The CFO and You

When QinetiQ Group plc, a leading science and technology organization in Europe, was implementing a major finance system, group financial controller Doug Webb wanted a "professional" project manager in charge. "I did not believe that either our finance or IT people were very good at project management. They generally got lost in the weeds of their specialty. We needed someone who could focus on the process of project management to avoid technical scope creep and ensure success."

Here is a valuable lesson (or warning) to project managers who think their jobs begin and end with the technical issues of a project. The business purpose of the project is the "be all to end all," so being able to work with other business units, particularly the finance department, is as important as technical skills.

The concerns of the finance department can be divided into two categories: investment decisions and corporate finances. CFOs want to know that IT is providing value. At the same time, the finance staff is focused on the mechanics of maintaining corporate finances. There are four general areas of concern that project managers should be diligent to address when working with the finance department.

1. …