Life on the Critical Path

The role of management in organizations is changing. This evolution is positively glacial, however, compared to the rapid evolution in structure, responsibility, profile and accountability of the project manager. From a staid, relatively straightforward role of being responsible for capital developments and construction, project managers are now becoming strategically focused contributors operating at the highest levels of the organization. As a result, those of us performing a project management role are being more challenged and more pressured to perform – and many of us are struggling to find the resources, support and guidance to stay ahead.

The organizational structures in place in companies today – as well as their processes, controls, information systems and budget cycles – were created to support the ongoing operational needs of the business. The unfortunate result is that not only are they ignorant of the project management needs of the organization, they frequently function in direct opposition to projects and project managers. Project managers expend a great deal of effort fighting the systems and structures when their projects provide sufficient challenge in and of themselves.

To succeed, organizations will have to make significant efforts to match the needs of project managers with the enormous responsibility that many of us…