8 minute read
Project Managers As Change Agents In Government Agencies
SPRING 2021 | PM magazine 7
PROJECT MANAGERS AS CHANGE AGENTS IN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
In a traditional environment, Frank Lance a feasibility study can begin as a pre-project program or President & CEO a project within itself before Parks and People creating a business case and assigning a project manager. Foundation Today’s cultural, political, and global climate demands that our government reconsider such programs as projects and their impacts as returns. An important part of this process is requisitioning the roles of project managers (PM) from being one of constraint managers to influencers also better known as change agents. Frank Lance is a former information technology executive at Compuware and Data Computer Corporation of America who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Parks and People Foundation. Our discussion interview provides a living example of how traditional government project managers can evolve to hybrid methodologies while simultaneously having a fulfilling impact.
Q: What was your most recent position before coming to Parks & People?
A: My most recent and current position is leading a church. I left corporate America 2004 to be able to make the change and have the impacts that I knew I would be able to make. I did a needs assessment to find what the community needed which included financial literacy, workforce development and health care. I brought all of my years of project management into running a church that soon advanced to community activities such as board service. I serve on the boards of Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and Associated Black Charities. Many project managers do not recognize this as a major opportunity because they go without salaries but these are the types of projects that attract my talent the most. Parks and People recognized it and asked me to be their CEO.
Q: When the project manager becomes a change agent, the priority then shifts to its greatest stakeholders being the people whose needs you came to meet or intend to serve just as much as those with financial investments. Do you ever have an internal struggle or battle between which side gets prioritized or have you found the balance?
A: Years ago, I was taught to manage the constraints (time, resources, cost, and scope) but the “why” was never included. We had company mission statements but none centered around a “why” or intrinsic purpose; they were always business problems. PM’s as change agents ask, “What solutions are we going to provide to community issues?” and “What increase or performance would we like to see to consider this project done?” This reason why is the biggest segway to stakeholder identification, involvement, and communication on any project (Mulcahy, and Cakenord, 2021). For example, we have a program called Super Kids. Super Kids’ focus is to mitigate the loss of reading literacy that comes with summer slope (a period of time where students are not receiving formal academic instruction and may lose competency in a given skillset). The research shows huge gaps in reading, retention and comprehension. I can tell you the problem, the research behind it, the intended plan or method we have selected to mitigate it, with the use of dibels scoring to track our progress. I have 97% rates of students maintaining or increasing their reading literacy. I can give you the people problem, the approach, the impact, and the key performance indicators (KPI’s) year after year (Mulcahy, and Cakenord, 2021) which are always quantitative and qualitative. As a change agent, you have to have a why because the why is what creates the work. Children being able to read directly impacts the future of our communities, their abilities to go on to higher education, and enter the workforce.
Q: In corporate, with government contracts, were you allowed the flexibility to implement newer methodologies?
A: Verizon specifically was very structured as to how we moved forward. At the time I was grateful in learning KPIs, however, the place where I was able to put theory into practice was Data Computer Corporation of America. We built government applications, and there I was able to have my project managers become certified and adapt to different ways of being PM’s outside of systems. Other companies were much more stringent so they refused to break the mold, however, it began to suppress who I was and an innovative project manager who valued people especially the people representing the communities external to the organization.
Q: I noticed there were two shifts happening in your career, one after another. You left corporate to run a church (501c3) fulltime, but then you became the CEO of Parks & People Foundation, although it is a high level non-profit organization, and still has relationships with corporate government entities. Why was this, what actually happened?
A: In a time where resumes and certifications often speak to the experience of the professional, I found that simply being a child of the church gave me the instant credibility necessary to make the change not just conceptually, theoretically, but also strategically in maneuvering processes. Corporate America was great but I was actually empty. I no longer wanted to do it. I was generating profits for the organization as I watched communities suffer. My salary was great, I traveled, had major government contracts but found the delayed ability to meet the needs I was able to identify unfulfilling. I had a brother who was opioid addicted which was also reflected in the community. There was violent crime and skyrocketing HIV rates. All issues the government mentioned to be personal and removed from our actual missions. This challenged me to walk away from my cushiony, comfort zone, to actually use my training and skills beyond the role as a traditional pastor, but as an innate PM who assumed the position of a Pastor. Parks & People needed someone with project management skills who just so happened to be African American, as the majority of their clients are 98% Black, but none of the senior management reflected that. This even opened my eyes to see that the type of project manager I was morphing into, a project manager as a change agent which was in high demand.
Q: As a change agent, with strong, passionate, mission led projects, do you still focus only on the reason why? Are there methodologies you use and if so are they the same you learned in your former government life?
A: No, I try to refrain from using one strict (antiquated) model at all. We need to be much more flexible than ever before. Parks & People is 36 years old and we are not a founder led organization anymore. We are not an organization that does not have competition, we are an organization that needs to diversify our revenue, and be sure we do not have mission (scope) creep. For me, it is not a matter of picking methods but being prepared to stray from a 5-10 year strategic plan at any given moment because things change. Consider the pandemic that we are in now. What government PM has the leverage to do instantaneous strategic planning that organizes how to look at consumers directly in the eye to perform pathways for providing community outreach from home? I challenge us to think outside the box and be data driven. Not only did we need to have a shift in our thinking, but we also needed some structure to stabilize it and be able to see the fruit of our efforts. We were so anecdotal but I needed to see the research that shows us the impact that we are having so that our answers are quantitative. I believe this is where I become much more agile than waterfall. I needed to be able to make immediate changes and keep going. Not being perfect but producing the minimum viable product and perfecting our processes later.
Q: What advice would you give the traditional government project manager struggling to evolve as a change agent? What advice would you give the project manager with more change agent experience who needs formal corporate/government training?
A: Professional development must be an aspect to both the manager and the team. Management should prepare the team to assume their positions and the individual should be willing to grow to maintain their competence. Not knowing scrum from waterfall in the 21st century will cause some to be left behind and forced to retire themselves. If the person isn’t willing, they should be prepared to update their professional profiles to showcase something else. To the PM with more experience than training, it is always great to broaden your horizon and risk being bad at something new. Challenge yourself to acquire contracts that are out of your comfort zone. Doors open when you are able to use a vernacular that people want to hear such as KPI’s, work breakdown structures, or gantt charts. Even if you don’t ascribe to it, it’s a part of stakeholder engagement and being able to announce your credibility without formally saying, “I can do this...” It not only makes the potential client respect the individual more, but it raises the credibility of your company. People and other organizations are forced to conduct business and speak with the individual at a higher level. This is what will separate you and prevent the individual from perceiving you as a novice.
Reference:
Mulcahy, R., & Cakenord, B. A. (2021). Pmp Exam Prep: Accelerated Learning To Pass The Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam. (pp. 320-469). RMC Publications.
