The Project Control Environment

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The Project Control Environment

This book is about managing projects. But one measure of the potential success of any project is the environment for project management within the organization. Many companies simply hand projects over to somebody to run and hope that things will work outor at least that they will have a convenient scapegoat. The companies in which projects are most likely to succeed are those that have established structures and procedures, similar to the following, that support their project managers.

Reporting and Escalation Structures

What requirements for reporting project status are laid upon project managers? To whom do status reports go? How frequently? What must they say? What follow-up will be done on issues raised in the status reports? By whom?

Until these questions are answered, status reporting will be ad hoc and inappropriate. While many project managers dislike having to prepare status reports, any environment that does not require them is one in which management has disavowed any interest in the project and will not intervene except to assign blame when things go wrong. The existence of good reporting standards is an indication that management cares about the progress of projects and, by implication, is willing to help when needed.

Another component of reporting structures is escalation procedures. When issues need to be escalated, what is the procedure for doing so? To whom should the issue be addressed? How? With what expectations?

Companies that have defined escalation procedures recognize that some issues need senior-level intervention and have defined a mechanism for providing it. Any management that does not welcome escalation from its project managers is saying, "Don't bother me."

Project Initiation

How does a company identify when it has a project? How does it assign a project manager? When? What documentation accompanies a new project? What familiarization procedures exist for project managers?

In the least effective companies, a project manager is assigned at random, usually after a set of activities has run into some problems and it has occurred to management that perhaps this is a project that needs some control. The reverse of this is companies that determine who will be the project manager well in advance, and involve that person in the initial planning and scoping. If the project arises from a request for proposals (RFP), the project manager will be involved in preparing the proposal and making any presentations to the client.

The object of an effective project initiation is for companies to control their project processes instead of drifting into projects with little or no foresight or planning. The effect on project managers is that when a project actually starts, they are familiar with the background and many of the key players.

Project Management Career Paths

Companies that regard project management as important will nurture the people who are responsible. They ensure that project managers have a clear and desirable career path that includes training, promotion criteria, recognition of achievement, and the opportunity  to progress to the highest executive levels in the organization. Furthermore, such companies, by their recognition of project management, acknowledge that project management is a discipline, that it is needed, and that it is worthy of fostering. These are the companies that, in turn, attract, develop, and retain the best project management practitioners and skills available.

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