1. Information Technology Project Management: Building the Professionby
Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP
June 16, 2001
PMI Student Leadership Forum
Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN

2. Do IT Professionals and Project Managers Have Image Problems?

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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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…

8. 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

9. 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 ($81K average) and growth potential

10. Good Project Managers Can Have a Life!

11. 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

12. 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

13. New Certification Exams Are Being Developed for IT Project Management
The Singapore Computer Society established an Information Technology Project Management Certification Program in 1998
CompTIA, 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

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

15. 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%

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)

17. Leadership is Required to Guide All Professions

18. 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

19. 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

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

21. 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

22. 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 are 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?

23. 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

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

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