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It would be terrifying to hear this bellow across the terminal while waiting for your cue from the gate agent to board your flight. The idea that an organization would commit to its customers, partners, and personnel without a clear, managed staffing approach, cost estimation, risk assessment, and consideration of the impacts of new work efforts seems absurd. Upon hearing it, anyone would walk themselves and their family out the terminal doors.
As everyone arrived at the meeting room and took their seats, Steven, the program manager for the shared services initiative, quickly scanned the list of six proposed projects that comprise the program to build the shared services model, consolidating three human resource functions and two administrative functions. Tony, one of the project managers assigned to the effort and the only one with an HR background, carefully perused the lunch options in the back of the room. After selecting a turkey and Swiss sandwich along with a wonderfully oversized chocolate chip cookie, he found a seat as the initiative's kick-off meeting got underway.
Looking across the large table of eight colleagues, Steven began, “Good afternoon! Thank you all for being here and for your participation in this important initiative. Upon completion, the six projects that comprise this effort will deliver significant workflow efficiencies, enhance internal customer responsiveness, and create an improved operating model that requires fewer allocated resources. I’m excited to lead us and to work with each of you as we collaborate to evolve our organization. Leadership needs this to go live by the end of Q4, and I am confident that we will make it happen!”
Then the questions began.
Susan, another project manager assigned to the initiative, interjected, “Thank you, Steven; I appreciate your confidence in the effort and in all of us. Please help me understand, as an IT project manager with six concurrent projects on my plate, what are your expectations of me for this?” Dave, a third project manager at the table, jumped in, “Susan, I hear you. Steve, have teams been designated for each of the projects, and have the ‘build/buy’ decisions been made regarding vendor support to shore up our resource constraints? My team is more than fully allocated.” Jason asked, “Is the end of Q4 a target or a deadline?” Steven responded, “We’ve got this, and failure is not an option. Each of you was carefully selected to be in this room because of your talent, dedication, and our leadership’s confidence in your abilities and track record of performance at our company.” Mike, uncertainly raising his hand, said, “Hi, everyone, I’m Mike. I joined the organization last week, and pardon me, am I supposed to be here?”
Good intentions, perceived confidence, and unbacked aspirations aren’t a formula for success in managing a portfolio of project investments. Essential ingredients for developing the ability to select, plan, execute, and deliver successful project outcomes include project demand management, project portfolio management, project management methodologies, consistent tracking and reporting, and the integration of sponsors, project managers, and teams collaborating to ensure that strategy is aligned with outcomes and that outcomes are connected to projects with well-defined and prepared project teams.
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