Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22

February 2016 //

Canadian Government Executive /

and is critical to keeping project and pro-

grams aligned with the goals and objec-

tives of the agency or department. Or-

ganizations are often so busy managing

countless projects and programs at any

one time that they fail to assess how the

alignment of these projects and programs

equates to overall strategy.

Through PMI’s latest Thought Leader-

ship Series, it was determined that 60

percent of organizations surveyed believe

improving management of their group of

strategic projects is a “high” or “very high

priority.” This includes 77 percent of those

affording a similar priority to strategy im-

plementation itself. Experts interviewed

for this study go even further: One de-

scribes portfolio management as “abso-

lutely critical.”

These percentages suggest there is still

room for significant improvement. It is es-

sential for all organizations to understand

the risks their strategies undergo when

project and portfolio management prac-

tices are not considered. These are frame-

works that will maximize returns, mini-

mize waste and generate desired project

outcomes. Given DND’s commitment to

stronger project management practices

through its PMCD, it would appear that

DND’s portfolio of projects are headed in

the right direction – strategically aligned

to the overall goals and objectives of the

organization.

Craig Killough,

Vice President,

Organization Markets,

Project Management

Institute (PMI).

Special Report

everal years ago, the federal gov-

ernment launched a recapital-

ization program aimed at trans-

forming the vision of Canada’s

first-class military through an active and

comprehensive 20-year CAD $50 billion

plan. The mission included a five-fold in-

crease in capital spending, which encom-

passed equipment infrastructure and in-

formation management, with funding for

approximately 300 projects ranging from

CAD $5 million to $24 billion.

In an effort to meet the strategic objec-

tives of the federal government’s recapi-

talization program, the Canadian Depart-

ment of National Defence (DND) created

and implemented a comprehensive

Proj-

ect Manager Competency Development

(PMCD)

, to formally develop and qualify

strong and effective project managers to

position the organization for project suc-

cess and align the competencies of its

project managers with the complexities

of its projects.

Recognizing the importance of execu-

tive support, in early 2007, a small group

of individuals secured the support of DND

senior leadership to launch the PMCD pi-

lot program. Six years later, the program

was formerly implemented and was es-

tablished with the goal of completing four

objectives:

• A framework for competency-based

management, as adopted by the Cana-

dian government.

• A link between project management

competencies and project complexity

and risk.

• A standard for project manager compe-

tency.

• A program to generate and maintain

project managers qualified at accepted

competency levels.

To achieve these objectives, the DND real-

ized its project management framework

needed core principles that would guide

the entire process moving forward. This

Driving Successful Outcomes

through Project and Portfolio

Management

Canada’s DND PMCD Framework

Embraces Value of Project Management

By Craig Killough

Visit

www.PMI.org/Pulse

to download the reports.

led to a focus on

culture, talent

and

pro-

cess

that has resulted in the creation of

a highly-successful project management

model that has positioned DND for great-

er project success.

The DND should be applauded for its

astute planning. Instead of discounting

the value of project management, the

DND embraced this framework, leading to

a prosperous project management model

that will continue to pay huge dividends

for Canada moving forward.

Project Management Institute (PMI)

encourages organizations to invest in

a project management model that can

generate significant bottom-line benefits.

Leading organizations across sectors and

geographic borders have been steadily

embracing project management more

strategically as a means to control spend-

ing and improve project outcomes.

As the practice of project management

continues to mature, the connections

between organizational project man-

agement and bottom-line value become

more evident. With the right resources,

a clear timeframe for delivery and senior

leadership support, a strong and disci-

plined project management practice will

drive an organization forward.

Companies and governmental agencies

are clearly seeing the payoff from invest-

ing time, money and resources to build or-

ganizational project management exper-

tise. The results come in the form of lower

costs, greater efficiencies, improved cus-

tomer and stakeholder satisfaction and a

greater competitive advantage — and, of

course, increased project success.

In addition to investing in a project man-

agement model, organizations should

focus on the benefits of project portfo-

lio management. These benefits are ad-

dressed in PMI’s recently launched

2015

Thought Leadership Series: The Power of

Project Portfolio Management

Portfolio management is an essential

part of implementing business strategy