At Cadence, our practitioners have been helping organizations deliver results on their most critical projects for nearly thirty years. In that time, our field has evolved, though the needs of our clients have remained constant: help us deliver more projects, on time, under budget, at scope.
To answer these fundamental needs in a business environment of increased global complexity requires broadening the way we think about project management in our companies. For those who haven’t yet made the leap, it’s time to bring project management to the whole organization.
What does it mean to bring project management to the whole organization? The answer to that question comes in the comments we get in our own courses, and shared with us at conferences and symposia around the world.
“Management doesn’t get it.”
“Executives tell us what they want, but don’t follow through when we need support on our projects.”
“All they see is bottom line – they don’t understand implementation.”
And, heralded by our own graduates course after course: “I wish my boss was here.”
This sentiment underscores a key premise of whole-organization project management understanding: Everyone involved in projects must understand their roles in project management, from practitioners, to managers, to executives.
Seeing where this call for organizational project management comes from is important: it comes from the people managing projects. It comes from those who are saddled with day-to-day objectives and milestones, delivering results when it counts. What these people are bubbling up through the organization is a drive for greater methodological awareness against accepted standards in the field, and support when and where they need it.
Cadence has long been a partner with the Project Management Institute and all our courses are in direct alignment with the Project Management Body of Knowledge®, the set of standards of practice as defined by professionals in our field. But a standard is just the first step. Where Cadence shines comes in helping companies take these standards and establish and document the processes and practices it will take to adhere to them. That’s the Cadence Methodology, a field-tested approach to delivering results on projects through standards.
The second key premise to an organizational project management approach is ensuring that the people involved in projects execute their roles in the process. This involves a sophisticated and realistic approach to managing the portfolio of projects across the organization, the programs that make up larger strategic initiatives, and the projects that enable the organization to deliver strategic results.
The Cadence Project Management Methodology is steeped in a legacy of successful project results because our focus is – and always has been – on the whole organization. Our initiatives moving forward, including articles and interviews for this newsletter, will help to further refine our approach, illuminating the stories of those who have adopted a strategic approach to organizational project management and the success that comes from such efforts across the enterprise.
We wish you a smooth transition from summer to fall, wherever you are, and thank you for joining us on our journey to help you deliver your best work through projects.