Some time back, I was working with a client to help them get better at managing projects. Of the many projects they committed resources to, very few had a clearly-defined and well-understood purpose to which team members and stakeholders could refer. They jumped all over the 'how' without really understanding the 'what.' So we set to work on building some definitions for our projects.
Of the 10 project managers I was working with, 4 of them developed charters and scope statements indicating that the main objective was 'to reduce the FTE count in Department X by Y%.' Big flapping red flag!
Me: "Who are these FTEs?"
PM: "Well, some end users and some team members."
Me: "What happens when FTEs are reduced?"
PM: "People get packaged out."
Me: "How's the project going?"
PM: "Not very well. No one's too excited about it."
Me: "Wonder why ..."
To me, there is an intimate relationship between this kind of thinking and the economic dive of the past year. Money has been treated as the only asset and people are just a commodity. It's a 'killing the golden goose' thing.
Project managers can influence this kind of thinking for the better. Let's engage our sponsors and stakeholders in a dialogue about the big picture. What might be possible for our organization if, through our project, we could free some of our talent to pursue things of higher value? Why not make THAT a goal of the project rather than simply shaving some dollars off the expense column? The PMI Code of Ethics completely supports this approach. And doing so distinguishes us as more than managers. It demonstrates leadership.
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