Project management helps ‘achieve change’

Project management is good for business. That’s the view of PMI Ireland Chapter president Niall Murphy. “It helps businesses meet their strategic objectives,” he says. “Project management helps them achieve change, whether that be a new service, a new product, or a change in the organisation. A business usually has a strategy to help it move from A to B. Project management helps them implement that strategy.”

This belief is backed up by research evidence. “PMI globally has done lots of research which shows the amount of money people waste,” he says. “If you have good project-management capability, you see a huge difference. Projects are carried out more efficiently and are more successful.”

Indeed, PMI’s most recent global project management survey showed that 71 per cent of projects successfully meet goals in organisations which prioritise project management compared to just 52 per cent in organisations that do not. That same research also shows that having proven project-, programme- and portfolio-management practices in place make a dramatic difference in project performance. Eighty-nine per cent of projects at high-performing organisations meet original goals and business intent. These high performers complete 80 per cent or more of projects on time, on budget while meeting original goals.

Murphy points out that PMI is a membership organisation which does not directly offer services to businesses but the indirect impact is very strong nevertheless. “We are a membership association which individuals join,” he says. “Employers often support their employees to be part of a professional organisation like PMI. This helps them get better-calibre people. The PMI Ireland Chapter provides professional development and networking for members and this helps the organisations they work for.”

According to PMI Ireland marketing lead and PwC management consultant Peter Glynne, the organisation offers a range of services which are of benefit to businesses. "These include membership for staff and a range of qualifications with different certification levels which offer professional recognition to the holder," he says.

“The Ireland Chapter also runs a series of events to impart knowledge and help members keep up to date on the latest developments,” Glynne adds. “The events also offer excellent networking opportunities. People learn a lot by sharing experiences with people from other organisations who have been through the same thing before. Money can’t buy that sort of thing. Those interactions are hugely beneficial.”

Publications

The other aspect is publications. “The PMI global body publishes a range of knowledge-based and thought-leadership publications. These are hugely beneficial to businesses. The PMI body of knowledge is a very helpful guide on how to manage a project.”

PMI Ireland founder member and former president Terence O’Donnell points out that this is constantly evolving. “The PMI body of knowledge is closely aligned to current best practice and is published regularly,” he says. “It has become the bible on how to manage all aspects of a project including stakeholders, risk, budget, and so on. Everything is set out in it. It gets updated every three to four years and has to go through a rigorous process before any new elements are accepted.”

The stakeholder-management aspect is very important to businesses, according to Sinead Harding, head of the UCC Academy Project Centre. She believes project management is both a science and an art. The science lies in all of the basic principles and methodologies involved while the art is something mastered through experience and is inextricably linked with people.

“Every project brings change and you are working with people. You have to bring them with you on the project,” she says. “You have to understand your stakeholders.”

That starts with encouraging contributions from everyone involved and listening to their feedback. Communication is crucial.

“We can help companies to think like that,” she says. “It’s really important to come up with change-management strategies. You need to communicate the right message to the right people at the right time. Everyone involved in the project should know what it is and understand its objectives and be able to explain it in a few sentences.”

PMI Ireland’s role in training is one of certification rather than provision. “There are a number of licensed training providers in Ireland,” Peter Glynne points out. “They provide training and education for the PMI exams. All PMI members around the world do the same exams. We are happy to signpost businesses to training providers.”

And businesses who need a helping hand to improve their project management capability can always seek support from PMI Ireland either by attending one of the organisation’s regular networking events around the country or by asking for some expert advice from a member. “Organisations can go to PMI for support like that,” says Terence O’Donnell. “I am currently helping two significant organisations to raise their project-management capability.”