IT Project Management: Critical Skills for Success
Anna O'Shea-Newton
IS6840: Information
Systems Analysis
Dr. Vicki Sauter
University of Missouri,
St. Louis
November 10, 2014
Introduction
An
overwhelming majority of IT projects are delivered late, over budget and with
fewer required features and functions than expected (Chaos Report, 2013).
According to the Standish Group in their 2013 Chaos Report, only 39% of
IT projects surveyed in 2012 were deemed successful, meaning they were
delivered on time, on budget and with the required features and functions; and
18% failed completely because they were cancelled prior to completion or
delivered but never used. These numbers represent an increase in project
success rates from the 2012 study as well as a decrease in the number of
failures. The increase in success is attributed to several factors,
including looking at the entire project environment of processes, skills,
costs, decisions, internal and external influences and team chemistry.
Increases in project management as a profession and trained project
management professionals can also be tied directly to increases in success
rates. For additional information about
the success of IT projects including the role skilled project management plays
in the process, view the
Standish Report.
Project management can have a significant impact on overall project success, so what exactly is project management? The Project Management Institute defines a project as having a defined beginning, middle and end and therefore defined scope and resources dedicated to its completion. Project management is defined as "the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently." To learn more about project management, visit this article What is Project Management? Project management usually involves the coordinated efforts of several people on a particular project to ensure that their specific parts of it are successfully performed such that the overall project can deliver its expected outcome (Warner, 2012). According to Jugdev et al (2013) project success, is concerned with judgments about the outcomes of a project whereas project management (PM) success deals with the successful delivery of a project. A project regarded as well-managed may fail to deliver the intended outcomes and a poorly-managed project can still be capable of delivering success. Better Business Learning (2012) describes project management in their YouTube video: What is Project Management? (Video 1, below). According to the training video, project management is about getting temporary endeavors complete on time and on budget. Because most projects fail to meet this objective, it is recommended that project managers get users to agree on granular details to prevent scope creep. "Proper planning prevents poor project performance."
Therefore,
this paper will look at characteristics and behaviors of project managers
during the creation or modification of information systems that can help
improve overall IT project success rates while maintaining high levels of project
management success.
Organizational power and politics
One
critical determinant of successful project management that is often overlooked
is the roles knowledgeable employees play in using power and political behavior
to promote successful project implementation (Pinto, J. 2000). Political behavior where individuals or
groups seek to acquire and maintain power is pervasive in modern
corporations. Examples can include
activities as significant as negotiating multimillion dollar project budgets to
the more benign determining who will order office supplies but can also be used
to influence another employee’s career. Pinto
(2000) has identified two primary reasons for considering project management
and political processes in the overall management of successful projects. One, project managers in many companies must
learn to develop methods of influence in order to secure the necessary
resources from other departments to achieve project success. This is true because almost all resources
(financial, human, informational etc) must be negotiated with senior management
or across organizational teams. Second
and perhaps most important, many project managers do not possess the authority
to conduct formal evaluations on their project team subordinates. Without the authority to hold staff
accountable, they are placed in the position of having to influence project
staff into delivering desirable results and engaging in appropriate
behaviors. Therefore, project managers
must learn important soft skills for navigating politics such as influence,
conflict management and negotiation.
Successful Characteristics
Communication
As the field of information
technology continues to grow, it will require additional talent to work on
projects both domestically and abroad.
Virtual teams offer unique challenges for project managers to
successfully manage. Dispersed work
groups in which members are located in different countries face unique cultural
barriers that can impact the overall success of a project. In addition, language barriers and
differences in cultural expectations can have a significant impact on a group's
performance (Daim et al 2012). Even projects managed within the United
States can consist of teams that are culturally and linguistically diverse, so
the challenges associated with these work groups are not limited to virtual
teams.
According to Daim
et al (2012) some of the unique challenges associated with working in
geographically dispersed teams include building effective interpersonal
relationships. Reliance on electronic
communication can lead to misunderstandings, which can decrease team
communication and overall productivity and diminish the social interaction
within the team that can lead to innovation and success. Project managers need to be aware of the
communication that occurs between the team in these situations and work to
ensure that communication is clear to minimize misunderstandings. Ineffective team interactions between those
working together on the project is another challenge with global virtual teams
(Daim et al 2012).
This is also true of teams in a brick and mortar environment. Teams with ineffective team interactions can
lead to very challenging project work.
Project managers must be aware of the team dynamics and do everything
possible to encourage appropriate interaction.
Verburg et al (2013) identified clear
communication as one of four key factors in project success.
The ability
to communicate with people at all levels within the organization is critical
when talking about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and
feedback (Barry,
2014; Petty,
2009; Levinson,
2010 and Levinson,
2013). Managers need to
know how the project is progressing, is it on schedule, within budget etc. A project manager needs to be able to
communicate up and down the chain of command to keep the project moving
forward. Furthermore, the project
manager needs to be able to communicate with the users to make sure that the
requirements for the system capture all of their business needs.
Communication skills in Project Management (video 2, below) by Change Quest (2010) draws attention to "the ladder of inference," which is the process of making assumptions about other people's attitudes and commitment to the project. Project managers need to be aware that what people think affects what they do and should be able to self-reflect and ensure that their own thoughts do not impact interactions with the team in a negative manner.
Trust
Similarly,
trust on a team is critical to project success (Daim
et al 2012). Common social norms,
frequent social interactions and shared experiences can facilitate the
development of trust. Teams who work
together in the same space or in geographically diverse areas must be able to
build trust with each other and the project manager to move toward project
success (Daim et al 2012, Verburg
et al 2013). Trust can be developed by
commitment to and demonstration of ethical practices (Barry,
2014).
Trust can
also be developed by one's ability to delegate tasks (Barry,
2014). How much you allow
people to participate, how much you check their work and how much you delegate
all play a role in the trust a project manager can build with the team. Team building can be a useful tactic for
creating a cohesive group of people who will work harmoniously together to
achieve the project goals (Barry,
2014). Project managers
must be aware of their interactions with the team and seek feedback from the
team to move the project forward. They
must also exemplify trust and ethical behaviors and reward those around them
who display these behaviors.
Leadership
Mir et al
(2014) analyzed questionnaire data to determine explanatory variables for
overall project success. One key
independent variable considered was project management leadership. Project management leadership was
statistically significant for explaining project success. To enhance success project leadership needs
to develop a project-centered culture in the organization, open new avenues for
partnerships, enhance relationships between internal and external customers and
use project management methodologies to drive positive change.
Petty
(2009) describes leadership maturity as a key quality that
successful project managers consistently display. Leadership maturity refers to the degree to
which project managers understand their role and the behaviors they exhibit in
pursuit of developing teams and supporting team members. These displayed behaviors can also go a long
way in developing trust within the team.
Leadership
is also displayed by maintaining calm under pressure (Barry,
2014). In a perfect
world, projects would be delivered on time, under budget and with all the functionalities
desired. Because we don't live in a
perfect world, projects encounter challenges along the way. Successful project managers will consider a
stressful event in the project life cycle an opportunity and attempt to
capitalize on it.
Strategic/Visionary
An effective project leader is often
described as having a vision of where the project is going and she is able to
communicate this vision effectively to the team (Barry,2014
and Bigelow,
2013). Visionary leaders
are empowering and can generate buy-in from their team members. The vision behind the project can propel the
project forward by maintaining momentum.
Project managers
must also understand business strategy.
More specifically, project managers must understand how their projects
fit into their organizational strategy (Project Management Institute, 2010). The Project Management Institute published an
article in 2010 titled "The hiring freeze is thawing, as long as you have
what companies are really looking for" which outlines key characteristics
of project managers including strategic aptitude. To read more from the Project Management
Institute, view
the article.
Strategic awareness is the process of involving and educating project
managers on the strategic importance of a project (Petty,
2009). The ability to
link how the project outcome will help the company better serve customers or
compete offers critical context for the project team.
Enthusiasm
Most people
don't like leaders who are negative.
Leaders should display enthusiasm and a can-do attitude (Barry,
2014). Leaders tend to
gain followers when they display a can-do attitude instead of providing
numerous reasons why something can't be done.
When we think of successful leaders, charisma is one characteristic that
often comes to mind. Martin Luther King
was able to motivate people to peacefully protest for equal rights during the
Civil Rights Movement. Adolf Hitler
convinced people to commit atrocities and mass genocide with charismatic
speeches. Although, Hitler's beliefs are
not shared by this author nor condoned he was committed to his mission and
values and was able to sustain his campaign over many years due in large part
to his ability to motivate people around him.
Project leaders should be committed to their goals, optimistic about
achieving them and able to motivate and inspire those around them.
Competence
Project
leaders should be chosen based on their ability to lead others not necessarily
on their technical skills (Barry,
2014). Having a proven
track record is useful for being considered competent as is demonstrated
leadership skills. Competent leaders
must challenge, inspire, enable, teach and encourage to be considered competent
leaders and drive a project toward success (Barry,
2014).
As lean
organizations gain more popularity, demand for project managers who can help
increase the performance of the team while minimizing inefficiencies is
becoming more in demand. Encouraging
team members to reach milestones and deliverables while maintaining open lines
of communication and holding team members accountable will improve overall team
performance (Project
Management Institute, 2010).
In
addition, Verburg et al (2013) conducted a
qualitative study to identify critical success factors for project
success. From their interview data, they
found that the value of accomplishment is perceived as the most important
objective for which project managers strive in a setting with high degrees of virtuality. However,
increased project control and the alignment of shared goals within the team are
also important perceived benefits of project managers related to
accomplishment. In order to achieve
accomplishment, project managers see management support and infrastructure
resources, team skills and project management aspects as the most important
attributes.
Turner
et al (2009) emphasize the importance of several forms of intelligence
including managerial, emotional and technical to deliver successful project
outcomes. Furthermore,
project managers should be effective change agents playing roles in planning,
managing human resources and effectively facilitating (Kendra et al 2004).
Structured Approach
Lee-Kelley
et al (2008) analyzed a case study of two companies in the UK and Greece to
determine project success factors in virtual teams. Adopting a more structured
project management approach was found to help provide role clarity and increase
predictability in expected behaviors and quality performance. Project managers should be aware of the skill
sets present on the team and communicate clear roles and expectations for the
project. Once the expectations have been
set then the project manager can focus on managing those expectations.
Risk Management Skills
Susser (2012) advocates for adopting risk management
through the full life cycle, which includes identifying risks, measuring them,
monitoring and ultimately mitigating the overall project risks. A project manager with clear communication
skills can effectively inform upper management, team members and users of
identified risks and ways to mitigate those risks early in the process before
it becomes too expensive.
Change Management Skills
Jennifer Wick of the ProjectManager.com gives an overview of project management skills in her whiteboard discussion (video 3, below). Of the skills she discusses of importance to project managers is the ability to manage change effectively. Change management is the art of being able to manage change effectively while getting others to buy into initiatives the organization undertakes. When massive change occurs, fear also often occurs. It is important for a project manager to get buy-in from their team and lead the team through the change in order to effectively move the IT project toward successful completion.