Transformation Attenuation: What Project Managers can do to increase the impact of organizational change – Wyatt

Evaluate Session

Project Managers are at the forefront of transformation execution and as such have a critical opportunity to impact the degree to which organizational change objectives are achieved.

Executive management defines and articulates transformation goals in grand terms, usually in conjunction with specific metrics they can utilize to assess progress and justify the effort o the board. The middle layers of an organization (Product Management, IT, Risk, Distribution, Operations, HR) then interpret these goals and identify specific deliverables and cultural changes that will achieve the goal metrics.

Project managers operate where the rubber meets the road, delivering actual changes.
Unfortunately executives’ vision is frequently attenuated (loses strength) as it moves from the board room down to execution in associates everyday lives.

  • Interpretation of the vision down the organization can led to key elements of the intent to be lost
  • Achievement of specific metrics can take precedence over delivering on the vision
  • Control functions (Risk, HR, Finance) can make implementing new behaviors difficult
  • Resistance to change can hold back achievement of the Transformational goals
  • The project managers who manage the work usually don’t manage the resources

This presentation discusses how project managers have the opportunity to refocus the organization on strategic intent during the execution phase. Specifically it discusses:

  • Reinforcing organization strategy within high functioning project teams
  • Personnel management through a Project based secondary operating model
  • Managing control functions interference
  • Influencing Reward and recognition systems to support Strategic intent
  • Bypassing sources of change resistance

The objective of the presentation is provide leading project managers with tools that will enable them to leverage their influence to deliver transformation. It will identify opportunities to avoid common pitfalls that have traditionally constrained project managers potential impact on their organizations.

PMI Talent Triangle: Leadership

The Human Factor: How to Consider it in Decision-Making for Successful Management – Avetisyan

Evaluate Session

Projects in all industries both public and private need proper management to be successful. Proper management may sound easy at a first glance, but in practice it has many difficulties as unforeseen events and actions that turn the project to a success or to a failure. To some extent the difficulties in the projects are related to the human factor as level of uncertainty or lack of experience, understanding or simply stated the lack of knowledge for certain situations. These are the voids in the management practice that if filled wisely may improve the potential of successful project delivery. Depending on a project the issues may start right from the initiation phase of the project and carry over the rest of the project phases. Stakeholders, technical issues, financing, contracting, risk management, negotiations, procurement are some of the important areas for a careful consideration. The question is: How to analyze these for informed decision-making and how to count for the human factor or preference in such decisions? This paper proposes the application of the management science techniques for quantitatively assessing and addressing the human factor impact on project management decision-making that can allow to plan in advance and maximize the chances of success.

PMI Talent Triangle: Strategic and Business Management