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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

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Being a Project Manager: Emerging Skills, Aptitudes and Expectations

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  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

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