Project management could improve the way U.S. state governments are run

U.S. state governments provide a project environment unlike any other.

"Sandwiched between federal and local governments, they're the essential middle layer to an organization," says Tim Jaques, PMP, co-owner of Line of Sight LLC, a government and industry management consulting firm in Ellicott City, Maryland, USA. "They provide services that the other governments cannot perform."

That translates to projects crossing a wide variety of disciplines, including healthcare, sustainability and technology, according to Mr. Jaques, who along with Jonathan Weinstein, PMP, wrote a chapter on the topic in the book Project Management Circa 2025.

State governments "must contend with legislative agendas and schedules, budgets, state workforce size and capabilities, the authorities of individual agencies and more," the authors write in their chapter, "State Government-Project Management 2025."

And project management could play a vital role in helping state government perform better.

Working Together

Over the next 15 years, Mr. Weinstein, founding partner of Line of Sight, predicts there will be an increased trend toward a more formal, statewide project management structure, with greater collaboration among government agencies.

The trend is getting a boost from statewide project management training and certification programs, the development of project management communities of practice and the establishment of project management offices (PMOs).

Mr. Jaques and Mr. Weinstein even see the potential for the statewide PMO to evolve into a cabinet-level position.

"By 2025, the role of the [program or project management office] may reside as a direct line to the governor, providing statewide guidance, policies, practices, certification, measurement and direct management of major government programs," they say. "[It] would maintain a cadre of qualified and certified project and program managers that would be assigned to major projects across the state and possibly even providing mentoring and advisory services to local government agencies."

Some state governments are already taking action. The Vermont, USA enterprise PMO, for example, manages statewide and cross-agency initiatives and Michigan, USA adopted a statewide project management methodology in 2000.

Power to the People

Seeking easier access to statewide services, citizens are going to demand a more central point of entry. "Someone walking into the local unemployment office would complete an intake interview that would identify, verify and enroll them in any other programs or services they are eligible for, [such as] food stamps, Medicaid and education," they say.

The public will also expect more self-service capabilities delivered via the Internet, Mr. Weinstein says.

The Colorado government website (www.colorado.gov) is already shifting from an agency-oriented to a service-based organization. And although it's not quite "one-stop shopping" for government services, the home page links to many disparate services and functions.

Mr. Jaques and Mr. Weinstein say project management can play a major role in helping state governments continue the evolution.

"Project management is the path to this because these integrated/cross-agency projects require significant project management structures as a single organizing framework," they say.

"Without applying project management methodologies, techniques, tools and practices, such complex projects will quickly break down into the multiple discordant efforts within each of the participating agencies