From project intake and scoring to better governance—improved control will impact project outcomes, timelines and budgets. A formal approach to project management can transform
Agile is a project management methodology aimed at rapid development with iterative feedback and communication. And while it’s popular with project managers, these methodologies can be applied across an organization to make everyone more effective and efficient in their deliveries.
For Agile teams, these concepts are ingrained in their day-to-day activities. They use the Agile approach of project walls, for example, to improve their response to changing needs or demands – this can apply to any department within an organization from HR or marketing to IT and customer success. By using an Agile approach, you can quickly adapt and end up with a more usable and practical output.
The Agile methodology is also one of the most accessible as it’s less formal and structured compared to other methods of project management. It’s easy for teams to embrace the idea of card walls to track and monitor progress, and it takes very little effort to manage. In addition, stakeholders like that they can understand what’s happening without needing special training around Agile. In fact, for some Kanban is the only Agile method they use to manage all work.
Companies and organizations, no matter how big or small, can vary in Project and IT service management maturity. Even large, well-established companies can find themselves suffering from immature processes and workflows. In fact, a recent market study by ProjectManagement.com found that 42.6 percent of companies surveyed were worried that their organizations were operating at a low maturity level. The study asked participants to use a scale of 1-5 to rank their perceived maturity level.
Organizations on the top end of the scale— those ranking themselves 4s or 5s—are likely consistent when it comes to delivering projects successfully. While those ranking themselves on the lower end of the scale—the 1s and 2s—are probably struggling to deliver projects both on time and within scope.
When asked what percentage of projects achieved business goals, organizations that ranked themselves at levels 1 and 2 on the maturity scale were six-and-a-half times more likely (14.3%) to have more than half of their projects fail versus a mere 2.2% of level 5 organizations.
It’s no surprise that organizations at level 1 or level 2 also say they struggle to keep projects on schedule and on budget. On average, those surveyed reported more success with keeping projects on a budget (52.7%) than on schedule (41.9%), but when looking at the high and low ends of the scale, level 5 organizations were at least twice as likely to achieve these project outcomes when compared to level 1 and 2 level organizations.
Project governance (or lack thereof) seems to be the main predictor of projects’ success or failure.
One of the top areas identified between most and least mature is in capacity planning.
One of the easiest first steps to take to improve PPM maturity is to institute a formal intake process.
Flexible Project Methods
Stakeholder Dashboards
Custom Project Scorecards
The landscape of IT project management is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by technological advancements, shifts in work culture and the pressing need for businesses to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
At the heart of this evolution is Project Portfolio Management a critical discipline that helps organizations align their projects with strategic objectives, manage resources effectively, and adapt to market changes swiftly.
Remote and distributed teams are now a reality of the IT project landscape. PPM practices are evolving to support these teams, leveraging digital tools to ensure collaboration, productivity and engagement across distances.
Transparent communication and feedback loops ensure that projects remain aligned with user needs and expectations.
Integrating PPM tools with other enterprise systems is streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency across the board.
As digital transformation initiatives take priority, many businesses and organizations are rethinking the role of project management. According to a recent article from Harvard Business Review, Gartner research has found that businesses are increasingly adopting agile development and project management models. They state that 44 percent of work is delivered through agile methods and 39 percent is delivered through product models.
In addition, traditional project management activities (validating requirements, maintaining scope, measuring benefits, etc.) are now in the domain of scrum and fusion teams. And recent technological advancements (think generative AI) mean many project manager-type tasks can be automated.
They state that 44 percent of work is delivered through agile methods.
39 percent is delivered through product models.
To stay ahead, Harvard Business Review recommends that project managers develop these 10 essential skills:
So what does this all mean? The article states that popular agile reference models—the Scrum Guide and SAFe Reference Guide specifically—omit the role of project manager completely. Yet, Gartner predicts that the project manager role is expected to be one of the fastest-growing project management office (PMO) roles across the next two to three years. In addition to the essential skills, the article highlights three critical roles (as identified by Gartner research) that project managers can play in order to meet their business or organization’s future needs. Those roles are: Teacher, Fixer and Orchestrator.
A teacher PM helps bolster the competencies distributed delivery teams need to succeed.
Teachers are particularly skilled in coaching and motivating individuals and teams; PM processes and frameworks; and adopting new technologies.
Used to support identifying, resolving, and mitigating challenges in workflows and complex portfolios.
Fixer project managers are adept at cross-functional collaboration, decision-making, and financial acumen. They can address complex problems and manage risks.
This role is for organizations that want to improve cross-functional coordination. The article states, “Enterprise digital transformation initiatives need project managers who can manage high levels of complexity and support delivery teams in a resource-constrained environment.
Orchestrator
Orchestrator project managers are true stewards of the organization’s resources and insights, ensuring that the delivery of work is aligned and correctly prioritized. Orchestrator project managers are expertly skilled at data acumen, customer centricity and organizational awareness. They collate diverse information and insights, align it with strategic imperatives, and translate into executable actions. The orchestrator also has strong organizational awareness and cross-functional stakeholder management skills, with specific experience operating in significantly complex portfolios, especially those with dispersed stakeholders.”
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Before, we had no project governance process. It was very ad-hoc. Finding a tool that included PPM was huge.”
Alex Turek
IT Service Desk Manager
Festival Foods
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