Does the successful project manager have the same core of competencies as a successful programme manager? If so, is the progression on the PPM hierarchy given due attention to competency by employers? If not, how does one advance on the triangle of PPM progression? The Arras People 2010 Project Management Benchmark Report sought to answer these questions, primarily out of the concern for the significant void left by the lack of an established set of useable competencies that can be applied as a recognised standard for the industry with a reliable overseer.
In lieu of these standards, the survey set out to discover what various PPM professionals thought were the leading competencies for their specific roles. The question of main emphasis involved a list of competencies and for each classification of professional (Support, Project Managers, Change Managers and Programme Managers) to choose the top 3 from that list for their specific role.
The results listed in the image above (click on the image for a clear, full-size PDF look) makes for an interesting tableau of contrast. Take note of the decreasing importance of Technical (which encompassed methods, tools and domain knowledge, e.g. certifications) from support up the line to programme manager: fourth from the top, then sixth, eighth and finally down to 10th for programme manager. And while Planning and Organising, Communication Skills and Adaptability seem to be consistent from support through change management, Leadership rises in the opposite direction right to left of Technical, albeit in a manner that suggests a significant jump between the last hierarchical level (change manager) and programme manager. To answer our specific question, project managers identified Planning and Organising, Communication Skills and Relationship Management as their top three competencies. While those three competencies fill in slots of a programme manager’s top four, none of them rank first. Hence, the sudden jump of Leadership on the table.
What does it all mean to Jane Project Manager and Joe Change Manager?
Clearly, it becomes apparent that those who want to rise, or have already risen, to programme manager from these other roles displayed the ability to harness the skills of leadership. At the very least, it came across well to those people making the hiring choices.
But this may not be the universal progression. Suppose leadership was ignored or not given due assessment by the hiring personnel, who felt that a high-achieving project manager/change manager had earned the right to take the next step on the hierarchical ladder? And don’t forget that programme manager is generally known to be a role sitting much closer to the business side of operations than change, project or support roles are. That sudden splash into the next level could be a crash course in leadership skills for the new programme manager.
The emphasis on certifications within project and programme management, coupled with the APM’s application for a professional charter, may be clouding our priorities of what really constitutes one’s ability to perform the role successfully. In the Benchmark Report’s section on PPM Competence, we introduced our findings by writing that we have:
Just as it is with certifications, it would be unwise to suggest that competencies serve as the “be all-end all” for capability in the PPM working environment; rather, they serve as a key indicator. And if that is a given, the question raised earlier begs another crucial question for those of you hoping to progress up the PPM ladder: Where will you find the time to improve your leadership capabilities in jumping from project manager to programme manager?
