Project Manager Assessment System

The importance of the Project Manager’s role has been elevated to unprecedented levels in the contemporary business environment. Not only is most mission-critical work mostly delivered in the form of projects; organizations of all types now have to implement frequent large-scale transformations in order to survive and remain competitive in the face of new challenges and continuing economic pressures and uncertainty.

This is a far cry from the traditional project management setting, in which project managers were more typically responsible only for meeting the operational time, cost and financial goals of a discrete, relatively self-contained project. Major and complex transformations involving all areas of the organisation as well as external stakeholders have now become commonplace, and the individuals responsible for managing such projects play a crucial role in the ability of the organization to meet its strategic and operational performance goals.

Innovation, improvement, rationalization, expansion – all these and other business objectives rely on the successful implementation of projects. Yet projects often go wrong, resulting in significant financial and other business costs. Often times the cause of project deterioration is a lack of a project manager with a good balance of “art and science”.

How We Can Help

Many conventional methods of assessing project management skills tend to focus on tools and techniques and overlook the “art” that is so crucial to project success. Our proprietary Project Manager Assessment System TM (PMAS) is a holistic, tailored approach to assessing project management skills aimed at providing you with the right project manager to achieve project success.

The PMAS uses a multi-methods approach to assess project managers not only in terms of their knowledge and skills but also on their ability to apply these effectively to the different types of project management, including the management of major organizational transformations. This holistic tool can be customized to the needs of individual organizations, and uses a range of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. It can be used to provide not only individual level results but an overall assessment of project management skills along with recommendations and a proposed action plan for the enhancement of the project management function for more effective transformation management.

If you need to assess the Project Management skills you have in house – or you are in need of a Project Manager to get the job done right, we can help. Our highly qualified, specialised consultants work closely with you to understand your business environment and develop an assessment program that is tailored to your needs. Through PMAS, we will add real value to your organization through individual assessments, summary evaluations, and overall findings reports.

Key Considerations

Questions to Ask

  • As a business executive, manager or human resource specialist, how do you ensure that your organization has the right mix of art and science skills to deliver successful projects?
  • What is our project success track record? Do we generally meet all the objectives set out by our projects or do we need to improve?
  • Is our focus on not only the “science” of project management but also the “art”? Do we need to consider skills such as political acumen, business acumen, people acumen, and leadership with more intensity?
  • Do we have the necessary Project Management skills in place that can not only manage the “technical” aspects of project management, but also the “art” elements – to ensure that the project is successful in achieving and maintaining the desired business outcomes and results.

Thoughts to Consider

  • A recent study suggested that almost half of all organizational projects fail to meet requirements, exceed their budgets or are not completed on time.
  • A global survey of business executives found organizational culture and employee resistance to be among the main barriers to the successful implementation of organizational change initiatives; while the factors most often associated with successful projects included strong leadership and good communication.
  • The specific mix of art and science skills required by an organization or project manager will be determined by a range of factors such as the relative size or complexity of the projects, the range of stakeholders involved and their ability to influence the project outcomes.
  • The assessment of project management art skills, which are often learned and demonstrated through real-life project management experience rather than formal qualifications, requires the use of more qualitative methods such as in-depth interviewing, detailed review of resumes or performance reports or a 360-degree assessment process.

If your organization employs project managers, the PMAS will have a significant positive impact on the achievement of your business goals. Benefits you can expect include:

  • Reduced risk – you’ll be able to implement projects with confidence
  • Cost effective staffing
  • Higher return on investment
  • Better control – you will have a basis for tracking improvements over time
  • Maximum utilization of skill sets
  • Improvement resource planning
  • Enhanced overall project management
  • Improvement project team functioning

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