Project HEADWAY: A PM’s Guide To Business

We are told that a valued trait of project managers is the development of business skills. Definitions of project management discuss their integration of project management skills, functional expertise and general management skills. And yet, for the most part, we often take as assumed what ‘functional expertise’ and ‘general management’ mean as concepts without actually exploring them in depth.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. There are subject-specific extensions to the project management standards that discuss the requirements and principles of managing projects within a specific industry. It is commonplace for people to talk about their projects as being ‘different’. And the unique attributes of each organization—it’s politics, culture and structure—fundamentally influence what is required to manage a project successfully.

So if we accept as given that we need to develop ‘business skills,’ then what are these skills and how do we go about embracing and evolving them? In this presentation, Mark Mullaly explores the dimensions required for project managers to develop mastery in the domain of business. He identifies what we need to understand and explore about our industries, about our organizations and about business skills in general in order to be a well-rounded, capable and valued project manager. Most importantly, he connects these back to the project management role, and discusses how to maintain an effective balance between managing the business and managing the project. Regardless of the industry, business or walk of life that you find yourself in, this presentation will offer a new way to look at how you manage.