Two very correct theses used in the description of the implementation technology:
- "Project management system is a management decision-making system"
- “First, we learn to manage projects, and then, when we learn, we will manage a portfolio of projects”
Nothing contradictory at first glance, but let's figure it out.
Who makes decisions in the company before implementing a project management system? Well, of course, the head of the company, who else. He makes decisions about the timing, financing, resources, contracts and other components of the company's projects. And for its convenience, a project management system is being created, judging from the first thesis, because it is he who bears the entire burden of decision-making in the company.
When implementing a project management system, the leader must delegate project management to project managers, thereby shifting the entire burden of decision-making onto the shoulders of new leaders. And, already based on the second thesis, humbly wait until they learn how to manage projects, and only after that a system for managing the company's project portfolio will be created.
That is, I, as a manager or owner, must give parts of my business into the hands of “young and hot” project managers and be content with reports on the state of affairs. Put a young, even a promising youth, behind the wheel of your dear and beloved car, sit in the passenger seat, blindfold yourself and wait for him to give a meager account of where he is going and what he is doing. How long will your patience and endurance last? I'm sure. Not for long.
Confirmation of my words can be the level of rights of project managers, which is now found in most companies with so-called project management. At best, a coordinator responsible for collecting and providing information. And the leaders, as they made all the decisions, they accept, as they managed all the projects of the company, and they manage, spending all their energy and time on it, in a place where they really want to be engaged in the strategic management of the company.
The first 10 steps of implementing project management based on MS Project Pro, proposed in the previous article, involve the introduction of portfolio management at the very beginning of the implementation of a project management information system. This will allow managers to gradually delegate (transfer responsibility) their projects to project managers without losing control. The business should develop, expand, retain existing and attract new customers, but control should remain with you regardless of how many projects you have implemented.
A 10-day online course "Portfolio Management in MS Project Online" has been developed for managers responsible for portfolio management. This is a practical course, after completing which the participant acquires the skills of the head of the project office of the company, the skills of systematizing and conducting portfolio management in the company.
