Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22 - Issue 3

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March 2016 // Canadian Government Executive / 19
The results demonstrate that signifi-
cant money is being wasted by organi-
zations’ failure to adopt proven project
management models. In the case of
Shared Services Canada and other gov-
ernment agencies, the need to adhere
to good project management practices
is critical given the tax dollars that are
at stake.
Amid the challenges that Canadian
organizations and governmental de-
partments experience — which include
worsening project outcomes, increased
competition, an uncertain economy and
other disruptive global trends, PMI’s re-
port identifies a number of ways organi-
zations can improve their performance:
Look beyond technical skills.
While technical skills are core to project
and program management, they’re
simply not sufficient in today’s competi-
tive global economy. Effective project
and program management relies on
blending technical skills with broader
leadership and business qualities. The
most successful organizations empower
well-rounded professionals capable of
overseeing long-range strategic objec-
tives. Organizations that manage and
train their talent in this way see 40 per-
cent more of their projects meet goals
and original business intent.
Recognize the strategic role
of an enterprise-wide project
management office (EPMO)
and get it aligned to strategy.
Project Management Offices are es-
sential to overseeing strategic initiatives
throughout an organization. This dedi-
cated group can lead to significantly
improved business outcomes. Organi-
zations that align their EPMO to strat-
egy report 27 percent more projects
completed successfully and 42 percent
fewer projects with scope creep.
Drive success with executive
sponsors.
Executive sponsors are uniquely posi-
tioned to overcome barriers to success-
ful project outcomes. They are able to
secure funding, champion strategies
and objectives and foster collabora-
tion within an organization. As a result,
when more than 80 percent of projects
have an actively engaged executive
sponsor, 65 percent more projects are
successful.
In addition to tracking industry fac-
tors, the Pulse research can be used to
strengthen focus on the quantifiable
benefits project management can de-
liver to an organization. Increased atten-
tion to project management through the
recommendations listed above can only
benefit an organization and help it navi-
gate a myriad of challenges.
The results from this year’s Pulse of
the Profession®, showed no improve-
ment over last year’s figures. Instead,
the data showed declines in many of the
factors used to measure project success.
The percentage of projects meeting
their goals took a significant dip, which
is of serious concern.
Organizations that invest in a project
management framework will, in turn re-
alize significant benefits to the bottom-
line. However, until more organizational
leaders embrace the reality that proj-
ects deliver strategy, we will continue to
see stagnation, wasted money and more
underperforming organizations.
The Pulse findings demonstrate that
organizations simply aren’t paying
enough attention to their ability to ex-
ecutive against their strategy. Given the
responsibility of governments to man-
age the public purse, taxpayers deserve
a better return on their investment.
Craig Killough is Vice President, Orga-
nization Markets, and brings more than
40 years of business and leadership ex-
perience to PMI. In his current role, Craig
is responsible for PMI’s relationship with
organizations and promoting the value
of project, program and portfolio man-
agement in delivering business results.
The Organization Markets Group in-
tegrates PMI resources supporting the
development of stronger relationships
2016
The High
Cost of Low
Performance
Howwill you improve
business results?
8thGlobalProjectManagementSurvey
with organizations including standards,
global business, government relations,
account management, the Global Ex-
ecutive Council, Alliances and Networks,
and business units in India, China, Aus-
tralia and the United Kingdom.
Prior to joining PMI, Craig was the Ex-
ecutive Vice President of Global Opera-
tions with General Physics Corporation,
providing engineering and technical
services in the energy, manufacturing
and public sectors; and Vice President of
Systems Engineering and Licensing with
Cygna Energy Services, providing engi-
neering services in the nuclear electric
power industry.
Craig served as an officer aboard nu-
clear submarines in the United States
Navy, has a Bachelor of Science from
the United States Naval Academy and a
master’s degree in business administra-
tion from Pepperdine University.
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