Good Government Project Management: What is the impact?

GOOD GOVERNMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT: WHAT IS THE IMPACT?

In a 2002 Project Management Institute publication, Rigby Britanni C. Harris CSM, PMP mentions“Good government project management means that work cannot necessarily Operations Strategist be done better by commercial entities.” (Pyne, L. S. & Rigby, Pitched & Partnerships Development B. 2002). However, almost 20 years later we cannot be sure this statement holds true. To test its validity, it is wise to first consider the question, “What is good project management in the 21st century?” before addressing its governmental impact. A historical misconception is that project management is a magic pill and that after an individual passes the Project Tamara McLemore, PMP Management Professional (PMP) certification and becomes PMP certified, each Founder & CEO project the project manager Tamara McLemore (PM) encounters mystically falls in line. However, the Enterprises truth is, after a prospective PM endures close to 4 hours of 180 grueling situational PMP exam questions, and learns to apply these methodologies as taught, returning to business as usual becomes the norm of falling short. Here, project management is seen as a robot that can produce the same outcome time and time again. Not only is this unrealistic, but it can potentially become the root cause preventing an organization from evolving. At any given moment a project may call for a shift in function that will eventually align with governmental policies, procedures, and strategic goals. This is the magic that comes with inputs transitioning to outputs,

“ Externally, the role of government is to manage people, cultures, trade, and international affairs.”

it is also the basis for good government project management (Mulcahy and Cakenord, 2020). Good project management today means possessing the ability to weave in project management tools, methodologies, and techniques into an organization’s operations. It is to have the wisdom and flexibility to implement hybrid tools as project situations require. These operations are not only essential to have a “well oiled machine” but also to produce high quality deliverables, and when we mention deliverables in government, this now includes impact. Government PMs are now tasked with bridging the gap of connecting operations to causes. The new demand for good government project management is the PM’s ability and given the authority to increase their capacity to uphold values of stakeholders both internally and externally. Internally, this impact comes with the millions of dollars that government agencies can save per engagement and be able to funnel those dollars to other initiatives. For example, if an agency designs a public interfacing portal and two to three years are spent implementing the project only to discover that the main characteristics needed do not integrate with another system, then there is no provided value. Perhaps a rigorous requirements gathering session or agile release would have caught this major mishap very early in the project. The scope could have pivoted or the project cancelled instead of implementing without the best value to the public.

“Government PMs are now tasked with bridging the gap of connecting operations to causes. ”

Externally, the role of government is to manage people, cultures, trade, and international affairs. It has to consider these globalization dynamics and create a standard on how to use project management tools as the best ways to manage and maneuver them. Procurement is not only considered a way of obtaining the best resources ethically and affordably, but now a way to maintain international trade, involvement, and engagement. It is as simple as literally asking the “make or buy?” question with requirements that satisfy or improve industry standards and government regulations. (Mulcahy and Cakenord, 2020). It is also a way of weighing the opportunity costs of producing goods and services locally versus internationally. PMs being involved conceptually and strategically are able to see current government issues such as workforce development unions and educational institutions ability to create pathways and opportunities that reflect where globalization is headed considering life after the pandemic. Various mitigation strategies could be implemented when PMs are then seen as subject matter experts as well. Good government project management is not merely about reducing contracting. The government today thrives on contracted work, but it can create boundaries and protocol to exactly what type of work should be contracted. Project management the government is also about leadership in government positioning their PMs to not just be robots with“magic” tools, but thinking individuals with concepts as well as frameworks to implement them producing alternative impacts if provided the flexibility.

Reference:

Mulcahy, R., & Cakenord, B. A. (2021). PMP Exam Prep: Accelerated Learning to Pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam. (pgs. 30 & 417). RMC Publications.