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Vol. XI Issue XI - November 2009

Project Management eJournal

Assessing the Art and Science of Project Management

By Harold Schroeder

Why Project Management Matters?

Your organization’s project managers influence the success or failure of your business to a greater extent that you might imagine. If your business activity is mainly organized on a project basis, as is commonly the case nowadays, project managers represent one of your most important investments. Whether dealing with a critical organizational transformation, overseeing projects which are crucial to the delivery of business goals, or implementing public sector initiatives, the skills and expertise of project managers are of paramount importance in today’s business environment.

Are you confident that your project managers have the appropriate level and mix of skills to deliver what is required of them? Does the organization as a whole have the right level and mix of project management skills, and are these effectively matched to project and program management requirements? If not, the possible consequences include at best wasted resources and poor organizational direction and at worst a failure to achieve business goals and even eventual collapse of the business, especially in the cut-throat economic environment currently prevailing globally.

The crucial importance of effective project management to the ability to meet business goals has been reflected in an extraordinary growth in the size of the Project Management profession in recent years. Between 1989 and 2004 alone, it is reported in one source, the number of Project Management Professional (PMP) members of the Project Management Institute (PMI) increased from 1,000 to more than 75,000, whilst the overall membership expanded from around 5,000 to over 100,000.

Despite this expansion, and the obviously high level of investment by organizations in project management personnel, the stark reality is that many major business projects fail. In an international survey of senior business executives conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit last year, for example, 58% of respondents reported that at least half of their organizational change initiatives over the past five years had not been successful. This suggests that, despite the increased focus on project management in today’s business world, many organizations either lack adequate project management skills or are not making effective use of the skills that their Project Managers do possess.

To read entire paper (click here)

About the Author

Harold Schroeder FCMC, PMP, CHRP, CHE

Author

Harold Schroeder is the President of Schroeder & Schroeder Inc., a firm of experienced professional program and project managers, management consultants, and corporate managers focused on providing Transformation Management consulting services to private and public sector organizations.
The focus is on helping organizations reduce the risk and uncertainty in launching, accelerating and maintaining successful transformation initiatives using the art and science of transformation management. Senior level professional experience is provided using a holistic approach; applying both deep and broadly based functional knowledge and experience. Project management skills help with managing the complexity of programs and projects. Consulting subject matter knowledge provides the depth of insight required for particular types of transformations. Corporate experience provides the deeper organizational and industry understanding.

Mr. Schroeder is an experienced strategic program adviser, project manager and management consultant with over a quarter century of experience consulting to Boards, Executives and senior management. He has extensive experience in both the public and private sector. Mr. Schroeder has had a long and successful career as a management consultant and as a project manager of large and complex projects.
He has led various management consulting practices in large consulting firms and acted as project manager on over 100 consulting engagements. He has worked with staff and management at the most senior levels of both private and public sector organizations. Mr. Schroeder boasts a successful track record involving the development and implementation of enterprise-wide strategies, along with large-scale, enterprise-wide change transformation projects. He has a reputation with clients in building organizational capacity, developing staff, achieving accountability, and delivering on results – using highly developed analytical problem solving and decision making capabilities.
Having worked many years in politically challenging and complex environments with demanding timelines and deliverables, Mr. Schroeder is recognized by clients for his superior relationship-management, problem-solving, communication and negotiation skills. He has conducted and managed projects in a broad range of industry sectors.
Mr. Schroeder holds a "Secret" Federal security clearance. He is a Fellow Certified Management Consultant (FCMC), a Project Management Professional (PMP), a Certified Health Executive (CHE), and a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP). He can be contacted at harold@schroeder-inc.com.

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Assessing the Art and Science of Project Management

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