What does project management mean to YOU?
From the Easy in theory, difficult in practice Blog
by Kiron Bondale
My musings on project management, project portfolio management and change management.
I'm a firm believer that a pragmatic approach to organizational change that addresses process & technology, but primarily, people will maximize chances for success.
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I’m not asking for your elevator pitch for the discipline, but rather what does it mean to you personally?
When I changed roles last year, the thought process I went through to decide to make a change caused me to revisit a question which I’ve asked myself more than once over the past two decades.
If you see your current work in project management as a stepping stone to a higher role such as a C-level business executive then it might just be a job.
While you will develop and use project management competencies to successfully deliver projects, you generally won’t commit much personal time to the profession such as mentoring junior PMs or giving presentations. While you might seek and attain a credential such as the PMP, that is a means to an end, and you are likely to let the credential lapse once you have moved into your next non project management-focused role. There is nothing wrong with considering project management as a means to an end, and becoming a senior leader who has done one or more tours of duty in a PM role is an excellent way of elevating the importance of the discipline.
Perhaps you are playing the long game with the profession.
A career in project management might give you the opportunity to take on initiatives of progressively greater complexity and scale or to move from delivering individual projects to managing a portfolio or leading a PMO. Instead of a vertical career path, you might pursue a lateral one by switching industries once you feel you’ve developed sufficient domain expertise in any one. Or you might specialize by focusing on a particular aspect of project management such as recovering troubled projects or by becoming a project risk management specialist. You will most likely attain and maintain one or more credentials and might even contribute to the evolution of the profession if you see it furthering your career.
But the third path and the one which will give you the greatest gratification is if you view project management as a calling.
Those who see the profession in this light are easy to identify. They are likely unaware of it, but they smile a lot when they speak about project management. They commit a significant amount of personal time to the profession, not because doing so will help advance their career, but because this re-energizes them and they want others to be as passionate about project management as they are. Being recognized as thought leaders by those they respect is more important to them than a promotion or the latest credential.
So is project management your job, your career or your calling?
“There is no escaping reason; no denying purpose. Because as we both know, without purpose, we would not exist.” – Agent Smith
(Note: This article was originally written and published by me in July 2017 on my personal blog https://kbondale.wordpress.com)
Posted on: January 23, 2018 07:59 AM |
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Comments (15)
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It's my calling. I love it.
The challenge to lead a team to produce a deliverable is a satisfying experience.
Sromon Das
Senior Project Manager| Mara Consulting
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
I think it's similar to lean six sigma- it's a philosophy- for me at least
/sd
Anish Abraham
Privacy Program Manager| University of Washington
Auburn, Wa, United States
I like creativity, and challenges, so I just love it.
Thanks for sharing, Kiron.
Thanks Drake, Sromon & Anish!
Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
I love project management because everything we do in fact requires management AND everyday is a different day in project management and the roof is the sky, no limits.
Great feedback, Rami - project management is a good profession for anyone who likes variety!
Excellent, thanks for sharing
Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Every project is a puzzle for me with a lots of missing pieces. I want to first gather all the pieces with the help of my team and than fit them together to see the complete picture and be proud of it what myself and my team has accomplished.
Nice article Kiron. I think I will reserve deciding which type I am until I am retired and can look back on how anyone benefited from my interaction with them. That way I can also hedge my bets. But of course I would hope we all love the profession.
Thanks Eduin!
Najam - I love that analogy of a puzzle. Some PMs start by constructing the outside frame of the puzzle while others do it more artistically!
Sante - As with all decisions, defer them until the cost of delay is greater than the cost of remaking the decision!
Kiron
Thompson Vou
Senior Product Manager| Vapotherm
Boston, MA, United States
Thanks for sharing, Kiron. As a young project manager, these are great thoughts to consider as I develop my career and aspire to be a thought leader in the profession in the future.
Sumit Barman
Mechanical Engineer
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Thanks Kiron. I tend to have a different take on that subject.
I believe that there is always an element of project management in each of us. This is irrespective of whether we are typecast as "Project Manager" or not. And this element is present ever since we were born.
Thus, MY personal feelings for project management aspect are :
1. Project Management is nothing new. It is not a new revealation but rather a benchmark for our knowledge and skillsets which is meant for usage in benefitting of human mankind.
2. Project Management is that license that helps you to get out of the borewell and see the whole world. Had it not been for PM activities, the sky would always have been known as a small blue patch.
3. So is project management my job, my career or my calling? Well, it started for me not as a necessity and never thought of making it as a career option though. But now, things are different. Project management experience came in my way, that changed my perception of project purpose and life in general. As of now, it's a passion for me.
Thanks Thompson!
Sumit, there's no argument from me that all of us perform project management activities at some level, but it comes down to the focus on that as our driving passion - is it merely a means to an end, or something which we are interested in over and above achieving that end?
Kiron
I believe it is a matter of pride, challenging options for different situation means absent of routine boredom, but at same time if it is a way of income then it should be balance with rest of life activities.
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