In the Dark: Is the Executive Suite Out of Touch With Its Project Managers?

  Governance   PM Network  

Amid rampant uncertainty in the global business environment, there’s one constant executives can count on: increasing complexity.

Upper management must contend with issues such as growing competition, globalization and virtualization—all set against a backdrop of economic instability. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that some executives don’t have the best grasp of what’s happening with their project teams.

Is it even necessary to add that item to an already lengthy list of business responsibilities? For executives looking to maximize project success and strategic alignment, the answer is “yes.”

But that requires considerable effort to ensure executives are getting the right information without undermining the work of project teams.

“Upper management is under increased pressure to continue to deliver on their objectives during these difficult times,” says Christy Kulasingam, director of Radbourne Consulting, a management consultancy for the IT, media and telecommunications sectors in London, England.

Business leaders sometimes must undertake transformation and turnaround initiatives to achieve their objectives— and those initiatives require complex programs and projects.

Economic pressures can lead executives to seek more control. Such attempts could very well be counterproductive, though.

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