1 / 17

Being a Project Manager: Emerging Skills, Aptitudes and Expectations

Being a Project Manager: Emerging Skills, Aptitudes and Expectations. Don Southey (Computacenter and PROMS-G) BCS Nottingham & Derby Group October 2006. Background as a Project Manager. “Top Teams” in Rank Xerox IT / quality projects for Epcot Ltd & BNFL Computacenter – last 8 years

arwen
Télécharger la présentation

Being a Project Manager: Emerging Skills, Aptitudes and Expectations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Being a Project Manager: Emerging Skills, Aptitudes and Expectations Don Southey (Computacenter and PROMS-G) BCS Nottingham & Derby Group October 2006

  2. Background as a Project Manager • “Top Teams” in Rank Xerox • IT / quality projects for Epcot Ltd & BNFL • Computacenter – last 8 years • Corporate / Govt. clients nationwide • Wide variety of ICT projects • Nearly always “someone else’s project”

  3. Projects: the old way • Often an interruption to the ‘real’ work • Technically defined • Given to technically able • Minimum of tools or training • No methodology

  4. Projects: the hard way ? • Lack of success causing rethink • Tighter discipline & control required • Specialists, groups, departments • Bright spots: PRINCE / PMI • Kaizen • LTQ / QIP (Xerox) • Focus on Business Need

  5. Trend 1: Project management a specialism • Used to be given to ‘techies’ • Now recognised as distinct • Similar to:‘good techie ≠ good supervisor’ • Also distinct from team leader • Among OGC’s ‘core skills’ • Basic competence for all

  6. Trend 2: Change is here to stay • More change within a project • More need to manage change • More need to define dynamically • More need to review objectives • More focus on business case

  7. Trend 3: Convergence but not simplification • Convergence of telecomms, media and computing: predicted 6 yrs ago • 2004-6, IPT / VoIP: IT PMs bidding for replacement telephony networks • Process Control over Internet, RFID • R- & TVoIP, Geo-Text, FIPDA … • Tomorrow ? • Economics of churn • Security, trust and resilience

  8. Trend 4: Less about charts, more about people • Used to focus on methodology • Necessary for clarity & control • Client’s aims and aspirations • Understanding business case • Managing expectations • Persuading stakeholders • Motivating team in teeth of change

  9. Trend 5: More and more with less and less • Competition • Cannot ignore ‘tight’ clients • Small projects – team of one:Senior/assistant unaffordable • Faster delivery • More reporting and control • Systems & time management • Tailoring • Saying “No”

  10. Trend 6: Up the food chain • Competition: 2nd corollary • Managed Services • Developing World • Response to encroachment • People buy from people • International virtual teams • “Follow the Sun” • ‘Middle layer’ offshoring ?

  11. Trend 7: Governance • IT is slowly being seen as central to the whole enterprise • First essential: money • Second essential: information • Desire for visibility and control • To higher management • Cf. Product vs Production line • Pushback: Business accountability

  12. Trend 8: Enter the Matrix • Matrix reporting • Cooperative ventures • The Internet = The Matrix • MS: ‘borrowed’ resources • Ephemeral alliances • Virtualisation • The BAU-free enterprise • Marketplace of specialists

  13. Trend 9: Accountability for results • Less on systems, more on end service • Turnkey package • Penalties and fines • Litigation • Recording • Risk management • New threats • P.I.I.

  14. Trend 10: Complexity and dynamism • Less certainty, more responsibility • MS – ‘business within the business’ • Portfolios and programmes • ‘Organic’ interdependence • Dynamic requirements • Dynamic objectives

  15. To boldly go where no PM has gone before? (Based on Mark Seely / Quang Duong, 2005) • The limits of management • Rules based: dynamic procedures • By Method: dynamic designs • By Objectives: dynamic requirements • By Values: dynamic objectives • By Politics? – dynamic values

  16. A possible case history ? • M. Eng, traditional engineering • Early interest in computing • Moved to modern industry • Got experience in IT and PM • Took management qualification • Tried contracting • Became PM for IT service firm • Took break to run charity logistics projects • Caught in the services ‘squeeze’ • Moved into MS & programme management • Retired to Brasil and teaches project management

  17. Thank you for your time. • Questions ? • Contact information: email: donald.southey@computacenter.com • 01707 – 631000 • www.computacenter.com

More Related