Proposals to Accelerate Advancement from Project Manager ...russarchibald.com/Slides_Proposals_to_Accelerate_Advancement.pdf · 60 years experience as mechanical engineer, project

Proposals to Accelerate Advancementfrom Project Manager

to Senior Executive

Jean-Pierre Debourse and Russell D. Archibald

60 years experience as mechanical engineer, project manager, executive, PM consultant/teacher/author PMI founder, member No. 6, PMI Fellow, PMP, APM Honorary Fellow (UK), founding member PMI Mexico ChapterUSAF 9 years pilot/engineer, Aerojet-General, Hughes Aircraft, Bendix, ITT Corp., Booz Allen & Hamilton PhD (Hon) ESC-Lille France, MSc Univ. of Texas

Russ Archibald

Presentation Objectives

Show basis for proposals

Describe proposals for advancement

Enhance your own advancement

The Research Project

€ $• Project Management Institute PMI

• ESC-Lille GSM, FRG N-P-C, CEL.LAB Univ. Littoral (France)

Why?• Are or can PMs become Seniors Executives?

• How can Project Managers better design career paths?

How?

• CEO interviews (20 in 6 countries)

• Literature search/analysis

• On-line survey (557 responses, 77 questions, 20 countries)

• Analysis, compilation, publication of report (502 pages)

Research Report by PMI May 2011

VOLUME I—RESEARCH RESULTS, ADVANCEMENT MODEL, AND ACTION PROPOSALS

Chapter 1—Executive Summary Chapter 2—Introduction to the Research ProjectChapter 3—Progression of Program and Project Managers to Higher

PositionsChapter 4—The General Advancement Model and its Variations

According to theFeelings About Professional AdvancementChapter 5—Verification of the Research Hypotheses and Answers to

the Research QuestionsChapter 6—Proposals to Enhance Advancement: Individuals,

Enterprises, and Professional AssociationsChapter 7—General Conclusions and Proposals for Further Research

Research Report by PMI May 2011

VOLUME 2—HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED: METHODOLOGY, DETAILED FINDINGS, AND ANALYSES

Chapter 8—Research Study BackgroundChapter 9—Theoretical FoundationsChapter 10—Senior Executives and Project Management:

Observations from Their BiographiesChapter 11—Research Study MethodologyChapter 12—Findings from the Face to Face InterviewsChapter 13—Findings from the Questionnaires: Characteristics

of the Respondents and of Project Management Within Their Organizations

Chapter 14—The Respondents’ Career Paths Observed502 pages total -- plus 7 Appendices

Two “Types” of Organizations:

• Revenue from selling projects

• Design/construction, defense/aerospace, NASA, some IT, consulting, other

Project-Driven Org.

• Revenue from selling products and services

• Projects create new products, services, markets

Project-Dependent

CEO Interviews Show:

• PM job essential to be Senior Executive

• But not enough

Project-Driven Org.

• PM job not recognized

• Must add other skills and/or experience

Project-Dependent

On-Line Survey Results Analysis:

557 Responses

• Best ways to get promoted

• Stay in PM or lateral move to function?

Characteristics

• Of the people

• Of PM within their organizations

PM Career Paths

• Exist?

• Feelings about advancement

4

CEO (1)

Senior

Executives

Functional

Managers

Project

Managers

TMT

Top Management

Team

Preference

for a PM

career

CEOs managing

projects

by themselves

Program

Managers

(b)

(1) Often with a chief of the project reporting directly to

the CEO

CEO

Program

Manager

Project

Manager

Zone b 7%

•Outside

Company

•Consulting

•Foundation

of a Company

•Academic

49%

34%

10%

General Model

of AdvancementShowing All

Respondents’

Preferred Paths

Factors That Prepare One

for Senior Executive (SE)

Positions

Factors that Prepare to Reach

SE Position% of the respondents

Factors that Permit to Work Efficiently in SE

Position % of the respondents

1 PM does not prepare 5.5 0.72 PM methodology prepares 7.5 4.83 Experience & skills prepare 73.6 94.54 Experience prepares 63.5 35.45 Soft skills prepare 25.8 59.86 Among the experiences

Variety and complexity 23.7 10.9Management 23.3 52.7People management 22.2 17.4Vision and big picture 16.5 18.4Power and network 3.7 8.6

7 Among the skills (item 5)Decision making 16.7 12.5Leadership 19.5 9.0Communication 24.1 19.6Negotiation 5.6 5.1

Detailed Research Results

Research Hypotheses

• 3 Hypotheses Confirmed

• 9 Questions Answered

Conclusions

• Project Manager favored in project-driven organizations

• Project Manager advancement much harder in project-dependent orgs

Proposals

• Individual

• Organizations

• Professional Associations

• Further research

1. Experience as Project/Program Manager (P/PM):

88% of P/PMs say it is excellent preparation -- BUT

•Normally not sufficient in certain roles and skills: say the CEOs

2. The 16 roles of SEs and P/PMs:

Are similar in many respects -- BUT

•P/PMs must focus on specific roles to gain more experience

3. The 21 hard and soft skills:

Are About 90% similar -- BUT

•P/PMs must develop important skills they lack

4. The type of organization is significant:

Project-driven organizations:

• Clear career path, P/PM has advantage

Project-dependent orgs:

• No PM career path, P/PM has no advantage

5. Program Manager has advantage:

Roles/responsibilities:

•Broader, reports to higher level

Depending on:

•Definition and scope of “program”

6. Preferred promotion paths:

49%• Through project management

hierarchy

34%• Would accept lateral move

10%• Want to stay in project management

for their entire career

7. Gender Differences Are Strong:

Men show:

•Stronger desire to play the political games to advance

Women prefer to stay in PM:

•Less desire to play politics

8. Importance of PM Experience and Country of Residence:

For project-driven org:

•Same for USA versus non-USA

For project-dependent org:

•USA: 35% versus 51% non-USA

9. Some Aspects of Career Paths

60% of respondents have occupied 3 functions or less

Project managers mainly report to mid-level of hierarchy

15% achieve senior executive position

1st job usually functional, 2nd as project manager

Proposals to Enhance Advancement

Personal Development

Organizations

Professional Associations

Personal: Respondents say they will:

• Develop their:

– Visibility and political action: 33%

– Experience and skills: 29%

• Move to other positions: 20%

• Grow with project management development: 8%

• Be lucky: 1%

Vision of reality from within the hierarchy!

Personal: From PM Literature

1. Building your personal brand (Kent 2006)

2. Improving your power (Pinto 1998):

1. Making yourself an expert

2. Finding ways to promote your project

3. Promoting yourself

4. Enlisting a sponsor’s support

5. Working to establish some positional authority

Personal: From PM Literature

3. Planning your career as a life-long project (Logue 2004, Gale 2005)

4. Following six rules of career management (Flannes & Levin 2005):

1. Actively consider what you want to do

2. Network, network, network

3. The higher the more chemistry matters

4. Keep your CV current and active

5. Put personal references in order

6. Consider a portfolio career

Gaining and Using Personal Capital

Economic Capital• Founding a company• InvestingCultural – Intellectual Capital• Capabilities, knowledge, language

• Degrees (type, level, source), CertificationsSocial Capital

• Crucial to get to the top level

• Networking, visibility, mentors

• Day-to-day and life-long effort required

For Companies and Organizations

Develop PM education, certification, credentials

Develop project-oriented organizations (Gareis 2005)

Develop PMI PM Career Framework (Roecker 2007)

Integrate PM into formal evaluation process

For PMI & Other Associations

Foster relations with CEO oriented associations

Present PM seminars to senior executives

Publish about PM in top management journals

Capitalize on members who are CEOs

Develop certifications of more strategic nature

Further Research Will Continue

And ……………………?

Explore differences in careers by project category and type of organization

Open database to interested researchers via online access through PMI

Use database to differentiate by gender, age, position title, reporting level , education, certification, career

paths, PM maturity, other

To Each of You: Build Your Career

Read the paper on which this presentation is based!

Act on these proposals for your development!

Start networking now! Volunteer!!

Present a paper at a PMI meeting this year!

http://www.pmi.org/Knowledge-Center/Research-Completed-Research.aspx - under Project Human Resource Management to “Project Manager to Senior Executive”

Please send [email protected]

www.russarchibald.com