Among the hordes of exhibitors, presenters and topics of discussion on display at Project Challenge last week, colleague Terry Winstanley and I had a small window to work with in attending one of the nation’s leading PM networking events, held this time around at the Olympia in Kensington, London last Wednesday & Thursday. You can’t get to everything you’d like (especially if there are three speeches/presentations going on simultaneously), so you’re often left wishing you could split into two. The part of me back in the office Thursday definitely nodded at that last statement.
Refreshingly, I’m glad my whole self was in attendance for the presentation by Nick Hayes of the Association for Project Management (APM), who spoke Wednesday afternoon about the need for a professional standard. Don’t worry: I’m not going to get into a summary of the need for professional standards in this space today, because it’s apparent that we’ve said plenty about it before. What is refreshing about this is that Hayes mentioned something about our perspective on what we do as project managers. I could sense it was an effective rally cry, or call to arms. At the very least, I want my mention of it to serve as a pep talk for you all.
We ended up with this deck of Planning Poker cards, courtesy of RADTAC, that were tailored for the planning professional, after attending Project Challenge last week.
The statement in question, you ask? Well, to paraphrase Hayes’ words, it went something like this:
“You must be aware of your importance.”
These words came in reference to how project managers actually perceived themselves and their trade – in essence, he was convinced the masses of project practitioners didn’t think that highly of what they did. Where, he seemed to be asking, was the inherent pride in the skills a solid, established PM walking down the street could bring to an entity that others could not?
Adding my interpretation of it: you’re talking about a collection of procurement & delivery whizzes who effectively manipulate resources, contracts, budgets, changes and stakeholders through planning, structure, measuring and adaptability, into a cohesive, forward-moving force by using your requisite soft skills and an unflappable, professional (I dare say) code of conduct that delivers what Joe Blogs off the street would need an immense manual, a non-existent cocktail of experience injection, and a number of good breaks to deliver – on time and on budget. Yeah, I don’t think Joe could do it, either.
Hayes knew that both he & his co-horts in attendance at the presentation Wednesday had all of these things going for them. He also knew that businesses appreciated the value of such talent: it seems miniscule to remind them of this in the midst of an overview talk about standardisation, but if he felt it necessary to mention, I’m only too happy to amplify it. Delivery lies in the detail sometimes. Moreover, it is something of a step away from the “softer” people / communications fields, which has been overriding subject matter for presentations and articles of late.
What rang most true with this point was that Hayes was particularly adamant that when project management was going to become a chartered profession, its practitioners needed to be on the ground with that professional pride evident, wearing what they did as a badge of honour no one could take away. He implored PMs to think of themselves like a lawyer or doctor thought of themselves: necessary, chartered professionals that almost inherently take pride in the status of what they do (for instance, scroll down to the paragraph that begins “MR. WALLERSTEIN” to understand the weight of that pride), in spite of the heavy burdens & criticisms that go with it. So, he felt, it should thus be with project managers.
I couldn’t agree more, but I also appreciate what project managers are going through. Whilst I’m best equipped to think PR-wise on this stuff, it is worth remembering that project management too often gets a bad rap because project management in general has a high rate of failure and a subsequent high level of press scrutiny and negative perception that good project management could never dream of eclipsing in a “it bleeds = it leads” media culture. (Yes, I’m playing the “it’s the media’s fault” card. Just because it doesn’t sell papers doesn’t mean it isn’t going on, either.)
So I can see how a project manager might not wear the badge too prominently sometimes. They shouldn’t feel that way: as Hayes’ rallying words would suggest, there are still several reasons for just what project managers are bringing to the table each and every day. Yes, it’s a calling in life. And not every calling in life is quite as noble as this one.
Image courtesy @RADTACLtd on twitpic, re-used with permission.
