Using assessments to keep on top of projects


Using assessments to keep on top of projects

September-October 2007

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At a time of shrinking IT budgets and skills shortages, yet a very buoyant business and IT project market, it has never been more important to fine-tune project management capabilities within every organisation. The challenge is, like any other critical business process, how to get the best bang for your buck.

How can an organisation balance the financial challenges that inevitably come with every new project with the pressure to manage that project effectively?

What business wants

In a recent article in CIO magazine, project management columnist Jed Simms* found that the most expensive reason behind project failure was misrepresentation of the business case. This was due to project managers’ inability to relate projects to business outcomes and other benefits. Is it any wonder why senior management is so critical of project managers’ understanding of their business?

Still, effective project management (PM) is vital to project and business success. Caught at the cross fire between the needs of the CIO and that of the broader organisation, project managers need to manage budgets, deliver on expectations and possess exceptional communication skills to ensure effective change management.

The best way for project managers to demonstrate a valuable understanding of their business’ objectives is to keep PM in check with PM assessments.

Assessment tools are one of the best ways for businesses to ensure that project managers have the best skills to deliver projects that link effectively to business goals.

Project management assessment tools are used to review an individual’s level of knowledge, aptitudes and skills, as well as gather information from a variety of sources close to the project manager. This assessment shows whether the project manager practices the skills required and it also shows the extent to which an organisation allows the project manager to perform their role.

To maintain relevance, assessment needs to be competency-based. Put simply, every area assessed and measured needs to directly map back to the objectives of the manager and the project they manage.

It’s no different to mapping Microsoft or Cisco certifications back to the objectives of the business being certified. It’s also no different to any other skills audit where challenges in PM can be linked to gaps in PM skills.

Organisations, such as the Project Management Institute, provide the framework on which project managers can be assessed and in turn, implement projects successfully.

Don’t blame the project manager

Keep in mind that project management does not begin and end with the project manager; there is a larger context involved.

An organisation’s tools and processes and its environment, clients, team members and supervisors all contribute to the success of a project.

It is for this reason that any PM assessment plan needs to incorporate a 360 degree view of the project. Feedback gained from all sources involved will then enable a project manager to tailor his/her approach in the most effective way.

An effective PM training and assessment plan is the foundation to effective project management. Only then will businesses realise the value they have been seeking and the bottom line should fall into place.

Ask your DDLS account manager or click here to access more information about how you can use an assessments-based approach to improve project management in your business.

* Jed Simms surveyed 128 manufacturing organisations across Australia and 36 major banks across the world, and then further tested the findings in utilities, service organizations and retailers. Published 11 September, 2007.