Service is one of the most significant elements of technology deployment in the project management sector—the difficulties in implementing enterprise project management software almost always have more to do with culture than features.
Virtually all enterprise-level software requires significant consulting-type services. In some organizations, the skills to implement the selected system are available internally, but in many cases, organizations look outside to find these skills. To successfully implement a project management system, a consultant requires skills in business analysis, project management methodology, technology, finance, human resources and, of course, the product or products being implemented. These skills are rarely all found in a single person, so a collection of resources may be required.
However, as with any human resources search, there really isn't a hard and fast qualification that ensures that you have a person who understands both technical and project management issues. That's not to say that there are no qualification measures around. In fact, there are perhaps too many.
Certification does not guarantee enterprise knowledge. Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI®) proves that you passed the exam, of course, and that you were able to demonstrate sufficient project management knowledge, but certification does not necessarily guarantee any knowledge of enterprise project systems. Other skills, like business analysis, might be completely absent.
ISO has the 10006 standard, and there are elements of project management in the 9000 and 14000 standards. Yet, ISO registration is not an individual qualification—it just indicates a stable process—and guarantees nothing about how to select the proper resources to implement project management software.
There are other courses of study. Many universities are offering courses in project management, but university training does not prepare students for implementing project systems.
Many project management software vendors have certification programs for the consultants who train and install their products. These people know the product being implemented and how to train you to use its features. However, such consultants are often light on the other perhaps more significant skills, such as human resources.
Product knowledge or project management theory alone aren't enough. There must be some perspective on the big picture. Some firms have gone to specialists in business reengineering, the big accounting/consulting firms. Companies such as EDS and Deloitte and KPMG deploy consultants with strengths in business analysis and finance—but weaknesses in project management methodologies.
Are there complications ahead? If that all wasn't enough, we're about to see yet another certification. Following its acquisition of Enterprise Project™ from eLabor, Microsoft is working on extending the reach of Microsoft Project into the enterprise project management systems arena.
Microsoft's Project team is a small, tight group and, if it had to follow the model of the other enterprise-level project vendors, it would have to expand instantly by as much as 10,000 percent to provide the after-sales services that enterprise-level purchasers of project management tools require and expect.
Microsoft is, instead, turning to its third-party solution providers, offering training and some level of certification in order to help interested clients determine the qualifications of the software implementation team. With a focus on enterprise sales, third-party consultants for Project must spend more time and energy on project management process and methodology than has been the case thus far. That Microsoft will be turning out “Microsoft Certified Project Solution Provider” experts isn't big news, in itself. The issue is the huge volume of MS Project users and the rush of newfound “experts” that this volume will attract. Last year, Microsoft sold millions of copies of MS Project, soaking up more than 80 percent of the established project management software market. Consultants who are attracted to the format will become more and more plentiful as time goes on. The sheer numbers of consultants in software like MS Project threaten to overwhelm the numbers of more experienced project managers.
Project credentials carry more weight. The plethora of emerging certification programs can become more of a hindrance than a benefit. Certainly any client looking to bring in experts from the outside would be well advised to spend time on due diligence of the experts’ credentials. References of successfully completed projects will carry more weight than certification—at least for the near future.
For those of us in associations like PMI, however, the opportunity to be a leader in the field is significant. Perhaps over the coming months and years we'll see closer ties between the methodologies stressed by PMI and the technical aspects of the software tools available to project managers. It may be an opportunity for strategic alliances to ensure that the skills and lessons learned by project management professionals aren't lost in the drive for easy-to-use project management tools.
Volunteers Sought for Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3)
OPM3 Program Vision: To create a widely and enthusiastically endorsed maturity model that is recognized worldwide as the standard for developing and assessing project management capabilities within any organization.
OPM3 Program Mission: To make an original and valuable contribution to the emerging field of Organizational Project Management by creating a widely and enthusiastically endorsed model that provides methods for developing and assessing capabilities which enhance an organization's ability to deliver projects successfully, consistently, and predictably in order to enact the strategies of the organization and improve organizational effectiveness.
To volunteer for this exciting program, visit the PMI® Web site at www.pmi.org/opm3/.Volunteers are expected to commit roughly eight hours per week to OPM3 activities. Volunteers gain access to innovation and best practices, are part of an international standards setting process and can take pride in accomplishment.
Volunteers must assign copyright to PMI per www.pmi.org/opm3/copyright.htm. Experienced practitioners can make meaningful contributions in less than eight hours per week, and the appropriate way to do this is to act as a reviewer, not as a volunteer taking direction from a team leader. Join our team and help us create the future of project management.