Soft skills - the key to [project] success
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The document discusses the critical role of soft skills in successful project management, highlighting that many project managers find themselves in the field inadvertently. It reveals that despite numerous certifications, project success rates have not significantly improved, with many projects failing to meet expectations. The author advocates for enhancing emotional intelligence, leadership, teamwork, and communication skills among project managers to improve outcomes.
![Project Success Rates have not improved
“There was no difference in project success rates
between PMP certified project managers and
uncertified project managers”
(Starkweather and Stevenson, 2011)
“…there is no difference between uncertified and
certified project managers …”
(Cantania et al., 2013)
“PMP presence has no influence on IT project
performance …
more projects are failures or challenged when
[PRINCE2] certification is present”.
(Joseph and Marnewick 2018)
Projects Success: On-time On-budget
Standish
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2009
Successful Challenged Failed](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/softskills-200623194646/85/Soft-skills-the-key-to-project-success-5-320.jpg)
Soft skills - the key to [project] success
- 1. Soft Skills: the key to project success Raymond Young (MBA, PhD, FAIPM, FGIA)
- 2. An accidental profession • Most people working as project managers today didn’t set out with project management as their career path. (Pinto & Kharbanda, 1995; Mullaly, 2003; Savelsbergh et al, 2016). • J. Gordon Davis, one of the founding members of the Project Management Institute (PMI), labelled the typical career trajectory of project managers as ‘The Accidental Profession’ (Davis 1971). • Nearly fifty years later project management remains an ‘accidental profession’ (Richardson et al, 2015).
- 3. Project management training Organisation OGC PMI IPMA # Members n/a 527,185 >215,000 Main certification PRINCE2 PMP IPMA ICB # Certified >1.2m >712,000 ? Main regions of influence UK, Europe, Australia. Americas, Asia, Middle East & Africa, Europe, Oceania UK, Europe, Oceania, … China 250,000
- 4. Low Project Success Rates • 2/3 of IT projects deliver no benefits whatsoever • ¾ of mergers and acquisitions never pay off • most large capital projects fail to live up to expectations • majority of efforts to enter new markets are abandoned in a few years • 70% of new manufacturing plants are closed in their first decade • Source: Lovallo, D., & Kahneman, D. (2003). Delusions of success: how optimism undermines executive’s decisions. Harvard Business Review, 81(7).
- 5. Project Success Rates have not improved “There was no difference in project success rates between PMP certified project managers and uncertified project managers” (Starkweather and Stevenson, 2011) “…there is no difference between uncertified and certified project managers …” (Cantania et al., 2013) “PMP presence has no influence on IT project performance … more projects are failures or challenged when [PRINCE2] certification is present”. (Joseph and Marnewick 2018) Projects Success: On-time On-budget Standish 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2009 Successful Challenged Failed
- 6. PM success vs. Project success 4 65 1 Initiation 2 Planning 3 Development 4 Implementation 5 Benefit 6 Closedown 1 2 3 Scope of project success Scope of project management success
- 7. ICB4 Rethinking Project Management EducationMorris, P. W. G. (2001). Updating the Project Management Bodies of Knowledge. In Project Management Journal. PMBOK PRINCE2 http://products.ipma.world/ipma-product/icb/ Soft-skills 1. Emotional Intelligence 2. Leadership 3. Teamwork 4. Communication 5. Relations & Engagement
- 8. New tools - AIPM
- 9. New Tools (2) – PM-CAT
- 10. Below average respondents 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 756887373@qq.com Cohort Average 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 11293766@qq.com Cohort Average
- 11. Average respondents 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 1810203020@qq.com Cohort Average 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 466580074@qq.com Cohort Average
- 12. Above average respondents 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 14981385@qq.com Cohort Average 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 Emotional Intelligence: Personal Communication: Leadership Teamwork Relations and Engagement: Strategy: Partners & Partnership: VUCA ManagementPolitics & Culture: Change and Change Management: Project Initiation: Project Planning Project Execution: Project Transition: Organisational Project Management (OPM): 466580074@qq.com Cohort Average
- 13. Thank You! Would you like to participate in further research to teach soft skills and lift project mgt competence?
Editor's Notes
- #8: PEOPLE Promoting sustainability means focusing on the endurance of solutions even when engaged in time-limited tasks. Sustainability is not only about social equity, environment protection or economic results. It is the consideration of the long-term outcomes and effects of behavior. The individual has the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind and act accordingly PERSPECTIVE The individual should use this competence to demonstrate how all parts and layers of the management system might be improved. By increasing the project, program or project portfolio management competence, the organization increases its ability to choose and perform successful projects, programmes and portfolios and thus achieve the sustainability of the organization PRACTICE The individual is able to assess the impact of the (Portfolio, Program, or Project) on the environment and society. Realizing his or her responsibility, the individual researches, recommends and applies measures to limit or compensate negative consequences. The individual follows (or even exceeds) guidelines and rules on sustainable development coming from within the organization and from the wider society, and is able to realize a workable balance between the demands of society, impacts to the eco-environment and the economy. The individual understands that sustainability aspects, measures and attitudes often vary in different countries and cultures