Project Manager - Assessing Organization Expertise

Earlier this month I presented a conceptual model that I referred to as the project manager building blocks. This model was based on the Project Management Institute's Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) framework. The framework covered the project competencies but did not address the details behind the industry and organization expertise needed to develop project manager competency. In my previous post I outlined the attributes of the industry expertise and today I will describe the attributes of organization expertise.

Organization expertise is the awareness of the organization providing that provides the proper context of the project. The expertise can be broken down into knowledge of the organizational structure, mission and values, the experts and leaders in the organization, the workflows and processes, professional expectations, appetite for change, and communication styles across different groups.

Having an understanding of the organizational structure, what is important to the organization, and the organizational culture allow the project manager to better understand some of the politics of the organization. Insight into the subject matter experts, influential people, overall workflows, and individual processes enable the project manager to recognize how the organization operates and identify the key people and trigger points. Finally, the social norms, organizations tolerance for change and new ideas, and the types and channels of communications provide the project manager an appreciation of the basic ground rules for working in the environment and moving the project forward.

These organization attributes are by no means inclusive of everything a project manager must know about the organization. However, many of these appear to be key drivers leading to project success. Developing greater awareness and understanding of these seven areas, a project manager should become more effective in navigating the organization to remove roadblocks for the project team.