Next Generation Project Managers

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2009, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. In ormation is based on best availableresources. Opinions refect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester, Technographics, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar,and Total Economic Impact are trademarks o Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property o their respective companies. To purchase reprints o this document, please email clientsupport@ orrester.com . For additional in ormation, go to www. orrester.com.

Fo App a on De e opmen & P og am Managemen P o ess ona s

ExEcutivE SuMMArYSo ware delivery has changed. Organizations are looking or their so ware development projects todeliver high business value and strong customer satis action as well as come in on time and on budget.Tey also demand aster and cheaper solutions, so new methodologies, such as Agile, and new principles,such as Lean, have taken hold. Stakeholders are tech-savvy, and project teams are globally distributed.All o these changes a ect what organizations need rom their project managers to succeed today and in

the uture. Next-generation project managers still have a sound understanding o project managementbest practices, but they also have updated so skills ocused heavily on people, team building, andcollaboration, and they understand how and when to adapt processes, practices, and communicationsbased on context. I you havent rede ned project management in your organization, its time to meetthe next-generation project manager.

tAblE OF cONt ENtSA Snapshot O Todays IT Pro ct Manag r

Chang s To So t ar D li ry N c ssitat AR in ntion O Th Rol

Mod rni d So t ar D li ry T ams N d AN Typ O L ad r

Ho To Hir And D lop Your N tG n ration Pro ct Manag rs

rEcOMMENDAtiONS

R d n Your Pro ct Manag r Rol ToPr par For Th Futur

Suppl m ntal Mat rial

NOtES & rESOurcESFo es e n e ewed nd s y e pe s as weas it en s who n e a w h p oje manage son a eg a as s. We spoke w h ompan es

n d ng che on, Dan e te hno og es, EbGcons ng, l q dP anne , M oso , O a e,ra y So wa e, un e s y o u ah, and Zoho aswe as mem e s o he PMO spe a n e esg o p n he Fo es e leade sh p boa dsApp a ons & P og am Managemen co n .We a so e ewed a w de a e y o p ojemanage jo pos ngs on Mons e . om, D e.

om, and ca ee b de . om.

R lat d R s arch Docum ntsP oje Manage Assessmen Wo k ook

O o e 15, 2009

the PMbOK And Ag e: F ends O Foes?Jan a y 22, 2009

O o e 15, 2009

De ne, H e, And De e op Yo Ne -Gene a onP oje Manage sby Mary G rushw h Ma go v s a on and Da d DS a

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De ne, H e, And De e op Yo Ne -Gene a on P oje Manage s Fo App a on De e opmen & P og am Managemen P o ess ona s

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A SNAPSHOT OF TODAYS IT PROjeCT MANAGeR

Te basics o ormal project management began to emerge decades ago. Henry Gantt was born in1861, making the Gantt Chart a oundational element o ormal project management nearly 100 years old. Te Project Management Institute (PMI) was ounded in 1969 and currently has morethan hal a million members. Te PMI and other project management organizations and advocatesespouse a set o well-established processes and practices ocused on the importance o a projectmanagers ability to:

Monitor and manage project scope, cost, schedule, and quality. Te PMIs ProjectManagement Body O Knowledge (PMBOK) de nes scope management, cost management,time management, and quality management as individual knowledge areas critical to every project managers success.1 A project managers primary responsibility is to coordinate people,in ormation, and tools to help project teams deliver products on time, on budget, within scope,

and with high quality. Managing success ully across these our constraints challenges even themost-experienced project managers because a change to one constraint necessitates a change or changes to the others (see Figure 1).

Manage risks, issues, and change to keep projects on track. Every project has inherent risksthat can escalate into issues that require resolution. Project managers leverage ormal riskmanagement tools and techniques to anticipate and plan or potential risks and manage activeissues. Change is inevitable, particularly over the course o a long project. Best practices dictate

ormal change control processes project managers ollow to respond to new requests and replanprojects when necessary, all while maintaining project per ormance.

Manage diverse teams to meet project goals. Project managers must bring numerousindividuals together to orm a cohesive unit ocused on meeting project goals. Tese individualsusually come rom varied backgrounds: eam members rom multiple I departments, businessstakeholders, service providers, and external partners are all commonly involved in I projects,and the interests o these parties o en con ict. Its critical that project managers understandhow to manage projects people aspect.

Th Most Important Skills Ar nt Th On s Taught In Training

While the undamental processes o a project managers role are important, project managementis about more than just these basics. Smart organizations place signi cant ocus on hiring and

developing strong project managers, understanding that:

So skills are as important as understanding processes and practices. Te strongest projectmanagers excel when dealing with so er-side issues related to people and relationships.Tese project managers use a wealth o so skills including leadership, communication, andcollaboration to build and lead project teams. Tey leverage negotiation, analysis, and decision-making skills to balance project demands and keep projects on track.


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op project managers dont just manage projects they drive value. Trough theirknowledge o project management practices and their expert capabilities, strong projectmanagers do more than just keep projects on track: Tey drive project teams to produceexcellent results by analyzing and understanding customer needs and helping the team worktogether e ectively. Tis improves customer satis action and business value, which in turndrives improved I -business relationships.

Project management is a long-standing cornerstone o I so ware delivery, and the role o theproject manager is well established and viewed as critical to organizational success.

Figur 1 the P oje Managemen t ang e Shows P oje cons a n s re a onsh ps

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.55104

An increase in scope without acorresponding increase in costcommonly leads to a longerduration because the samenumber of resources must work to deliver more.

An increase in scope without acorresponding increase in durationcommonly leads to higher costbecause it means that additionalresources will have to be applied.

ScopeCost

Duration

Quality

CHANGeS TO SOFTwARe DeLIveRY NeCeSSITATe A ReINveNTION OF THe ROLe

I projects continue to ail in large numbers: Tey take too long, cost too much, and o en result indeliverables that dont meet stakeholder or user needs. Te Standish Groups CHAOS 2009 report

ound that only 32% o projects are delivered on time, on budget, and with required unctionality. 2 Te so ware delivery environment is evolving to meet new business demands and adjust totechnology changes, a ecting what organizations need rom their project managers.

Organi ations D n Pro ct Succ ss Dif r ntly

When we asked I pro essionals how they de ne project success, they responded di erently thanthey might have responded in the past. We ound that:

Tey still see on time and on budget per ormance as a priority. Tese are the mainstayso measuring project success. I a project is on schedule and on budget, its green, whileprojects lagging behind schedule or incurring unanticipated expenses are yellow or red.Organizations still want green projects, but they are more willing to adjust schedule and cost


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estimates as business needs evolve during the course o a project. Project managers need to beable to manage the constraints o schedule and budget in a more exible way. 3 According toa director o PMO operations at an aerospace manu acturer, At the end o the day, we want

project managers to execute on time and on budget and meet the requirements.

Tey really want to know that projects deliver business value and satis y the customer.Stakeholders develop a business case be ore a project begins, but traditionally organizationshavent circled back a er project completion to make sure that project outcomes deliver the

value laid out in that initial justi cation. Tey are, however, starting to place a priority onmeasuring bene ts realization as a component o project success by implementing post-projectmeasurements o actual project bene ts.

Teyre also giving more than lip service to customer satis action measures, assessingsatis action not just at the end o a project but also at key points throughout to ascertain thatthe project and its deliverables are success ul.4 Project managers have to adapt their approachesto emphasize value and satis action. An EPMO manager at a nancial services rm said: odeliver the value, project managers need to understand the big picture, not just rom the projectperspective but also rom the organizational standpoint. Its about doing the right things, not just doing things right.

Quality is king but what quality is is subjective. By improving quality measures,organizations have gained an improved understanding o so ware rework costs. Tey wantto ensure that their project teams accurately understand business needs and deliver so warethat meets those needs, so teams are ocusing on improving requirements practices. 5 Quality

assurance teams are becoming involved earlier in the development process to assess easibility and risk. 6 Leading organizations are looking at de ects and their root causes throughout theproject li e cycle and tuning processes to improve the quality o the nal deliverables. Tesemeasures have become more important to project success and project managers.

Deliverables need to be robust and easily maintainable. Project success today hinges onthe maintainability and stability o delivered products, and project managers are now moreresponsible or the long-term sustainability o a projects outcomes. Organizations havedeveloped and continue to maintain a plethora o applications on many plat orms and in many development languages. Each o these applications and languages requires in rastructure andsta or support and maintenance. With sta time and maintenance budgets at a premium,it has become more important or project deliverables to t into an organizations technicalarchitecture so that the organization can manage them efciently as part o its overallapplication port olio.

Organi ations Ar D manding Fast r And Ch ap r Solutions, Changing So t ar D li ry

Organizations are striving to achieve aster delivery without diminishing quality or increasing cost.Economic challenges and the need or aster time-to-market have caused major changes to so waredelivery:


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Project managers: Get used to it Agile methodologies are here to stay. Some organizationsare adopting Agile methodologies conservatively, using them or smaller projects or adaptingthem to work within their organizations. Others have implemented Agile as their primary method or delivering so ware. Bottom line, organizations seeking to deliver working so wareand business value more quickly and requently are moving rom traditional approaches tomore-Agile ones. Tis shi s the role o the project manager rom a director to a acilitator,

ocused more on enabling a sel -managed team to excel and less on taking ull responsibility or a projects success or ailure. Project managers need to understand various so ware delivery

methodologies and adapt to them while maintaining strong project management disciplinesthat remove barriers and potential risks or the project team.

A need to become leaner means that organizations are stripping away unnecessary processes. As organizations realize that traditional so ware delivery methods are bloated with

processes and arti acts that add little or no value, they are trending toward Lean So ware andthis transition will signi cantly change how they deliver projects. 7 Project management ofces(PMOs) are looking or ways to streamline their processes to ocus on value and eliminateunnecessary e ort and documentation; project managers must adapt to communicating morewhile documenting less. Tey must understand how to be just as e ective as but moreefcient than be ore.

Pro ct T ams Ar e ol ing

raditional project managers clearly de ne the roles and responsibilities o each individual projectteam member. With the evolution o so ware delivery comes an evolution o the project team. Ipro essionals are seeing that:

Having lots o stakeholders complicates so ware delivery. Business processes interact withother business processes, and most so ware applications exist as part o a larger technology ecosystem. Changes to one process or application can a ect a number o systems and users. Asour architectures expand and how we develop applications changes, there are new wrinkles thatwe didnt have to deal with be ore or example, external partners or service providers assistingwith development or testing, or application providers hosting so ware that must integrate withinternal systems which adds layers o complexity. An increase in the number o stakeholderswith varying interests adds unavoidable risk to a project.

eam members live in many places and come rom many cultures. Project teams today arecommonly global. A project manager in Dallas, exas, may manage so ware developers sittingin Mumbai, India. A US-based organization may choose to outsource testing to a company inRussia, and more project team members work remotely, based in di erent ofces or their homes.Bringing the team together is more difcult thanks to multiple time zones, language barriers,and varying cultures. odays project manager has to adapt to this environment and overcome


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these challenges. An I PMO senior director at a rental car company explained one challengethat this can present: When we outsourced our development globally, our people had to learnto communicate with people in India it was a skill they had to learn. Tey had to get used to

the act that they werent working with Joe downstairs.

Stakeholders may know more about technology than I sta members. Te days o thebusiness stakeholder who knows little about technology are gone. echnology has pervadedall aspects o our day-to-day lives, so it is likely that your business partners and users are moretech-savvy than your project managers. From a requirements and quality perspective, this canmake the project managers job easier, but it can cause additional complications as stakeholdersquestion and demand more rom project teams. Mark Weinmann, a project manager atChevron, described the e ect this change has had at his company: Te thing thats changed themost is not the project management practice but the knowledge o the clients. Teyre savvierand more demanding in terms o what they expect o project managers. Te end result is higherstandards or our project managers.

Te team concept rules. Tis philosophy, derived rom Agile methodologies, promotes sel -managing teams where the organization promotes the team over the individual. eammembers plan, estimate, deliver, test, and are measured as a cross- unctional unit notindividually. Even traditional I shops are exploring methods o moving to a team- ocusedenvironment. Smart project managers are exploring ways to leverage the team and shiresponsibility rom a collection o individuals to a team o cross- unctional, engagedpro essionals.

Tere are two kinds o project manager: Smokey the bear and the re ghter. Te re ghteris heroic and very interesting. Ive been in a lot o environments where the heroes getpromoted. On the other hand, the people watching the horizon and building bridges soeverybody can cross the chasm to success those are the people you want. Tey tend to beless heroic and more ocused on the team result. (Charles Seybold, co- ounder and CEO,LiquidPlanner)

MODeRNIzeD SOFTwARe DeLIveRY TeAMS NeeD A New TYPe OF LeADeR

Project managers environments are evolving to emphasize exibility over structure and adaptability over prescriptive process. raditional project managers have to evolve to support the needs o modern so ware delivery teams; there ore, organizations need to change how they de ne, hire,and develop project managers. Hiring and developing your next-generation project managers nowestablishes a oundation or project success today and positions your organization or continuedproject success as business, technology, and so ware delivery processes continue to evolve.


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oday, the next-generation project manager must have the updated combination o capabilities,skills, and knowledge critical to managing the team- ocused delivery methods prevalent inAgile shops. Trough research into industry trends and best practices, Forrester has developed a

ramework or de ning, nding, and developing this important role in your organization (see Figure2). When using this ramework to nd or develop your next-generation project manager, keep inmind that:

Figur 2 A F amewo k Fo De n ng, F nd ng, And De e op ng Ne -Gene a on P oje Manage s


Active awareness Adaptive communication People-orientation Servant leadership and team-

orientation Flexibility Strategy Analysis Customer-orientation Results-orientation Personal character

Core capabilities

Management skills Project management basics Tool set skills

Job-specic skills

Organizational awareness Marketplace awareness Customer awareness Business relationships Domain/industry knowledge

Business knowledge

General IT uency Organization-specic

IT uency Technical relationship s

Technical knowledge

Education and experience

Responsibilities and focus areas

Project types Team characteristicsSoftware delivery

processes used


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A ew key attributes re ne how you de ne your next-generation project managers.

Te next-generation project manager exhibits a new set o so skills.

Next-generation project managers have a solid understanding o the business and technology.

Next-generation project managers have a strong oundation in project management basics.

Education and experience add depth but may not be as important as you think.

A F K y Attribut s R n Ho You D n Your N t G n ration Pro ct Manag rs

Te role and responsibilities o the typical project manager are well de ned, and good projectmanagement practices continue to stand the test o time; however, aspects o your environment

will a ect the characteristics you want your next-generation project managers to have. In yourorganization, project managers will be more likely to succeed i they have:

Experience managing the types o projects you need managed. A project to install, con gure,and deploy a packaged application di ers rom a project to develop a custom Web application.Likewise, a project that delivers a publicly available Web application requires a set o activitiesdi erent rom those or a project delivering an application or internal employees. Certainproject types will bene t rom having a project manager who has managed that type o projectin the past. A project manager with related experience will understand the tasks involved, thedependencies, and the technical risks the team will ace.

Experience managing teams in environments similar to yours. I your team is global andmulticultural, experience managing those types o projects in a similar environment will makeyour project manager able to adapt to your environment and project needs more quickly. I your so ware delivery environment is casual and in ormal and that works or you youwill probably be better o with someone accustomed to working in a similar environment asopposed to one that is more rigorous and ormal.

Success ul experiences managing using so ware delivery methods similar to yours. Whilegood project management practices matter regardless o the process used to deliver so ware,

various methodologies have nuances that a ect techniques. Water all project managers o en

struggle to adjust to Agile methods and philosophies at least at rst. Hiring a certi ed ScrumMaster in a traditional environment may not be the best move unless youre looking to reinventyour so ware delivery processes or bring a new level o Agile practices to your team.

It is important to consider your current situation as well as your uture project management andso ware delivery goals. Bringing in an external resource with a resh outlook can be bene cial andencourage advancement. O en, however, it can generate con ict and establish barriers to progress.


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Th N t G n ration Pro ct Manag r e hibits A N S t O So t Skills

raditional so skills and core capabilities still dominate as companies look to hire project managers,but new skills are quickly coming to the ore ront. Te new breed o project managers must havehigher levels o team-building, collaboration, and people skills. Next-generation project managersmust stay well attuned to the rhythms and needs o their teams; i they dont, their teams willmarginalize them and pass them by. Empathy and the ability to connect are critical (see Figure 3).

Figur 3 Ne -Gene a on P oje Manage Assessmen c e a: co e capa es


Assessment criteria Description

Active awareness Ability to initiate, observe, and listen to verbal andnonverbal interactions and events and to processthis input to adjust a course of action

Adaptive communication Ability to listen to and articulate ideas verbally and inwritten formats to a broad range of individuals andgroups using the most-effective communicationapproaches for each

People-orientation Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to quicklybuild and sustain positive relationships withindividuals

Servant leadership and team-orientation Ability to support a team to accomplish objectivesby serving, motivating, collaborating with andfocusing on the needs of team members;attention to team dynamics and goals

Flexibility Ability and willingness to change course and modifyapproaches to accomplish positive outcomes

Strategy Ability to understand strategy and align tactical andstrategic work in a well-balanced way

Analysis Well-developed analytical, problem-solving, anddecision-making skills, leveraging both logic andcreativity

Customer-orientation Focus on the end users or customers needs with theability to meet them with high quality anddependability

Results-orientation Ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines whiledelivering high-quality outcomes

Personal character Appealing personal characteristics with a strongmoral and ethical character


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Whether youre a traditional project manager or trans orming your role in an Agileenvironment, your work changes. Great project managers excel at dialog and discussion not direction, not command and control. Youre more e ective when you are an advisor,

guide, questioner, and acilitator. Tat may mean shi ing rom the traditional projectmanagement rame o re erence that values directing, monitoring, and detailed plans. Temost-valuable project managers dont need to take personal credit; its not about the team,its about our team delivering value or our business partners. (Ellen Gottesdiener,principal consultant and ounder, EBG Consulting)

Next-generation project managers are also highly aware o the state o individuals, teams, andprojects. Tey understand that individuals are di erent, and they tailor their communicationsto optimize understanding. Tey have empathy and the ability to view a situation rom multipleperspectives. Tey also know the right questions to ask to gain a complete understanding o projectprogress.

Tis list o 10 core capabilities represents the key attributes you should seek in your next-generationproject managers. Tis role is essential to your success today and will be even more critical overthe next decade as so ware delivery and business context evolve. Since these characteristics can bedifcult to teach, I pro essionals o en claim that its more important to hire individuals that havestrength in these areas, even i they lack experience in accepted project management practices.

N t G n Pro ct Manag rs Ha A Solid Und rstanding O Th Busin ss And T chnology

People o en argue that project managers should be able to manage any type o project success ully in any organization under any circumstances as long as they ollow project management bestpractices. Tey also argue that a project manager does not need to understand the business or thetechnology, claiming that the project managers job is to direct those that do have the business andtechnical knowledge to reach a success ul project outcome (see Figure 4). In reality, business andtechnical understanding are important tools in a project managers tool kit:

Project managers grow through experience. Tey interact with business stakeholders andgain knowledge about business strategies and goals, and this knowledge helps them do abetter job leading the team. Tey orge partnerships with technical team members and gain anunderstanding o technical nuances related to certain types o projects.

echnical experience is a power tool.

Many o the organizations interviewed elt that i a project manager was technical, it increased her exibility and made her more sensitive topotential problems. While a tech-savvy project manager may not know exactly what a developermay do, he would know i the teams plan wouldnt work. One manager called this skill having a

technical ear.


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Adaptive communication is a critical project management so skill. odays projectmanagers spend their days communicating and collaborating with business and technicalcolleagues. Being able to understand them and speak their language acilitates project success.It also helps with the basics: identi ying project plan tasks, planning or project risks, and beingprepared to adapt as situations evolve. A solid grounding in business and technical knowledge isone o the next-generation project managers key characteristics.

Strong learners can gain business and technical uency quickly through immersion. o gainbusiness knowledge, project managers can attend strategic planning sessions and shadow businesssponsors or stakeholders or a ew days. Tey can gain technical knowledge by taking the sameactions with key technology partners, sitting in on architectural reviews or working sessions. Tey can also learn through con erences and seminars that provide education on the intersection o business and technology.

Figur 4 Ne -Gen P oje Manage Assessmen c e a: b s ness And te hno ogy Know edge



Businessknowledge

Organizational awareness Understanding of the organization, itsindustry, and its strategies

Marketplace awareness Understanding of the competitivelandscape driving business strategies

Customer awareness Understanding of the organizationscustomers and their behaviors andpreferences

Business relationships Existing relationships with keyorganizational stakeholders

Domain/industry knowledge Functional knowledge of the organizationsindustry

General IT uency Overall understanding of technologyconcepts, trends, and capabilities

Organization-specic IT uency Understanding of technologyconcepts, trends, and capabilitiesspecic to the organizationsenvironment and direction

Technical relationships Existing relationships with keytechnical stakeholders

Technologyknowledge


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N t G n ration Pro ct Manag rs Ha A Strong Foundation In Pro ct Manag m ntBasics

Tese skills are the bread and butter o todays project manager, and they are still important asso ware delivery evolves. Project managers need to be able to per orm the basics o projectinitiation, planning, execution, and closing. Tey need to understand risk management, changemanagement, and human resource management best practices. ools experience helps, too. Whilecore project management unctionality doesnt di er widely rom tool set to tool set, i you havecertain tools in your environment, you may want to nd a project manager amiliar with their use(see Figure 5).

Tese project management abilities and tool set skills tend to be the easier to teach than so skills;you can teach a project manager with well-developed so skills how to manage projects throughbooks, training, and real-li e experience.

Figur 5 Ne -Gene a on P oje Manage Assessmen c e a: Jo -Spe Sk s



Management skills Understanding of basic management techniquesand processes

Project management basics Ability to perform the basics of project initiation,management, and closure

Tool set skills Prociency in the use of tools currently in placewithin the organization

education And e p ri nc Add D pth But May Not B As Important As You Think

Most organizations seek university degrees, project management certi cations, and a certain levelo experience when hiring project managers. A degree or certi cation such as the PMIs ProjectManagement Pro essional (PMP) certi cation indicates a commitment to learning and pro essionaldevelopment. Many organizations still believe that it shows a commitment to the pro ession o project management and provides individuals with a strong understanding o what it takes to getthe job done. However, while education and experience provide a project manager with a broadunderstanding o business, technology, and project management nuances, you may also have

individuals within your organization who would excel as project managers but who dont have theeducation or experience. Organizations should consider education and experience when hiring butplace a premium on individuals core capabilities and domain knowledge (see Figure 6).

I dont look or the standard old-school project management graduate with a PMP. I hopethey have that background and knowledge, but Im looking or and want to hire project


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managers who help me get things done. Tey tend to have a varied background and theaptitude to be a project manager. Tey might not be one yet. You can just tell these people.Tey have certain characteristics: organized, pro essional, dynamic, with great written and

verbal communication skills. I they have motivation and good communication, i they look good and eel good, that wins people over and builds strong teams. I can teach anyoneproject management. (Rene Eborn, assistant director, University o Utah)

Figur 6 Ne -Gene a on P oje Manage Assessmen c e a: Ed a on And E pe en e



Education Required educational or training background: Bachelor s degree or equivalent M.B.A. or equivalent Other advanced degree

Project management certication Scrum Master cer tication

Experience Required prior experience in the role and industry: Junior: three or more years of total experience with

one or more years in a project or program managerrole

Intermediate: ve or more years of total experiencewith three or more years in a projec t or programmanager role

Senior: eight or more years of total experience withve or more years in a project or program managerrole

HOw TO HIRe AND DeveLOP YOUR NexT-GeNeRATION PROjeCT MANAGeRS

Forrester has created a Project Manager Assessment Workbook to help you de ne, hire, and developthe next generation o project managers in your organization. 8 Use the tool to evaluate and compare job candidates. Have your current project managers assess themselves against the criteria to helpcreate their development plans and assess growth over time. When working to hire or develop your next-generation project manager:

Clearly defne your next-generation project manager role. Evaluate your environment and thenature o your projects and so ware delivery processes to paint a picture o the project manageryou need today and in the uture. Responsibilities and context vary and should drive the hiringcriteria you use to screen, interview, and compare candidates and identi y the best.

Refne the criteria you will use to select or grow individuals. Use Forresters Project ManagerAssessment Workbook as a starting point to de ne the core capabilities, business knowledge,technical knowledge, and job-speci c skills important or your next-generation project manager.


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Customize the list o skills, tools, and experience that will make a project manager stronger inyour environment.

Use the Project Manager Assessment Workbook to weight each criterion. As you rate theimportance o each criterion on a scale o 1 to 10, its important to remember that so skills arehardest to teach. Te strongest criteria may be rated 9 or 10, with less-important characteristicsrated 4 to 5 or lower.

Use the Project Manager Assessment Workbook to compare multiple candidates. A eryou score each candidate on a scale o 1 to 10 or each criterion, the workbook automatically multiplies the previously identi ed weight or each criterion by the individuals score, providingthe basis or a mathematical grade or each candidate. Scoring candidates in this way alsoallows you to understand potential challenges an individual may ace.

For current employees, leverage the workbook to create development plans. Current projectmanagers and those seeking to become project managers can also use the workbook toassess themselves against your criteria. By critically evaluating current abilities, individuals andtheir managers can create a well-guided individual development plan. Individuals should re-evaluate every six months to assess their progress against development goals.

r E c O M M E N D A t i O N S

ReDeFINe YOUR PROjeCT MANAGeR ROLe TO PRePARe FOR THe FUTURe

the wo d n wh h we de e so wa e s e o ng w h no end n s gh : Wha o gan za onsneed om he p oje manage s s d e en oday han was yes e day. to he p yo p ojemanage s e o e:

Do not discard th oundational l m nts o good pro ct manag m nt. P ojemanage s s need o nde s and so nd p oje managemen p a es, so o gan za onss h as he PMi and p a ons s h as he PMbOK a e and w on n e o e mpo an

o p oje manage s. they a e espe a y mpo an o ess-e pe en ed p oje manage swho an ene y ga n ng an nde s and ng o ommon e m no ogy and se

e hn q es.

R ocus your pro ct manag rs to b com nabl rs and acilitators not dir ctors. th s s a e sh o many p oje manage s, PMOs, and o gan za ons. t ad ona y,o gan za ons see he p oje manage as he so e nd d a espons e o p oje s esso a e, p oje de e y s now a eam e e se. De e ope s know how o des gnand ode so wa e, and es e s ha e e pe en e n q a y ass an e es p a es; ne -gene a on p oje manage s e go o on o and de ega e espons y o he eam.

they pos on hemse es as a a o s and emo e s o oad o ks, and hey e m na ed s a ons, ena ng he eam o pe o m s jo .


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Look or and d lop n t g n ration so t skills in your pro ct manag rs. to e gooda a o s and eam- de s, p oje manage s ha e o ha e ad an ed peop e sk s. they

need o p oa e y q es on and s en, wa h o e a and non e a es, and ha e anmp o ed nde s and ng o how o nsp e, mo a e, and o a o a e w h he eam. they

a so need so nd j dgmen and he a y o adap and fe app op a e y o ens e pos eo omes o he eam. use he P oje Manage Assessmen Wo k ook o assess yo

en p oje manage s and h e new ones w h he gh e e s o a y n hese ne -gene a on so sk s.

establish a t am ori nt d cultur . Whe he yo o ow an Ag e o a wa e a me hodo ogy,p oje s ess e es on ha ng a h gh-pe o m ng eam o espons e, omm ed

nd d a s. P oje manage s an ake a on o p omo e a eam e on he p oje sh o gh a a on, omm n a on, and o a o a on; howe e , sma o gan za ons a e

wo k ng o es a sh a eam e a a h ghe e e y mod y ng he way hey meas es ess. When yo n en nd d a s o he own nd d a asks, hey end o o s on yon hose ems. When yo n en and meas e eams as a eam, h gh-pe o m ng eamwo k

e omes e e yones o s. th s sh e es on nd d a s a y o s and espe heo eag es, so e wa h o ss es ha p e en h s om happen ng and p oa e y dea

w h s a ons o os e s , espe , and eamwo k.

SUPPLeMeNTAL MATeRIAL

Compani s Int r i d For This Docum nt

Chevron

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Oracle

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eNDNOTeS1 See the Project Management Institutes Web site at or additional in ormation on the PMI and PMBOK:

http://www.pmi.org.

2 Te CHAOS 2009 report ound that 32% o the projects reviewed succeeded; 44% were challenged, beingeither late, over-budget, or missing unctionality; and 24% were cancelled or delivered without theiroutcomes being used. Source: www.standishgroup.com.

3 Organizations have realized that how they de ne project success can vary rom project to project; its not just about coming in on time and on budget. See the May 26, 2006, What Success ul Organizations KnowAbout Project Management report.
http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=39493&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=39493&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=39493&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=39493&src=55014pdf


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4 Te PMO plays a key role in organizations seeking to achieve and measure business value. See the June 14,2004, Te PMO And Value Realization report.

5 Quality requirements practices are oundational to project success: Tey help the team deliver the rightoutcomes or stakeholders and the organization. See the April 15, 2009, Just Do It: Modernize YourRequirements Practices report.

6 Quality assurance teams are becoming involved in projects earlier, ensuring that quality is baked in to allproject processes. See the February 2, 2009, Te Dawn O Dynamic So ware Quality Assurance report.

7 Lean approaches ocus on value and eliminating waste. So ware delivery organizations are adapting LeanSo ware principles to eliminate complexity and simpli y so ware delivery processes. See the December 12,2008, Lean So ware Is Agile, Fit- o-Purpose, And Efcient report.

8 Forrester published a workbook to help organizations assess current and potential project managers. Youcan customize the tool to your organizations needs and environment. See the October 15, 2009, Project

Manager Assessment Workbook tool.
http://www.forrester.com/go?docid=34619&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54245&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54245&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=47365&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=47830&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55448&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55448&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55448&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=55448&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=47830&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=47365&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54245&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=54245&src=55014pdfhttp://www.forrester.com/go?docid=34619&src=55014pdf


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