Uncovering the New PM Triangle (Part 1)

Mr. Bridges is a recognized leader in the PMO domain with over three decades of experience in business and project management. He is the PMO Setup Practice Lead at BOT International. Mr. Bridges has over a decade of PMO setup and PMO process implementation experience and has worked with corporations, government agencies and non-profits to implement PMOs. These efforts have included process development, implementation of portfolio management capabilities and PMO implementation.

  Business Case   Strategy   Using PMI Standards  

Not long ago, I was involved in a series of discussions regarding the Project Management Triangle and the need to expand or evolve it. Last year, PMI CEO Mark Langley recommended that the triangle should be updated with points of the triangle being Business Acumen, Leadership and Project Management (a small triangle that included scope, budget and schedule).

Langley further stated, “If we only speak the language of project management as in scope, time and cost, then project management as a profession will fail today’s businesses!”

So what brought about these heretical statements? I am sure all of us have seen how often businesses and organizations question the value of project management as it exists now. We often are forced to attempt to explain how project management will help the business be more successful. If we speak of things like scope, budget and schedule, we will not convince anyone of our value. Executive management has no desire to hear all about how we will use earned value management to ensure the project stays on schedule. The simple truth is that executive management is interested in the results of the project. This is where the value exists. Maximizing the results of the project is where project managers will add value, and value is not described in terms of scope, budget and schedule. No one will remember if a project is …

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