Shoestring PM: Getting the Job Done with Less Money

Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.

  Business Case   Cost Management   Portfolio Management   Strategy  

It has been about three years since the bottom fell out of the economies of the world. Unfortunately, as companies tightened their belts and cost control became the mantra of the majority, monies for projects also became scarce. Doing more with less people, less tools and less funding has become the norm--and 2012 doesn’t look to be much different.

However, as companies tread water, the need for operational leveraging processes, technologies and tools is rising. Just like cutting electricity doesn’t lessen the need for power tools, cutting projects that help to make organizations more effective doesn’t alleviate the need to be more effective. Thus, many organizations find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Stakeholders expectations continue to rise while the ability to financially and functionally meet those expectations wane.

If you are the head of your project management organization, there is little doubt that you are coping with these issues on an ongoing basis. To exacerbate the situation, you might even find it necessary to reduce your compliment of project professionals--which further hinders your ability to support the rise in project demand. Basically, as others within your organization are being asked to do more with less, so are you. Unfortunately, since the project organization services the entire organization, you …

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