Understanding that dynamic could lead to a different approach to assessing project risk and managing project success.
First an underlying premise: culture is what people experience when they observe the behavior of their leaders.
If so, the question for Project Managers therefore is not only what culture does it take for their project to succeed, but more pointedly, what role does the Project Manager play in shifting organizational behaviors toward cultures that support project success.
Much has been written about agile projects and agile organizations, and the intersection of culture and project management. In many cases there is a vicious circle: organizations that are trying to become more agile need projects that are executed using agile principles which need organizations to support agile behavior and thinking, but the organizational culture is not yet so aligned.
This relationship between organizational culture and project success, however, transcends the methodology being applied. Culture is a driving factor for project success or failure, whether the approach is based on agile, traditional waterfall, or any other “in vogue” method. Perhaps it is time to reflect not on project management “best practices,” but on project management “best supporting cultures.”
There is a framework for assessing project risk and for managing to project success that is well proven, and is independent of project methodology. It is called The Seven Keys To Success. It was developed as a result of the merger of Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand project management experiences, and has been adopted by IBM, not just in its Global Business Services unit, but by the company-wide PM Center of Excellence. It has been effectively used to understand “root cause” problems for failures as well as best practices to achieve success, in all manner of projects, all over the world, spanning the last twenty years.
Here is a quick summary:
|
Success Factor |
Biggest Risk |
Best Practice |
|
Stakeholders are committed |
Inadequate/ineffective project governance |
Steering committee actively led by the executive most directly responsible for the business benefits |
|
Business benefits will be realized |
Poorly communicated business case |
All critical project decisions made in support of realizing the business case |
|
Work and schedule are predictable |
No meaningful plan or progress reporting |
Schedule and budget tied to critical and measurable milestones |
|
Scope is realistic and managed |
First-of-a-kind or “moon shot” ambition |
Active issues management process involving project governance |
|
Technical risks are mitigated |
“Big bang” approach to implementation |
Thorough and appropriate testing at all stages |
|
Team is high performing |
Inexperienced staff and low team morale |
Team of diverse experiences in which trust levels are high |
|
Delivery organization benefits will be realized |
IT organization and/or contractors are viewed as “vendors” |
IT organization and/or contractors are treated as business partners |
Now think about that framework in terms of organizational cultures or behaviors that either threaten or actively support project success. Here is a partial list of cultural aspects that can either negatively affect or actively support a healthy outcome in terms of the framework of the Seven Keys To Success:
|
Success Factor |
Negative Culture Indicators |
Positive Culture and Behaviors |
|
Stakeholders are committed |
Stovepipe mentality |
Effective cross-functional and cross-geography collaboration |
|
Business benefits will be realized |
Competitive complacency |
C-suite focused on growth and marketplace success |
|
Work and schedule are predictable |
“We love fire drills” |
Management time devoted to planning and re-planning |
|
Scope is realistic and managed |
“Shoot the messenger” |
Governance processes that reward early recognition of changes to plan |
|
Technical risks are mitigated |
Hero mentality |
“Don’t gamble unless we can afford to lose” mentality |
|
Team is high performing |
Lack of trust |
Project staff are inspired by their management |
|
Delivery organization benefits will be realized |
“Who cares, as long as they stay within budget” |
“We, the business owners, need them to succeed too” |
Given the above, the question is not only what culture does it take to support project success, but what role does the Project Manager play in shifting organizational behaviors toward supportive cultures.
Expert level project managers lead with vision, develop trusted advisor relationships, embrace difficult conversations, and create a high-performing team based on mutual trust. They are encouraging senior business leaders to lead and behave in supportive ways, and they are leading their own teams in ways that inspire high levels of trust and performance.
Expert project managers are effectively shifting organizational culture around them in directions that will support success.
In today’s world, the highest calling for Project Managers is to be agents of cultural change, not simply a leader of a successful project outcome.
Finding The Right Question 
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