158 Optimizing Human Capital
management. It is rare that people leave conferences with their heads brimming with new thoughts and ideas.
Ideally, what a conference should do — what any time away from the office should do — is revitalize employees, allowing them to think about work in a new way. Sometimes, attending conferences on the same old subjects only reinforces how bored, overworked, or unappreciated a person is. There is value in learning for learning’s sake; for such things as art appreciation courses, philosophy roundtables, and conferences about the future. By letting employees’ own interests — as opposed to narrow corporate guidelines — direct their learning, companies will get back more creative and stimulated employees.30
It is important to sometimes step back from the task-oriented issues of training ROI to remember that, over the long term, people whose love of learning is nurtured in the workplace are happier, more creative, and more valuable to the organization. They are motivated from within to acquire new skills or knowledge or to build on existing skills or knowl- edge. They feel good when they are learning new things. Research shows that people whose love of learning is nurtured have the ability to self- regulate efforts to persevere, despite challenge and frustration; they have increased feelings of autonomy and challenge. They feel a sense of possibility. They are more resourceful. Not only that, but they are likely to be more physically and mentally healthy than their less-engaged peers.
Companies can support individuals — and improve training results — when they are mindful that individuals are more likely to take ownership for their learning when:
They are given a compelling, meaningful reason to do the task.
They have options to make the task more interesting.
Social networks exist to support the learning (so that individuals fulfill social needs as they connect with one another through a topic or project of interest). The project management community of practice is an example of such a social network, as are online threaded discussions with other practitioners, professional associ- ations, and the like.31
Other Professional Development Issues and Strategies
It is crucial to demonstrate that the company is willing to invest in enhancing individuals’ competencies. A development plan should include both provision for formal training and progression to more challenging assignments. Assignments should be selected not only to be achievable but also to stretch project managers. This will both develop them and be likely to result in effective project outcomes.32
The Care and Feeding of Project Management Personnel 159
Companies now realize that it takes a blended approach to grow the project talent they need. In the Center for Business Practices Value of PM Training Study, companies report that they provide growth and develop- ment opportunities for employees through skills training (43 percent), career paths (29 percent), and professional education (25 percent). In another report, members of the CIO Executive Council discussed their companies’ career development efforts. Samantra Sengupta, CIO of the Scotts Co., “walks the halls a lot and sits down with people at all levels”
to identify what they need and desire. Based on such feedback, she created a three-pronged managerial path based on workers’ preferences in technology, management, and architecture. Smurfit-Stone developed an integrated job model that connected four different areas to salaries, skills, merit increases, and annual reviews. Linda Brigance, CIO at FedEx Asia Pacific, recommends that firms should not automatically turn project leaders into management leaders because the latter must also possess leadership skills such as guiding and motivating others. Business training can be an important component of career development for technical personnel. Another important concept for career development is cross- training; Nixon Peabody CIO Barbara Kunkel, for example, lets a certain staff member stand in for her when she is away.33
Whatever the strategy chosen, making an effort to professionalize the role of project manager is valuable to the individual, and is absolutely essential to the success of the organization. At the inception of a profes- sional development program, the organization should develop a baseline of its current project performance level. This baseline serves as a bench- mark against which the organization can measure its progress toward improved performance. A program such as the PM Solutions career path/professional development approach outlined in this chapter needs the support of the organization to carry it beyond the classroom and into the work environment. An expectation that communicates to the individ- uals in this professional development area that their behavior in the workplace is expected to contribute to improved corporate performance must be clearly established. Therefore, measurements of performance must go beyond the traditional assessment of the classroom experience for the learner. They need to include metrics such as increased use of a standard methodology; increase in knowledge of the practitioners; improvement in cost performance, schedule performance, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction; in addition to others. Table 6.5 shows a Project Management Performance Expectations worksheet used by PM Solutions.
It serves as both a guide to individuals for personal development and a formal set of cues to management for advancement along the car eer path(s).
160Optimizing Human Capital
TABLE 6.5 PM Solutions Team Career Competencies
Minimum Expectation to Enter the Job Classification
PM Solutions Team Career Competencies
Matrix Project Management Career Path Business Analyst I Proj. Coordinator Business Analyst II Planner I Sr. Project Analyst Planner II Proj. Controller Project Manager Proj. Team Leader Program Manager Sr. Project Manager Mentor Account Manager Product Integration Manager Core Competency Levels: Definitions
1 EXPOSED: The employee is not expected to demonstrate skill in the competency at the present staff level. The employee may begin to develop the competency through training, day-to-day activities, and project assignments. The employee should be aware of the self-development required to meet expectation, as defined in the employees’ development plan.
2 DEVELOPMENT: The employee’s competencies is in its primary development phase. Development is supported by the identification of specific training and activities, as defined in the employees’ development plan. The employee is expected to display significant progress in the basic knowledge of the competency.
3 PROFICIENT: The employee exhibits the competency in a skillful and consistent manner. The employee confidently takes on opportunities to exhibit or use the skill. The employee should progress to the mastery stage with additional time and experience.
4 MASTERY: The employee demonstrates the competency in a highly proficient and consistent manner. The employee exhibits mastery of the competency in a wide variety of situations and circumstances. The employee is regarded by PMI management, other employees, and customers, as an authority in the competency area.
5 EXPERT/MENTOR/TEACHER: The employee demonstrates the competency with a high degree of knowledge. The employee exhibits mastery of the competency in a wide variety of complex situations and circumstances. The employee is regarded by PMI management , other employees, and customers, as an expert in this area. The employee is capable of leading customer, branch, regional, and national activities, which provide the employee with an opportunity to teach or mentor others.
The Care and Feeding of Project Management Personnel161
Company Knowledge
PM Solutions Team Organization Management-Struc- ture: Demonstrates the knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the PM Solutions Team mission state- ment; knowledge of the PM Solutions Team corporate organizational structure, including the key executives and their basic areas of responsibility; the structure, resources, and key executives of local branches and the appropriate regional organization; the various central and corporate service groups, their executives, avail- able resources, functions, offerings, and facilities for internal as well as client-oriented requirements.
2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5
PM Solutions Team Organization Management-Practices:
Demonstrates a working knowledge of the people, tools, policies, processes and procedures governing access to and utilization requirements for the various functions, services and facilities of these groups, including product, service, and administrative areas.
1 2 3 3 4 4 5 5
New Service Offerings: Stays abreast of industry trends and recommends new best practices and services for PM Solutions Team to focus on; participates in devel- opment and positioning of new services.
3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5
Networking-Establishment: Establishes and maintains relationships with associates from the industry and community.
3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5
Networking-Execution: Actively works to build reputa- tion of PM Solutions Team and self.
4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5
Achieving Client Satisfaction-Understanding: Demon- strates understanding of client’s business and seeks ways to give client a competitive advantage.
2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5
162Optimizing Human Capital
TABLE 6.5 (continued) PM Solutions Team Career Competencies
Minimum Expectation to Enter the Job Classification
PM Solutions Team Career Competencies
Matrix Project Management Career Path Business Analyst I Proj. Coordinator Business Analyst II Planner I Sr. Project Analyst Planner II Proj. Controller Project Manager Proj. Team Leader Program Manager Sr. Project Manager Mentor Account Manager Product Integration Manager Technical Knowledge
Core Skills
Quality of Work-Methodology: Conducts work using appropriate methodology.
3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5
Business Development: Understands the full range of PM Solutions Team’s capabilities and applies them to customer’s need. Recognizes and explores opportuni- ties, converting them into revenue-generating engage- ments. This includes the ability to investigate and define customer needs and requirements, and to de- velop solutions in conjunction with sales personnel.
1 2 2 3 4 4 5 5
Integration Management: Develops a project plan using historical information, organization policies, and a methodology that clearly guides the project’s execution and control. The project plan documents assumptions, risks, communication and quality requirements, change process, and provides a baseline for which progress can be measured.
1 2 3 4 4 4 5 5