Post on 21-May-2020
Proposals to Accelerate Advancementfrom Project Manager
to Senior Executive
Jean-Pierre Debourse and Russell D. Archibald
60 years experience as mechanical engineer, project manager, executive, PM consultant/teacher/author PMI founder, member No. 6, PMI Fellow, PMP, APM Honorary Fellow (UK), founding member PMI Mexico ChapterUSAF 9 years pilot/engineer, Aerojet-General, Hughes Aircraft, Bendix, ITT Corp., Booz Allen & Hamilton PhD (Hon) ESC-Lille France, MSc Univ. of Texas
Russ Archibald
Presentation Objectives
Show basis for proposals
Describe proposals for advancement
Enhance your own advancement
The Research Project
€ $• Project Management Institute PMI
• ESC-Lille GSM, FRG N-P-C, CEL.LAB Univ. Littoral (France)
Why?• Are or can PMs become Seniors Executives?
• How can Project Managers better design career paths?
How?
• CEO interviews (20 in 6 countries)
• Literature search/analysis
• On-line survey (557 responses, 77 questions, 20 countries)
• Analysis, compilation, publication of report (502 pages)
Research Report by PMI May 2011
VOLUME I—RESEARCH RESULTS, ADVANCEMENT MODEL, AND ACTION PROPOSALS
Chapter 1—Executive Summary Chapter 2—Introduction to the Research ProjectChapter 3—Progression of Program and Project Managers to Higher
PositionsChapter 4—The General Advancement Model and its Variations
According to theFeelings About Professional AdvancementChapter 5—Verification of the Research Hypotheses and Answers to
the Research QuestionsChapter 6—Proposals to Enhance Advancement: Individuals,
Enterprises, and Professional AssociationsChapter 7—General Conclusions and Proposals for Further Research
Research Report by PMI May 2011
VOLUME 2—HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED: METHODOLOGY, DETAILED FINDINGS, AND ANALYSES
Chapter 8—Research Study BackgroundChapter 9—Theoretical FoundationsChapter 10—Senior Executives and Project Management:
Observations from Their BiographiesChapter 11—Research Study MethodologyChapter 12—Findings from the Face to Face InterviewsChapter 13—Findings from the Questionnaires: Characteristics
of the Respondents and of Project Management Within Their Organizations
Chapter 14—The Respondents’ Career Paths Observed502 pages total -- plus 7 Appendices
Two “Types” of Organizations:
• Revenue from selling projects
• Design/construction, defense/aerospace, NASA, some IT, consulting, other
Project-Driven Org.
• Revenue from selling products and services
• Projects create new products, services, markets
Project-Dependent
CEO Interviews Show:
• PM job essential to be Senior Executive
• But not enough
Project-Driven Org.
• PM job not recognized
• Must add other skills and/or experience
Project-Dependent
On-Line Survey Results Analysis:
557 Responses
• Best ways to get promoted
• Stay in PM or lateral move to function?
Characteristics
• Of the people
• Of PM within their organizations
PM Career Paths
• Exist?
• Feelings about advancement
4
CEO (1)
Senior
Executives
Functional
Managers
Project
Managers
TMT
Top Management
Team
Preference
for a PM
career
CEOs managing
projects
by themselves
Program
Managers
(b)
(1) Often with a chief of the project reporting directly to
the CEO
CEO
Program
Manager
Project
Manager
Zone b 7%
•Outside
Company
•Consulting
•Foundation
of a Company
•Academic
49%
34%
10%
General Model
of AdvancementShowing All
Respondents’
Preferred Paths
Factors That Prepare One
for Senior Executive (SE)
Positions
Factors that Prepare to Reach
SE Position% of the respondents
Factors that Permit to Work Efficiently in SE
Position % of the respondents
1 PM does not prepare 5.5 0.72 PM methodology prepares 7.5 4.83 Experience & skills prepare 73.6 94.54 Experience prepares 63.5 35.45 Soft skills prepare 25.8 59.86 Among the experiences
Variety and complexity 23.7 10.9Management 23.3 52.7People management 22.2 17.4Vision and big picture 16.5 18.4Power and network 3.7 8.6
7 Among the skills (item 5)Decision making 16.7 12.5Leadership 19.5 9.0Communication 24.1 19.6Negotiation 5.6 5.1
Detailed Research Results
Research Hypotheses
• 3 Hypotheses Confirmed
• 9 Questions Answered
Conclusions
• Project Manager favored in project-driven organizations
• Project Manager advancement much harder in project-dependent orgs
Proposals
• Individual
• Organizations
• Professional Associations
• Further research
1. Experience as Project/Program Manager (P/PM):
88% of P/PMs say it is excellent preparation -- BUT
•Normally not sufficient in certain roles and skills: say the CEOs
2. The 16 roles of SEs and P/PMs:
Are similar in many respects -- BUT
•P/PMs must focus on specific roles to gain more experience
3. The 21 hard and soft skills:
Are About 90% similar -- BUT
•P/PMs must develop important skills they lack
4. The type of organization is significant:
Project-driven organizations:
• Clear career path, P/PM has advantage
Project-dependent orgs:
• No PM career path, P/PM has no advantage
5. Program Manager has advantage:
Roles/responsibilities:
•Broader, reports to higher level
Depending on:
•Definition and scope of “program”
6. Preferred promotion paths:
49%• Through project management
hierarchy
34%• Would accept lateral move
10%• Want to stay in project management
for their entire career
7. Gender Differences Are Strong:
Men show:
•Stronger desire to play the political games to advance
Women prefer to stay in PM:
•Less desire to play politics
8. Importance of PM Experience and Country of Residence:
For project-driven org:
•Same for USA versus non-USA
For project-dependent org:
•USA: 35% versus 51% non-USA
9. Some Aspects of Career Paths
60% of respondents have occupied 3 functions or less
Project managers mainly report to mid-level of hierarchy
15% achieve senior executive position
1st job usually functional, 2nd as project manager
Proposals to Enhance Advancement
Personal Development
Organizations
Professional Associations
Personal: Respondents say they will:
• Develop their:
– Visibility and political action: 33%
– Experience and skills: 29%
• Move to other positions: 20%
• Grow with project management development: 8%
• Be lucky: 1%
Vision of reality from within the hierarchy!
Personal: From PM Literature
1. Building your personal brand (Kent 2006)
2. Improving your power (Pinto 1998):
1. Making yourself an expert
2. Finding ways to promote your project
3. Promoting yourself
4. Enlisting a sponsor’s support
5. Working to establish some positional authority
Personal: From PM Literature
3. Planning your career as a life-long project (Logue 2004, Gale 2005)
4. Following six rules of career management (Flannes & Levin 2005):
1. Actively consider what you want to do
2. Network, network, network
3. The higher the more chemistry matters
4. Keep your CV current and active
5. Put personal references in order
6. Consider a portfolio career
Gaining and Using Personal Capital
Economic Capital• Founding a company• InvestingCultural – Intellectual Capital• Capabilities, knowledge, language
• Degrees (type, level, source), CertificationsSocial Capital
• Crucial to get to the top level
• Networking, visibility, mentors
• Day-to-day and life-long effort required
For Companies and Organizations
Develop PM education, certification, credentials
Develop project-oriented organizations (Gareis 2005)
Develop PMI PM Career Framework (Roecker 2007)
Integrate PM into formal evaluation process
For PMI & Other Associations
Foster relations with CEO oriented associations
Present PM seminars to senior executives
Publish about PM in top management journals
Capitalize on members who are CEOs
Develop certifications of more strategic nature
Further Research Will Continue
And ……………………?
Explore differences in careers by project category and type of organization
Open database to interested researchers via online access through PMI
Use database to differentiate by gender, age, position title, reporting level , education, certification, career
paths, PM maturity, other
To Each of You: Build Your Career
Read the paper on which this presentation is based!
Act on these proposals for your development!
Start networking now! Volunteer!!
Present a paper at a PMI meeting this year!
http://www.pmi.org/Knowledge-Center/Research-Completed-Research.aspx - under Project Human Resource Management to “Project Manager to Senior Executive”