Convincing Senior Management to invest in Project Management Training

Senior executives often see Project Management as an operational or tactical activity. If you are in a position where you have to convince senior executives to use Project Management, below are a few pointers that can help:

  • Executive Framing – identify the following benefits of utilizing a globally recognized, industry standard framework (PMBoK) for managing the project to the organization:
    • Reducing stress - horizontally and vertically across the organizationLess internal and external conflict
    • Increased understanding of the project and its purpose
    • Clarification and alignment with Comprehensive Community Development Plan (CCDP)
    • Ability to define and control project scope
    • Prioritization of functional and project activities
    • Ability to identify, monitor and track milestones
    • Accurate projection of resource requirements
    • Capability and mechanisms to measure performance
    • Improved assessment and mitigation of project risks
    • Improved communication amongst project participants
    • Better communication throughout the organization
    • Identification and communication of problem areas
  • Alignment - Lining up Project Management with:
    • The organization's strategic plan and associated corporate goals
    • Senior executive expectations
    • Meeting stakeholder expectations
  • Wealth/Wellbeing Value Statements - defines the wealth/wellbeing value to the organization of the project. A wealth/wellbeing value statement considers both tangible and intangible outcomes of the project
    • Tangible - Financial, Vocational
    • Intangible - Family, Social, Physical, Spiritual and Mental  
  • Managing scope, quality, time and budget – includes:
    • In the Planning Process Group - the development of a performance measurement baseline for the project. See Appendix A, Figure 1
    • In the Implementation Process Group – using earned value analysis for monitoring and controlling performance See Appendix A, Figure 2



Appendix A | Earned Value Management - Definition & Terms

Definition
A methodology that assesses both schedule and cost performance through the concept of earned value, the monetary value of work actually completed

Terms

  • Earned Value - Budgeted cost of completed work to the reference point
  • Planned Value - Authorized budget for scheduled work
  • Actual Cost - Amount of money spent

 
Figure 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Figure 2