The De-valued Professional Project Manager

March 17, 2012 — Bruce McGraw

I have seen a very upsetting trend in the United States over the last three years – organizations have stopped valuing experienced, professional Project Managers.  Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it – companies put out a call for a position such as a business analyst, developer or technical specialist, and when you read the competencies for the job, it has project management all though it.  So, do they really want a business analyst, or have they asked for a business analyst with a PMP because they don’t want to pay for a professional project manager? In how many of these situations do they really need a professional Project Manager because the project is complex or mission critical?

I will admit that even I have questioned certifications in our industry, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP).  What does it really mean today? And does it help to filter out people who don’t have real and deep experience in project management?  I have met more non-experienced PMs with a PMP certification in the last 2 years than ever before.  I wonder – has PMI sold out? Are they no longer enforcing the experience requirements for obtaining the PMP?  Can anyone earn a PMP?

So, as more and more companies post job openings where they want project management as one skill among many, will the project management profession become obsolete? The biggest problem with this trend is the de-valuing of thousands of professional project managers who have years of experience managing projects and applying project management principles to complex projects.  I am not saying every project manager has to be a certified or professional – not all projects are the same or require full time project management.  But many of the new projects we are seeing, which were delayed due to the recession, are strategic, with high visibility and should require a professional project manager.

If you have devoted your career to being a professional PM, like I have, you are frustrated watching companies put individuals into project manager positions who do not have the experience nor the skills to do the job.  And why does our profession end up as a just a skill on another job position?  Would a company do this with any other professional, certified position? For example, would they hire a telecommunications engineer and require that they have a CPA?  Probably not, even though the engineer might need to know accounting. To do so would de-value the career associated with the CPA. By the same token, the skills set of a Project Management Professional (PMP) is not the same as someone who just needs to understand project management as a part of their job.

Well, now I will step down from my soap box!  But really, this is a main concern of mine for 2012.  In this cost-cutting, post recession environment, how many of my PMP peers are seeing this disturbing trend as companies try to “do more with fewer people?”

Posted in General Project Management, Professional Development, Project Management. Tags: , , . 5 Comments »

Defending the Project Management Profession

December 21, 2011 — Bruce McGraw

Project management is not just something you do when you cannot get a real job. Project management is a profession and project managers are professionals. I am probably preaching to the choir here, but having recently seen ads for fast, cheap and simple project management training and tools, I felt the need to state firmly my position on this matter.

Project managers must possess a wide range of skills that include technical knowledge, organizational ability, seeing the big picture and most importantly, they must communicate effectively. A project manager achieves job satisfaction through directing others. Project managers must lead, motivate and provide an effective work environment. Behind the scenes, the manager plans, observes, assesses and solves problems both technical and people-related. It is a not a job for the faint of heart.

Becoming a Project Manager
If you aspire to be a project manager, preparation is essential. Most of your project management education will happen outside of an academic classroom. However, in addition to technical classes, a future manager benefits from formal instruction in communication, systems thinking and business intelligence. And, a couple general business classes won’t hurt.

Once employed, pay attention to the behavior of managers you respect and those you do not. Try to find commonalities in skills and personality traits. Compare the skills you admire with your own abilities and seek to enhance areas that are weak.

Learn from practitioners. This can include joining local project management groups, taking PMI or vendor sponsored classes, and reading articles and blog posts by project managers. Beside Fear No Project, I think you will find useful information from the bloggers I have listed on my Blogroll. (also see My favorite project management links and websites)

Because effective communication is essential to project managers, look for opportunities to practice including writing articles and proposals and giving presentations. Ask for feedback and work to improve your communication skills.

Learn to use PM tools including planning, scheduling, costing, tracking and report writing.

Seek out opportunities to practice managing. You can volunteer to lead a special project, assist the lead engineer or PM or even manage projects outside of your work environment. You need to develop the mindset of “thinking like a manager” instead of thinking like a contributor.
Preparing for becoming a professional project manager takes time and seasoning. Most small project managers have 3 – 5 years experience and those managing complex programs often have more than 10 years in the field, at least half of which involved project management of smaller projects.

Whether you pursue a PMP certification or not, be aware and appreciate the skills that define the field. In addition to formal academic and experience requirements, PMPs pass an examination of knowledge on all aspects of project management including initiating, planning executing, monitoring and control and closing a project. In addition, each PMP meets the requirements for continuing education hours in the field.

So whether you want to be a project manager or you are seeking to hire one, do not be mislead by false claims that becoming a project manager is fast, cheap or easy; it is not.

Posted in General Project Management, Personal Thoughts, Professional Development. Tags: , , , . 3 Comments »

Professional ScrumMaster Class Offered in Austin Texas

November 3, 2011 — Bruce McGraw

I have written and spoken in the past about agile and the incremental approaches to building solutions.  I am learning more about SCRUM and how it can improve our ability to be successful in our projects.  Scrum provides a framework for software development that is incremental and iterative. Scrum is based on agile principles that involve planning and implementing software deliverables in short time cycles. As described by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in “The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of the Game,” Scrum is simple to understand and “extremely difficult to master.”

As with other agile methods, Scrum works well in development efforts where requirements change frequently and objectives can be broken down into tasks that a team can accomplish in days rather than months (and most of us have experienced the constant requirements change problem). The role of a project manager in an agile development differs from the role served by managers operating under traditional waterfall methods, as discussed in Agile and project management – Advice from the warriors and now a formal certification in the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

A project using Scrum framework and methods is comprised of a product owner, the execution team and a “ScrumMaster”, who solves problems and facilitates execution. The Wikipedia write up on Scrum states, “The ScrumMaster ensures that the Scrum process is used as intended. The ScrumMaster is the enforcer of rules. A key part of the ScrumMaster’s role is to protect the team and keep them focused on the tasks at hand.”

I am excited to announce that my organization, Cognitive Technologies, in partnership with Improving Enterprises, is offering the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification course in Austin Texas. I am planning on going, so that I can increase my knowledge and skills.

The next class is being held in Austin, TX on December 6-7, 2011. Taught by Don McGreal, the 2-day class is the first significant update of the Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) course that Ken Schwaber introduced and shared in 2002. As in the original, the framework, mechanics, and roles of Scrum are covered. The course then goes further by teaching students how to use Scrum to optimize value, productivity, and total cost of ownership of systems and products. Students will learn through instruction and team-based exercises, and will be challenged to think on their feet to better understand what to do when they return to their workplaces. If you or your organization is trying to use SCRUM then you need to send someone to a course like this.
Here are some details from the course information:

Structure of the Course

  • Scrum Basics – What is Scrum and how has it evolved?
  • Scrum Theory – Why does Scrum work and what are its core principles? How are the Scrum principles different from those of more traditional software development approaches, and what is the impact?
  • Scrum Framework and Meetings – How Scrum theory is implemented using time- boxes, roles, rules, and artifacts. How can these be used most effectively and how can they fall apart?
  • Scrum and Change – Scrum is different: what does this mean to my project and my organization? How do I best adopt Scrum given the change that is expected?
  • Scrum and Total Cost of Ownership – A system isn’t just developed, it is also sustained, maintained and enhanced. How is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of our systems or products measured and optimized?
  • Scrum Teams – Scrum Teams are self-organizing and cross-functional; this is different from traditional development groups. How do we start with Scrum teams and how do we ensure their success?
  • Scrum Planning – Plan a project and estimate its cost and completion date.
  • Predictability, Risk Management, and Reporting – Scrum is empirical. How can predictions be made, risk be controlled, and progress be tracked using Scrum.
  • Scaling Scrum – Scrum works great with one team. It also works better than anything else for projects or product releases that involve hundreds or thousands of globally dispersed team members. How is scaling best accomplished using Scrum?

Audience
This training is primarily targeted at those responsible for the successful use and/or rollout of Scrum in a project or enterprise.

Prerequisites

  1. Have read one of the Scrum books.
  2. Have studied the Scrum Guide at www.scrum.org.
  3. Understand the basics of project management.
  4. Understand requirements and requirements decomposition.
  5. Have been on or closely involved with a project that builds or enhances a product.
  6. Want to know more about how Scrum works, how to use it, and how to implement it in an organization.

Cost

This class is normally $1,495 for the 2 day class, but Cognitive Technologies is offering a discount for early signup.To sign up for the course go to http://www.cognitive-technologies.com/products/training/scrum.aspx.

It is time for us to get serious about learning new methods for projects so I encourage you to look at all of the methodologies that are out there today. If you have more information about this type of training or Agile methods, feel free to leave a comment.

Posted in Best Practice, General Project Management, Professional Development, Project Management. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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