How important do you think strategic and business management skills are for project managers? What are some ways that PMs can build their strategic and business management expertise?
Kristin JonesSocial Media Specialist III| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
According to market research, the ideal skill set for project managers is a combination of technical, leadership and strategic and business management expertise – otherwise called the PMI Talent Triangle™. Although many PMs have extensive technical and leadership skills, they may not have the strategic and business management proficiency to reach their fullest potential.
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Justin WortleyProject Manager| Quicken LoansDetroit, Mi, United States
I feel that strategic and business management skills are crucial for Project Management. Being able to take off the "technical" hat to see the bigger picture or the social landscape of your project and even your company is what best drives your projects towards success. I feel this is why coaches in the NBA or any pro sport are more successful if they were former players themselves. Obviously there are exceptions here but being able to build upon the technical expertise with leadership skills and management proficiency is what helps you get the most out of your team because you've been where they are and know how to drive them to the finish line.
How to expand on these? Leadership and management skills are easy to train for but hard to practice if that makes sense. Because by nature conscientiously executing leadership is not really the intention of being a leader. Putting yourself in social situations, and organizing group events either for your company or personally with your friends/family can help you build leadership skills. As for business management, we should always be expanding our education from anywhere that moves us. The PMXPO speakers today have touched on their take of Business management, and you can find blogs/books/websites/podcasts from people that influence you to see how they keep their management skills sharp to apply that to your everyday work life. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
You have to devide this type of things in two items: strategic and tactical. The reason because a project is started is to put strategy into action so it is a tactical matter. There is no reason, besides the aim to improve yourself, to put focus on strategy is you work as project manager. You have to put focus in tactics that are listed as tools and techniques. Strategy is a matter (taking about focus) of program and portfolio management. Saving Changes...
A PM can deliver a project in time, within budget, and as per the defined quality, but may loose the client as the result of failing to make balance between the documented client expectations and undocumented ones. PMs without the strategic and business management expertise may deliver the projects successfully, at least on the paper, but may not add so much value to the business. However, if they are equipped with those skills they can align their projects’ deliverables, KPIs, and success factors with those of the business, not only the projects. Saving Changes...
saurabh mahajanPMP, ITIL, PRINCE2| vodafonePune, Maharashtra, India
IMO best would be to start with taking responsibility to "deliver requested output with enhanced customer experience". These 7 words will make project manager move earth and heaven to get it right in all aspects of project and product management. While moving earth itself he/she will understand the impact it has to know the strategic and business management expertise. And while moving heaven he/she will know how and when to apply it. You will get a all new improved version of project manager from this. Saving Changes...
