27 March 2009

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Tips for Team Members
Transitioning into an Industry that is New to You? Prepare Your Knowledge Plan
By Brian R. King, P.Eng, PMP

You have been hired to work as a project manager in an industry that you have not worked in before, and it’s your first week on the job.

You have solid experience in running a project, maybe you hold a credential …

How do you get started, gain acceptance and become comfortable in the new industry?

As a project manager, your skills to effectively organize, plan, control and monitor projects are very important and are usually the main criteria used to hire you. You have the ability to take a goal, identify the necessary actions, execute the plan and make it a reality. These skills can be applied to the needs of every business. But if you’re transitioning industries, your project management skills alone are not enough.

If you are hired into an industry that is new to you, it is critical that you develop a knowledge plan. Your plan will vary in degree of complexity dependant on the size and type of projects you will face, and the business environment.

Treat your new position as a project by establishing clear and measurable knowledge goals.

A knowledge goal identifies the subjects and the needed level of understanding of the products, services and issues that impact the business environment.

To establish your knowledge goal, you must ask questions of individuals within various functions to learn what they do and how they measure success. For example, at a for-profit company, you would want to meet with the functional managers of operations, IT, product development, marketing, finance, sales and support. Start by asking each:

1. What do you do to add value to the business process, and how do those actions fit within the overall business system?
2. What criteria do our customers use to define a quality experience, based on working with us and what we provide?
3. What information or tools do you use to keep updated on the changing aspects of your business?
4. What are the key values that we should use in all decision-making for our business?
5. What are the key ingredients you look for in people when forming a team?

Set up informational interviews and discussions that will help you to understand the key processes of the business and the industry, and the key success ingredients. This activity will allow you to clearly define the values and principles that must be embedded in all projects.

By discovering what information or tools the managers use to maintain their knowledge of the business, you learn the sources that can help you establish goals, keep on track and increase your knowledge level to the appropriate level.
 
Your knowledge plan will focus your actions and training, and will ensure that you spend the necessary time – not too little nor too much — gaining specific understanding of your new industry.

Project managers who are not yet hired can also use a knowledge plan. Prepare and search for sources of information about your target industry through annual reports and information searches. Through your network, contact managers in functional areas of your target industry and ask for a few moments of their time. This will not guarantee a position, but the initiative you show by obtaining knowledge and asking questions about the industry will demonstrate your commitment and assertiveness.

You already use perseverance and commitment to achieve the goals of your project — use these same qualities when you apply for jobs and when you change industries. Combined with your skills in project management, a continuous drive and passion to increase your knowledge will help you attain success. 

Brian R. King, P.Eng, PMP is president of Millennium 3 Inc. Training and Consulting, which is driven to help businesses, government and associations improve productivity in leadership and organizational development. Mr. King is a PMI SeminarsWorld^® instructor and his firm is a PMI Global Registered Education Provider. He is CEO and president of LEI –Lafleche Environmental Inc. Mr. King welcomes your questions or comments on this tip.

Do you hold a PMI credential? You’ve worked hard to earn this mark of distinction. Now, let it shine and work for you! Show your credential after your name on your resume and cover letters, in your signatures and on your social networking profiles. Look for more on this topic in the next issue of Community Post.