PMcrunch

Project and program management are all about change; so how can we leverage the vast amount of knowledge out there about change? One way to do this is to begin to think about change as a process and then seek to learn from there. It is our job as change agents to help people through the process of change. One way to do this is to understand the Virginia Satir Change Model (VSCM).

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It has been said many times by many people that the only constant in life is change. As project and program managers, we know that we must accept and recognize this fact in our day to day activities. Much has also been written about resistance to change. As we start this new year, it is a good idea to think for a bit about change and our approach to it.

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At the end of a year and at the beginnning of a new one, we all tend to take some time to look back at the last twelve months and to look forward to the next twelve. This is a good time for us to asses our own performance, strengths, weaknesses, interests, things that we would like more of and things that we would rather do without.

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Projects, like anything else, are subject to change. One of these changes is changes in stakeholders. Many times a project will be very viable for a particular stakeholder, but priorities might change with a new stakeholder. This is also especially serious when the stakeholder is actually the sponsor of the project, the number one stakeholder. Let’s look at some key aspects of maintaining project control during these types of changes.

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With the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States and his coming inauguration in January, we are beginning to see what his priorities would be; this is an opportunity to think through what some of the impacts will be in the project management world.

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I recently listened to a Wharton podcast where a unique perspective on these turbulent times was cited. The book, entitled “Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual For Thriving In Change” by Dr. Gregory Shea and Robert Gunther. This book apparently lays out strategies for dealing with turbulent times. But what really caught my eye (or ears) is the reference to whitewhater versus an ocean liner as a description for work environments today. Let’s take a look.

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There are certainly many lessons from the American presidential election, but I simply want to focus on one idea that I have believed in for a long time. That idea is very simple — change is good. While Barack Obama’s campaign was all about change, I would argue that the entire election was about change. Let’s take a look at how this change theme is important to project and program managers.

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As project managers we are responsible, typically, for our specific projects. Sometimes we might be working on portfolio management and sometimes we may be working in a PMO-type environment that offers project management help around the organization. However, more often than not, we are focused on our individual projects. Regardless of where you fit in to this spectrum, it is good to take a look at the kinds of projects that your company is implementing right now, as this can foreshadow the future for the organization.

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As leaders, Project Managers and Program Managers need to communicate clearly. Communication is a tricky thing, and among other things, it is influenced greatly but what we see in the world, and what we see is shaped by what I call the “color or your glasses”.

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It is actually very easy for serious professionals to earn PDUs and maintain PMP and PgMP certification. The PMI provides many opportunities to earn the required 60 PDUs every 3 years, such that it really can be accomplished fairly easily doing many of the things a project management or program management professional would be doing regardless of the requirement! Here is a short summary of the key points related to PMP and PgMP credential maintenance and earning PDUs.

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