The Superior Project Manager: Global Competency Standards and Best Practices PDF
Preview The Superior Project Manager: Global Competency Standards and Best Practices
The Superior Proiect Manager CENTER FOR BUSINESS PRACTICES Editor James S. Pennypacker Director Center for Business Practices West Chester, Pennsylvania 1 . The Superior Project Organization: Global Competency Standards and Best Practices, Frank Toney 2. The Superior Project Manager: Global Competency Standards and Best Practices, Frank Toney ADDITIONAL VOLUMES IN PREPARATION Managing Multiple Projects: Planning, Scheduling, and Allocating Resources for Competitive Advantage, James S. Pennypacker and Lowell Dye Project Management Maturity Model, J. Kent Crawford Deploying Your Project Office, J. Kent Crawford Series Introduction The organizational environment needed for project success is ulti- mately created by management. The way that the managers define, structure, and act toward projects is critical to the success or failure of those projects, and consequently the success or failure of the orga- nization. An effective project management culture is essential for ef- fective project management. This Center for Business Practices series of books is designed to help you develop an effective project management culture in your organization. The series presents the best thinking of some of the world's leading project management professionals, who identify a broad spectrum ofbest practices for you to consider and then to imple- ment in your own organizations. Written with the working prac- titioner in mind, the series provides "must have" information on the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques used in superior project man- agement organizations. A culture is a shared set of beliefs, values, and expectations. This culture is embodied in your organization's policies, practices, proce- dures, and routines. Effective cultural change occurs and will be sus- tained only by altering (or in some cases creating) these everyday policies, practices, procedures, and routines in order to impact the Iii lv Series Introduction beliefs and values that guide employee actions. We can affect the cul- ture by changing the work climate, by establishing and implementing project management methodology, by training to that methodology, and by reinforcing and rewarding the changed behavior that results. The Center for Business Practices series focuses on helping you ac- complish that cultural change. Having an effective project management culture involves more than implementing the science of project management, however-it involves the art of applying project management skill. It also involves the organizational changes that truly integrate this management phi- losophy. These changes are sometimes structural, but they always involve a new approach to managing a business: projects are a natu- ral outgrowth of the organization's mission. They are the way in which the organization puts in place the processes that carry out the mission. They are the way in which changes will be effected that en- able the organization to effectively compete in the marketplace. We hope this Center for Business Practices series will help you and your organization excel in today's rapidly changing business world. James S. Pennypacker Preface The more than 80 companies that participate in the Top 500 Project Management Benchmarking Forum consider the selection and nur- turing of project managers among the most important factors influ- encing the outcome and success of projects. The associated identifi- cation of actions, traits, and skills that maximize the probability of project goal achievement is also of highest importance. In response to those needs, the results of nearly 10 years of benchmark forum re- search are documented and supplemented by hundreds of studies con- ducted by others. The output is a compilation of validated best prac- tices that can be immediately applied to improve project performance. Validated best practices and competency standards provide the means for project managers to improve their performance, increase personal earnings and upward career mobility, and enhance peer rec- ognition as well as the image of professionalism. Companies benefit from improved ability to select project managers, assess performance, and structure individual and group development programs. For cus- tomers and stakeholders, application ofbest practice standards maxi- mizes the probability of project success and gives assurance that the project approach will be predictable and consistent. Frank Toney v Acknowledgments Representatives from approximately 60 organizations worked for nine years developing best practices and competencies for project managers and project organizations. Several of the participants started project organizations before any information was available to assist in the process. Some suffered failure. In every case, the individ- uals involved were willing to share their experiences in an effort to help others. All the people who provided time to the benchmarking effort did so on a volunteer basis. I sincerely thank the following peo- ple and the companies they represent for their contributions in com- municating their experiences and supporting the increasingly high levels of professionalism found in project management. Aeroquip, Yvette Burton Bellsouth, Ed Prieto Alcoa, Alan Kristynik Cablevision, Dave Steinbuck, Allied Signal, Tom Booth Steve Potter, Cliff Hagen, Jackie American Airlines, Susan Garcia Ernst AMEX, Mary Burgger Calpers, Doug McKeever, Michael Amway/Access, Ed VanEssendelft Ogata, Kristen Sawchuck Arizona Republic, Larry Lytle Capital One, Bob Stanley, Debbie Avnet, Julee Rosen Adams Battelle, Steve S. Eschlahta Caterpillar Inc., Dave Harrison vii
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