Information Technology Project Management Building the Profession by

Information Technology Project Management: Building the Profession by Kathy Schwalbe, Ph. D. , PMP June 16, 2001 PMI Student Leadership Forum Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN www. augsburg. edu/ppages/~schwalbe

Do IT Professionals and Project Managers Have Image Problems?

To Grow, Mature, and Remain Vital, Professions Need • People • Knowledge • Leadership • High Quality Education Programs • Good Promotion and

People Develop and Maintain a Profession Augsburg Day School MIS Seniors, 2001

PMI Continues to Grow Rapidly • As of March 2001, there were 76, 406 member of PMI, a 29% increase for the year • As of March 2001, there were 28, 842 PMPs

Growth in PMP Certification, 1993 -2000* *Note: This figure and other information is in the second edition of my book, Information Technology Project Management, 2001

The Number of People in IT Continues to Grow • A White House study in 2000 showed that employment in the U. S. information technology industry grew 81 percent • ITAA studies in 2000 found that 1 in 14 American workers are involved in IT, and there continues to be a shortage of skilled IT workers • BUT…

Certain Groups Avoid IT and PM • More than half of all students attending colleges today are women, yet less than 20% of degrees in IT fields are awarded to women • The majority of project managers are men, and average salaries for men in PM are higher than those of women in PM

What Can We Do To Help Attract and Maintain Good People? • Let others know about the project management profession and how it relates to IT and other disciplines • Emphasize the positive aspects of project management: – Challenging and meaningful work – Useful tools to help achieve success – Diversity and creativity in job assignments – Great salaries ($81 K average) and growth potential

Good Project Managers Can Have a Life!

Knowledge Is Power • All professions must have a strong body of knowledge that continues to expand • The PMBOK provides a guide for knowledge required for project management – Over 500, 000 copies of the 1996 edition were circulated – Volunteers continue to update the PMBOK and provide questions for PMP and related certification exams

Project Management Knowledge Continues to Grow and Mature • PMI hosted their first research conference in June 2000 in Paris, France • The PMBOK Guide – 2000 Edition is an ANSI standard • PMI’s certification department earned ISO 9000 certification • Hundreds of new books, articles, and presentations related to project management have been written in recent years

New Certification Exams Are Being Developed for IT Project Management • The Singapore Computer Society established an Information Technology Project Management Certification Program in 1998 • Comp. TIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, launched the IT Project+ certification in April 2001 (former Gartner Institute program) • PMI plans to launch a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) exam in information systems development in early 2002

And the Real Test… • Are we better at meeting scope, time, and cost goals for IT projects?

The 2001 Standish Group Report Showed Decided Improvement in IT Project Success Rates From the 1995 Study • Time overruns significantly decreased to 63% compared to 222% • Cost overruns were down to 45% compared to 189% • Required features and functions were up to 67% compared to 61% • 78, 000 U. S. projects were successful compared to 28, 000 • 28% of IT projects succeeded compared to 16%

Why the Improvements? "The reasons for the increase in successful projects vary. First, the average cost of a project has been more than cut in half. Better tools have been created to monitor and control progress and better skilled project managers with better management processes are being used. The fact that there are processes is significant in itself. “* The Standish Group, "CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success" (2001)

Leadership is Required to Guide All Professions

Why is Leadership Important in Project Management? • The most important skill of a project manager is leadership • Effective project managers – lead by example – are visionaries – are decisive – are good communicators and motivators* *Zimmerman and Yasin, “A Leadership Profile of American Project Managers, ” Project Management Journal, March 1998

Leaders Are Needed to… • Manage projects well • Initiate and implement positive changes in organizations • Nurture and mentor other project managers • Uphold the integrity of the profession • Encourage quality publications and research in the field • Promote the profession in industry, academia, and non-profit organizations

Two More Requirements for the Project Management Profession… • High Quality Education Programs • Good Promotion

Characteristics of a Discipline • David Cleland (author of 31 books and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh) cites several conditions for a subject to qualify as a discipline, including – Substantial research initiatives that are directed to the advancement of the state of the art of the body of knowledge – Graduate and undergraduate programs in the curricula of leading universities and colleges – Continuing education and specialized training courses for practitioners in the field* Knutson, Joan, Editor, Project Management for Business Professionals, “The Discipline of Project Management, ” 2001

Project Management Needs More Support From Academia • Many academics do not see project management as a distinct discipline since there is not a strong theory/research base • There are very few courses let alone undergraduate or graduate degrees in project management • There a lot of continuing education and specialized training courses, but are they just meeting market needs and weak on academic quality? • Comments from the audience?

Project Management Needs Good Promotion • “Despite its importance, project management (PM) is not fully understood; at the same time is is one of the most ubiquitous activities in modern societies” (David Cleland, 2001) • People need to practice good project management and make it part of their everyday work and home lives

We Need Better Symbols than Dilbert and the Pointy-haired Guy! • Small groups discuss ways to promote the project management profession Before After? ? • Enjoy the rest of the conference, and remember…

We All Influence Our Future Leaders! Scott Schwalbe – Future Governor?