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Four Steps to Drive Up the Value

of Project Managers in Your

Business

Marilyn Bota

Bluestone Process Dynamics

“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

©2012 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only.

2

The Problem

• Managers and business leaders, especially in

transactional organizations, often do not perceive the

value of project managers. Project management

methodology is often mistaken for bureaucracy.



3

What’s Worse



• PMOs fail without leadership buy-in

4

What’s Worse



• Issues with the PMO’s value proposition

5

Gap Analysis:

What Project Managers Need to Consider



Do your homework

Take the time to make it simple

Concise and compelling communications

Short meetings, facilitated well

• Tying projects and their results to the strategy

• Respect for their time

• Successful outcomes

• Confidence in their team

• No surprises

Build trust

… No surprises

6

1.Strategic Connection

• What are the strategic goals of the organization?

• How does your project fit within the strategy?

• Have you communicated this?

• If you terminated the project today, who would be most

affected?

• Would the competition care?

• What industry data do you have to show value to the

project?



Connect the Dots- “This project…to our Strategy.”

7

If There isn’t a Strategy…

• Are you in a business or institution that doesn’t plan

their future?

• Is there informal agreement on a direction?

• What’s the word on your competition?

• Does your project help the business:

– Grow?

– Stay competitive?

– Reduce cost?



Connect your Project to what Matters

8

2. Speaking the Language

Your challenge:

• Every business has it’s own culture

• Every industry has it’s own language

Learn both or you will quickly become dispensable

• Take internal classes, learn the products

• Read available employee communications

• Watch professional interactions

• Join relevant industry organizations

• Network outside of your PMO



9

Which 15 Words Matter Most

• If you were to mentor a new project manager, what would

you say is important:

– To the business

– To the organization

– To the PMO

What words matter enough that they should understand?



ROI

Options Lean

Agile

Customer-centric Med Sup

10

3. Know Your Audience

• What do they care about?

• What industry are they grounded in?

• Where are your constituents located?

• What level within the organization are you dealing with?

• What do you hear discussed most often by senior

leaders?

• Is your business private or publicly held?



11

Exercise

• One “WORD” per Post ItTM – Words that matter to your

managers, your business, and your senior leaders

• Place them on the wall

• Affinitize* similar words

*Group



Which fifteen matter most to your business leaders?

12

Preparing for your Audience



Emotion

Education Action



1. Consider what you need to communicate

2. Write three to five bullets (no more) that you consider

important to the topic

3. Consider your audience’s baseline

4. What do you want of your audience?

Education

Emotional Connection

Take Action (What action?)

5. Practice

Preparing Your Elevator Speech

Communication Includes Your Tone and Body Language

14

4. Selecting the Right Project Manager

for the Job

• Talented project managers come in many designs

• Their personality and demeanor should to some degree

match that of the organization

• Take the time to check out references

• Put process around the interviewing of candidates

• Work as a team and with HR to determine the tough

questions for your business

• Group interviews allow for time to observe



15

Personality Types

• Quick assessment guide



Some Individuals Flex to Their Natural Orientations

Based on Environment or Stress Levels

People

Oriented

Socializer

Intent: Persuade

Manage to: Ego

Motto: Just Do It

Wants: Applause • What you may get with this hiring decision:

Unrealistic goals

Fast decisions

Needing reassurance

Excitable

Persuasive

16

Personality Types




Some Individuals Flex to Their Natural Orientations

Based on Environment or Stress Levels

People

Oriented

Relater

Intent: Supportive

Manage to: Personal Value

Motto: Let’s Please

Wants: Peer Attention

• What you may get with this hiring decision

Risk averse

Insecure

Lack of goals

Avoids conflict

17

Personality Types




Driver

Intent: Overcome

Manage to: Impatience

Motto: Now

Wants: Results

Information

Oriented

Impatient

Workaholic

Demanding

Blunt

Tough


18

Personality Types




Thinker

Intent: Avoid Trouble

Manage to: Preciseness

Motto: Just the Facts

Wants: Activity

Information

Oriented


Seeking perfect information

Slow to decide

Conservative

19

Give Business Leaders a Reason to

Believe:



Tying projects and their

results to the strategy

Respect for their time

• Successful outcomes

Confidence in their

team

• No surprises

1.Make the Strategic Connection

2. Know your audience & prep

3. Language of the organization

4. Hire the right players



Contact Information

Marilyn Bota

[email protected]

804.638.0011

www.linkedin.com/in/marilynbota/

http://www.consultantregistry.pmi.org/r5/showkiosk.

asp?listing_id=4474237&category_id=74325&tp=

Bluestone-Process-Dynamics--LLC

http://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynbota/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/marilynbota/

http://www.consultantregistry.pmi.org/r5/showkiosk.asp?listing_id=4474237&category_id=74325&tp=Bluestone-Process-Dynamics--LLC









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