It’s Time to Give Back...Your Profession Needs You

Mark Mullaly is president of Interthink Consulting Incorporated, an organizational development and change firm specializing in the creation of effective organizational project management solutions. Since 1990, it has worked with companies throughout North America to develop, enhance and implement effective project management tools, processes, structures and capabilities. Mark was most recently co-lead investigator of the Value of Project Management research project sponsored by PMI. You can read more of his writing at markmullaly.com.

  Career Development   Estimating  

I want you to take a little bit of time, right now, to think about how you developed your skills and capabilities as a project manager. How did you know project management was what you did? How did you know that it interested you (as, hopefully, it does)? What enabled you to develop the skills and abilities that you now possess as the incredibly awesome project manager that you are today?

My experience was likely similar to many. I started off managing projects without actually knowing that’s what I did. I didn’t know that they were projects, I didn’t know that I was a project manager and I didn’t know that there was a thing called “project management.” I just did the best I could with what I had, and got things done.

People seemed to like the results, and I got more things to do. I struggled with estimating, scheduling, planning and knowing where the work really was, and when it would be done. Over time, I got better and more confident, but there was often a feeling that there had to be better and more effective ways to do what I was trying to get done.

In due course, I came to realize that project management actually existed. I joined the Project Management Institute (way back in 1992) and got involved with my local chapter, attending dinner meetings before getting involved with the local executive. Over that period, a number of …

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