential for Project Portfolio Management success, I completely disagree with the notion that Project Managers will take these steps. They simply don't have the authority or the ability to do so! This emphasis can only come from Executive Leadership that advocates and fosters sound IT Governance conventions.

Strategic alignment determination, project selection, balancing demand and resource availability, the decision-making process, and measuring the effectiveness of decisions are all functions of IT Governance and the associated Project Portfolio Management processes. Project Managers and PMOs can influence these decisions by advocating their necessity and providing the data necessary to ensure they are reasoned and rational, but it is the Executive Leadership Team that must make the decisions.

Maybe ESI meant something different in their press release, but I worry about the folks that may see these 2009 projections and mistakenly expect Project Managers to address these critical Project Governance needs. For years, organizations have relied on the heroics of their Project Managers to overcome the lack of good IT Governance and the associated decision-making processes. Project Managers, victimized by the lack of good Project Portfolio Management must find ways to succeed despite the following:

• Working on the wrong things because project decisions are not aligned with enterprise strategy and business objectives
• Working on the wrong things or too many things because the organization does not have a systematic approach to accurately prioritize projects
• Struggling to find a way to allocate and manage resources without the benefit of effective demand and resource management systems and the associated reasoned and rationale decision-making to strike the correct balance
• Desperately seeking and obtaining the Executive sponsorship and oversight necessary to overcome the challenges and obstacles to project success

It is Executive Leadership that must address these needs and any emphasis on the basics of Project Portfolio Management, not Project Managers.

Readers, do you agree or disagree? Do you rely on Project Managers to accomplish the objectives of Project Portfolio Management, or do you have examples of Project Manager heroics to overcome the lack of it?

Share this post:  Email

Share

Published: January 14 2009, 02:04 PM | no comments
by Steve Romero

I want to start my first blog posting of the year by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I do so with the realization that 2009 has not started well and there is every indication it will be far from "happy" for many. The economic downturn has and will continue to present numerous problems and challenges for enterprises in almost every business sector. What is happening in your organization?

As I noted in my last post, I am hopeful that this downturn will be the catalyst for the advocacy and fostering of good IT Governance and the associated Project and Portfolio Management.  Very few organizations will elect to "stand still."  Leadership will be taking action in response to the state of our economy. And every action is made up of multiple decisions. Should we invest or not invest? Should we cut here or there or not at all. Should we act sooner or later? Decisions will be made and actions will be taken.     

But will these decisions be born of good IT Governance?

What and how decisions are made, and who is accountable, are the basic and critical elements of Governance. Now, more than ever, the criticality of these decisions is magnified due to the potential cost of bad decisions. Most enterprises have little to no room for failure. Consider your organizations:

• What decisions are being made? Are "new" decisions being made?
• Do you know who is accountable for those decisions? Are the right people involved?
• Do you know the process for making the decision? What data was used to make the decision?
• How will the result of the decision be determined? What are the metrics and measures?

Let me know. Sooner rather than later.

Share this post:  Email

Share