Keeping up with these new trends is critical to the success of project managers and at the same time we want to attract top talent to manage increasingly complex projects in a highly competitive environment. It also serves as a warning to companies that
Update: PMI Talent Triangle
Let’s face it: Managing a project is never an easy task, and many of us have often been frustrated by the limited role and high level of responsibility assigned to project managers. American comedian Rodney Dangerfield eloquently coined the expression, “I can’t get respect!” And I’m sure many PMs can relate very well to this statement in our misunderstood profession.
Since the emergence of the project management profession in the late 1960s, the general expectation has been that the project manager is everything to everyone involved in a project. Upon receiving the project award from the customer, the related activities will be started.
Despite this limited official level of official responsibility, the project’s success always rested on the Prime Minister’s shoulders, a significant source of frustration and disagreement.
In May 2022, the Project Management Institute (PMI) finally confirmed what many of us have been preaching since the late 1990s with the release of the updated PMI Talent Triangle.
In fact, the project manager business owner needs to adapt their way of working and strong business acumen to manage projects in an increasingly complex and changing world.
It’s definitely a game-changing initiative, but it’s also one that companies need to be more successful in their customer-facing and internal projects. PMs also need to develop more defined and balanced skills to achieve these lofty goals.
Applying the PMI Talent Triangle: How We Work
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The formerly traditional, agile mindset has evolved into a much broader toolbox that allows PMs to manage their projects with greater flexibility.
There is also the expectation that project managers must “learn as many ways of working as possible, applying the right techniques at the right time to deliver good results.”
This is both exciting and challenging to apply to large corporations that must possess (or develop) a higher degree of organizational ambidexterity in order to survive in the long term.
These new tools include design thinking, transformation, data modeling, performance management, and more. These tools complement the PMBoK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) and provide a wide variety of techniques that PMs can use to manage their projects.
Too many choices? Information overload?
So how can the PM determine the best way to work for each project when the time between commercial phase and project award is so short? This is one of the main reasons why a project manager should be involved even before bid preparation to analyze materiality.
This way you can customize your WBS (that is, the core of your project) to cover just what you need to bid on and do. This also allows for better identification and coordination of organizational assets used in projects.
Therefore, strategy meetings with key decision-makers and stakeholders should be held as early as possible, even at the prospect identification stage. A seasoned PM creates surveys to guide conversations and gets to the “best practices” for building both a commercial proposal and an action plan.
Applying the PMI Talent Triangle: Power Skills
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As we have noted in previous articles, communication is the most important skill for project managers and this new pillar emphasizes an increasingly collaborative approach to leadership to foster innovation, empathy and ownership.
In this way, the PM empowers the team for more effective stakeholder management, drives change and achieves project goals.
Using techniques such as neuroscience, business psychology, emotional intelligence, and brainstorming sessions, future PMs will become more empathetic and humane in understanding the challenges of project management and the needs of the wider public.
Remember, projects are still managed by people. As such, understanding the human psyche, cultural differences, generational preferences, and historical perspectives are key inputs that influence team performance.
Nor can we ignore global trends such as diversity and inclusion, climate change and other geopolitical events that shape our actions, policies and actions. We also ask PMs to be very adaptable and active listeners.
These techniques should be kept in mind by all PMs when conducting meetings, planning work, and communicating with stakeholders. I’ve found this to be very powerful in fostering creative and innovative approaches to solving problems, which is one of the main functions of a project manager.
One example is promoting cultural notes at the start of certain meetings, giving team members an opportunity to share specific topics of interest. These can be woven into the main topic of the meeting, or specific parts of the project to enhance team engagement.
Finally, we believe that improving this interpersonal skill set is highly effective in facilitating coaching, mentoring, and training across the spectrum of project management.
Applying the PMI Talent Triangle: Business Acumen
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From a pure operational focus to a new business owner mindset, PMs now “understand the macro- and micro-impacts in their organizations and industries, arming them with functional or domain-specific knowledge to make good decisions. have “must have”.
I especially like this pillar of the new PMI Talent Triangle. Because this really elevates his PM’s standing within the organization while also requiring the functional manager to up his game to support the company’s major projects and initiatives.
Prime Ministers are asked to do their homework so that they can really understand the following:
- Business context of the project (organizational goals, strategy)
- Key Market Drivers (Regulatory, Currency, Geopolitical)
- Competitive environment (also important at runtime)
- What is success (sustainability, corporate image)
- Potential gaps (CAPEX, OPEX, skills) to perform work
This is not just getting involved after the project is awarded, early involvement PMs during the commercial, pre-award stage of the project to develop better relationships with customers (and other key stakeholders)
The value a project manager brings to an organization can truly be leveraged as the organization recognizes how much influence the PM has over the project.
For example, a proficient PM who applies business development and customer service techniques during project execution can not only measure customer satisfaction at any point (not just at the end), but also know: can. Upsell opportunities by recognizing many opportunities that may arise, including competitor performance, scope of new projects, other customer projects, and innovations to meet future trends/needs.
It will also give you a clearer understanding of how the original scope of the project was negotiated, so you can better prepare your PMs during Management of Change (MOC) or change order negotiations, thus improving customer psychology, key decision makers, etc. This leads to a more consistent customer experience, not to mention increased sales.
