Featured Papers - September 2006
- Churchill the Project Manager (Part 4) by Mark Kozak-Holland
- Putting Your PMO Into Overdrive by Terry Doerscher
Churchill the Project Manager (Part 4)
by Mark Kozak-Holland
Changing Face of War September 1939 - May 1940
Most people are very familiar with Winston Churchill but may not be familiar with his approach to project management and his PM skills. Part 1 introduced the overall series and how Churchill acquired a project from hell, a project that no one wanted. Part 2 looked at his background, and the skills that he brought to bear to the project that made him so uniquely qualified in May 1940. Part 3 looked at his actions up to 1939 that made him become a real alternative to the status quo. This article looks at the impact of technology, and how when war broke out the Allies were wrestling with how to respond, grounded in a First World War frame of mind. This is important for today’s PMs who must determine how to keep abreast of new technologies and their impact.
On the eve of the Second World War in 1939, Churchill had gained enough credibility that the public commanded to bring him back. But Chamberlain believed that Churchill's inclusion in the Cabinet would frustrate his appeasement efforts (Part 3). After the invasion of Poland, Chamberlain declared war and reluctantly, under pressure, brought Churchill into a war cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty. Although unwanted by his cabinet colleagues, they needed him to maintain credibility with the changing public disposition. The public saw him not as a warmonger but the backbone of the government, someone who could awaken the nation to fight.
Many organizations today toil to bring forward people for the “top” project jobs. Ask the PMs in the organization who they would support and natural leaders will be pushed forward, those with the credibility and weight to make a real difference with projects.
Read the full text of Churchill the Project Manager (Part 4)
Read the full text of the entire series.
- Churchill the Project Manager (Part 1)
- Churchill the Project Manager (Part 2)
- Churchill the Project Manager (Part 3)
About the Author:
Mark Kozak-Holland
The latest book in Mark Kozak-Holland's the Lessons-From-History series is titled “Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise: Lessons for Business Today”
It draws parallels between events in World War II and today's business challenges. Mark is a Senior Business Architecture with HP Services and regularly writes and speaks on the subject of emerging technologies and lessons that can be learned from historical projects. He can be contacted via his Web site at http://www.lessons-from-history.com or via email to mark.kozak-holl@sympatico.ca
Putting Your PMO Into Overdrive
How You Can Create a Management Integration Center to Align Work,
Resources and Business Objectives Across the Enterprise
by Terry Doerscher
As companies place greater emphasis on IT budgets, and as IT governance and compliance continues to evolve, IT organizations are under greater pressure to become more efficient in their operations and to embrace a more collaborative infrastructure.
IT leaders now have to take into account resource management, workforce management and overall work integration in providing services to executives, internal departments and customers.
According to Gartner, “Establishing IT governance extends beyond acquiring and implementing software in various areas of organizational change and process improvement. Companies may adopt the right tools but must also adapt their processes to better leverage and control their IT investments.”
Another report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers says that IT governance has been initiated by 83 percent of 276 organizations polled worldwide.
Many companies still lack a clear view of IT spending and operate within silos that compete fiercely against each other for funding regarding resources and tools. This makes it difficult for their leaders and the CIO to clearly see the needs for the total organization and impedes the proper justification and measurement of IT improvements.
One way to approach this challenge is to create a Management Integration Center (MIC), a center of excellence that expands the responsibilities of a traditional PMO to include areas like account resource management, workforce management and overall work integration.
Companies stand to save big money when a MIC or a PMO is implemented to align work and available resources with enterprise objectives. Many save millions of dollars and report operational efficiencies of 20 percent or more.
Read the full text of Putting Your PMO Into Overdrive
About the Author:
Terry Doerscher
Terry Doerscher has more than 24 years of experience in practical process development, project management, PMO, business strategy, and work and resource management in construction, nuclear and IT fields. Mr. Doerscher is the Chief Solution Architect for Planview, an Austin-based software company dedicated to creating project portfolio management solutions. More information about Planview can be found at www.planview.com.
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