PM vs CM – is it "INTEGRATION" we're after or should it really be "ALIGNMENT"

Let me start with this statement …

“If you consider the PM and CM as a role, not a person, many people can fill both simultaneously. But in doing so effectively, there has to be an understanding of the differences between these disciplines, and the problems that may arise because of that.”

MY ONGOING CRUSADE

For the sake of a bit of context let's take a step back in time and briefly mention my ongoing PM vs CM crusade which started way back in 2014 (10 years ago) with my first article called PM vs CM. I have always focused on the notion that both are different disciplines and require two different mindsets and skill sets and “ne'er the twain shall meet”.

I have consistently argued that it can be extremely difficult for both roles to be undertaken by one individual and that they must be done by two people working in collaboration because of the myriad of responsibilities both have.

Well given that it’s 2024 now and the world has and is forever changing I have decided to review my thinking and look at this thorny subject again because over the years there has been an increasing call for “INTEGRATION” of the two roles. I'm not convinced "INTEGRATION" is the right word (hence this article) but setting that aside for the moment Prosci did some research a while back through their “benchmarking series” which, for the sake of relevancy, I then repeated in 2022. The following shows both sets of results:

What this tells me is that the time between to two surveys shows there has been some movement toward “INTEGRATION” but still doesn’t clarify what the word means.

SO WTF DO WE CALL THIS COMING TOGETHER OF MINDS?

Below are just a few meanings of the word “INTEGRATE” from Google (there are many btw):

• Collins Dictionary … the act of combining or adding parts to make a unified whole

• Cambridge Dictionary … to combine two or more things to become more effective

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary … to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole

• Vocabulary … to make parts of something into a whole or to become one unit

My simple take on these definitions is “to become one entity” so in the context of this article, that would mean a PM and a CM becoming one person with knowledge of both disciplines and able to deliver large-scale change initiatives to ... Time, Cost, Quality, and Scope and at the same time achievement of Business Benefits, Business Readiness for go-live, and post-go-live Usage and Adoption, Sustainment and Reinforcement. Piece of cake eh what!

Below are just a few meanings of the word “ALIGNMENT" from Google (again there are many btw):

• Dictionary … a state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, etc with a common cause or viewpoint

• Cambridge Dictionary … an agreement between a group of people who want to work together because of shared interests or aims

• Collins Dictionary … alignment with a particular person or group and support them because you have the same aim.

• Thesaurus ... to have people be aligned to work well together

Again my simple take on this is that there is no necessity to "become one entity" but rather just to come to an agreement between the PM and CM on what each other's roles and responsibilities are during the change initiatives they are both working on and what it is they deliver:

• Project Manager ... Time, Cost, Quality, and Scope

• Change Manager ... Business Benefits, Business Readiness for go-live, and post-go-live Usage and Adoption, Sustainment and Reinforcement.

SO WHAT IS IT TO BE ... INTEGRATION OR ALIGNMENT?

Project Management and Change Management each contribute a critical ingredient to a successful change event though they vary in terms of focus and approach. Understanding how each discipline works is the first step in achieving a unified value proposition and the strongest foundation possible for your change initiatives.

At the end of the day, it’s all about “role clarity” but there is a lack of understanding between the role of Project Manager and Change Manager in many organizations:

• Even now the discipline of Change Management still seems to be in its infancy stage by comparison to Project Management so Change Management professionals are in the early phases of converting non-believers

• Since the role of the Project Manager has expanded significantly most do not have the capacity or capability to learn Change Management

• Change Management is still not easily measured since the results are often intangible so executives who control budgets struggle to justify the expense and fail to get behind Change Management efforts

While Project Management has been engrained deeply within the fabric of most organisations, Change Management is still struggling for a seat at the C-Suite table

SOMETHING ELSE TO CONSIDER

When meeting a senior executive sponsoring some major undertaking in an organisation for the first time a PM is going to ask different things than when they meet them as a CM e.g.:

• A Project Manager ... will ask questions about goals, scope, requirements & constraints. They will want to know about the availability of resources and budgets. All key things about how to manage a project

• A Change Manager ... will ask how prepared the organisation is for the change and about capabilities & behaviours. They might also ask about how the sponsor's personal behaviour aligns with the goals of the change

Two opposing approaches.

In my view, a CM and PM model of working in partnership is the way forward and the word that fits best is ... "ALIGNMENT".

A PM with responsibility for Change Management or conversely a CM with responsibility for Project Management just puts too much pressure on an individual and they may not necessarily have the right experience and skill-set to manage both elements … but of course, it depends on things like project size, impact, and budget to name but a few.

THE JABIAN JOURNAL

I found this interesting article from "The Jabian Journel" called “Start Bringing Project Managers and Change Managers Together” which is an interesting read especially at the end when it talks of “Despite the Differences, There Are Three Steps to Successfully Integrate Project and Change Management” (just forget about the word integrate).

To get started, here are three effective ways to leverage the synergy of both project and change management on your next new initiative:

1. Start the Partnership from the Beginning ... the project management/change management partnership needs to begin by aligning change and project management metrics in the project charter document. For example, the need for business requirements to be completed on time is a great example of where that alignment is important: project managers must relay the importance of that milestone to change managers, who will use the future-state requirements to identify the impacts to stakeholders and create the plan to minimize that impact.

2. Ensure That the Critical Path Includes Change Activities ... the critical path to deployment needs to include change activities. Throughout project execution, managers must collaborate on the RAID log to talk about how scheduling gaps may impact the user/employee experience and vice versa. Change management needs to be an agenda item in project meetings on a regular, ongoing basis. Likewise, status reports need to include progress against readiness and adoption goals. This is second nature for schedule and budget, but it should be for change management as well.

3. Continue Change Support After the Project Ends ... the partnership should continue even after deployment. Project managers will likely focus on post go-live support to address any system issues and negotiate warranty coverage with the vendor, while the change managers support the employees’ (or external stakeholders’, like customers’) perspective of adoption and support. All system issues are not created equal, and this is an opportunity for the roles to be complementary as they work together to prioritize the resolution of technical issues that are most impactful on system adoption.

So there we have no change from me just a different name.

PM vs CM ... PMI CHAPTER WEBINARS

Just as a matter of interest, one of the reasons I came to that conclusion is that I still have all the questions that were asked of me during my 2-years delivering 30+ PM vs CM webinars to nearly 2,000 PMP’s. The questions asked came straight from the “horse's mouth” and it was pretty damn clear that the concept of an integrated PM and CM is still a “pipe dream” given the kind of questions asked which we or a really basic nature ... remember these were PMP's! I would urge you to take a look at the videos on my UAsk IAnswer YouTube channel to see how basic some of the questions were indicating a complete lack of understanding by Project Managers of what Change Management is.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Focusing on the word "INTEGRATION" I initiated another survey a while back called “Project Managers also acting as Change Managers” and one of the questions was "How difficult do you find it to act in the two roles? Here are the results:

So a total of 66% (2/3rds) found it Very Difficult or Reasonably Difficult which, for me, was not a very inspiring result and did not make the case for "INTEGRATION". I should do a similar survey where a Project Manager and Change Manager worked together and see what that shows, shouldn't I?

OTHER RELATED ARTICLES, AND POSTS ON LINKEDIN

• How do you convince Organisations to use Change Management as well as Project Management to enhance Project Success

• Project Management vs Change Management - the debate continues!

• Alignment of Project Management and Organisational Change Management (PhD Research)

• Leeman and Greens Change Management Unplugged - PM vs CM

• Project Managers also acting as Change Managers (Survey)

• PM and CM Perspectives