Project Manager - Assessing Industry Expertise

Two weeks ago I wrote about the industry expertise project manager building block. In this post I argued the role industry experience plays in developing competency as a project manager. This was a part of the project manager building block model. In this earlier post I simply described the industry expertise building block. I will now provide more detail on this building block.

The Project Management Institute's Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) framework covers project management-specific competencies but the framework does not include any attributes of industry expertise. In my model I build on the PMCD framework to include attributes of industry expertise that are relevant to effective project managers.

Project managers build competency in project management through their expertise in the industry. This expertise is derived from industry language and terminology, workflows and processes, process performance, history and change, professional ethics, and external constraints. The project manager is more effective when able to speak the language of the industry specialists, understand their workflow and work processes, and appreciate the amount of work and skills required to perform industry processes.

Project managers also need to have a historical context of the industry, understand the origins of change on the industry, and how the industry responded to change. Project managers should have a good understanding of the industry's code of ethics and the type of ethical issues that arise in the industry. Finally, the project manager must be aware of the governing bodies in the industry and any legal or regulatory constraints these agencies may place on the industry and any projects executed within the industry.

Each of these six attributes of industry expertise contribute to the project managers proficiency and should improve the project manager's ability to be successful leading projects within the industry.