Description
Rapidly evolving technologies, global business interdependencies, and changes to project management (PM) processes and tools demand that new PM competencies be continuously developed and adequately applied to achieve successful results. Despite the many advances in the PM discipline, significant competency gaps exist within even the most successful companies. This book provides the proven strategic approaches needed to grow and evolve your project managers’ competency over time, in step with the needs of your business, and supplies practical examples of competency models and how to deploy them.
About the author(s)
Loredana Abramo, PMP, has over 25 years of experience in deploying telecommunication networks in the US, Japan, Singapore, and Australia, filling such roles as Project Managers’ Competency Development Leader for Emerging Technologies, Deputy Director of the PMO, Lead Engineer, Technical Deputy, and Business Operations Manager. She is a published author, who also translated Peter Taylor’s The Lazy Project Manager into Italian, and is an international speaker that has delivered numerous presentations at PMI, IEEE, and IPMA global events in North America, Australia, Malaysia, and Italy.
Loredana has a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and is board certified as a Professional Engineer. She has a Convergence Technologies Professional accreditation from the Telecommunications Industry Association and a Certificate in Advanced Project Management from De Paul University. Loredana is a Member of PMI and a Senior Member of IEEE. She is currently based in Naperville, IL, USA.
Rich Maltzman, PMP, has been an engineer and PMO leader for almost 40 years. His international project work has been diverse, including the integration of two large PMOs of merging multi-national corporations. As a second but intertwined career, Rich has also focused on consulting and teaching at several universities in the US and China. Mr. Maltzman is a published author of numerous articles, PMP courseware and three books, and is a recipient of the distinguished PMI® David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award.
Rich is an international speaker that has delivered presentations at PMI and IPMA conferences in North America, Africa, The Netherlands, Costa Rica, Mexico, Italy, and Malaysia. His educational background includes a BSEE from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and an MSIE from Purdue University. In addition, Rich has certifications from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, and INSEAD of France.
Table of Contents
Preface
Foreword by Charles Pellerin
Introduction
Chapter 1: Problem Statement: In Other Words, The Gap
The Value of Project Management as a Discipline
Defining PM Competency
Developing PM Competency
PM Competency as a Means to Be Resilient to Change
A Matter of Scale
Chapter 2: Wanted: Bespoke Strategic Approach
Top-Down, Bottom-Up, or Middle-Out?
Long Term or Short Term?
Assessing Competency: the PEAKS Model
Where to Start: Using the Face of Knowledge
Project Management Framework: the Left Eye
Methods and Tools: the Right Eye
Knowledge: the Nose Knows
Leadership and Communication: the Mouth
The PM Community: The Ears
Chapter 3: Know Thy Audience
Generational Differences
The Project Manager Personality Approach
Chapter 4: Options
Formal Training
Knowledge Transfer
Above and Beyond
Chapter 5: Planning your Bridges
Readiness
Sponsors
Phases
Communications
Project Plans and Project Allies
Pilots
Chapter 6: Time to Deliver!
Governance: Your Key to Controlling Outcomes
Budgeting
Organizational Change Management
The Known Unknowns
Case Study
Chapter 7: Indicators of Success – How Do You Know if Your Bridge Is Built and Working?
Certification Programs
Internal Certification
Internal Competency Assessment
External/Industry Certification and Credentials
Project KPIs
Chapter 8: The Feedback Loop and Improving the Bridge
PDCA
Curricula Updates
Customer and PM Maturity Assessment Surveys
Career Path
Chapter 9: Leveraging Expert Judgment
Appendix 1: References and Useful Links
Appendix 2: Survey Outcome
Appendix 3: Details of the 4-D Approach Applied to PM Competency
Appendix 4: Case Study: Philips
Index
Reviews
“Project management has grown from a career path position to a strategic competency necessary for the survival of many firms. As a result, competency gaps in the education and training of project managers have developed. This book is a must-read if you wish to better understand and repair these changing competency gaps.”
—Dr. Harold Kerzner, Sr. Executive Director, Project Management, International Institute for Learning
“This reference will help bridge the gap between the current and desired states of what your project managers need to know, need to be, and need to do for successful project results.”
—Dr. Barbara A. Trautlein, Principal and Founder, Change Catalysts
“What’s the reality of today’s projects? Every day your organization is either learning and improving, or falling behind. This important book is a must-read!”
—Kimberly Wiefling, President, Wiefling Consulting, Inc.
