Learning and using complementary methods in project management

Prof. Ian Clarkson, ChPP FAPM, Senior Director - PRINCE2, PeopleCert

Let me start by saying this: when it comes to project management, there are plenty of certifications to go round.

It often surprises people that I would say this as an advocate of PRINCE2 Project Management. However, with over 25 years of experience in project management, I am a big believer in using the right tools for the job. It’s not as simple as saying one approach is better than another.

Instead, I would argue that organizations need highly skilled people with a broad and deep understanding of project management knowledge to draw upon, and who are proficient at adopting and applying it to all change initiatives, no matter how big or small.

That’s a crucial point in the “complementary methods” debate. Change is constant and ubiquitous. Everyone is undergoing change in their workplace, be it a new automation, the introduction of processes, setting up new supplier relationships, improving a customer service model, building a banking app - they all represent change.

This is the lens through which I look at all of this. If you ask an organization “are you doing projects or programmes?”, they may not always recognize their activities as such. But ask if they are implementing change, and the answer will always be “yes!”.

Some changes are more significant than others and will need more planning, more people, more money, etc. Nonetheless, they all need to be recognized as change and require management to get to the desired outcome.

Certifications keep you relevant

Taking project management certification exams to earn certifications should be a necessity for project management professionals as a way to demonstrate their proficiency. After all, you would always expect a pilot to have a licence, just as you’d expect a surgeon to be qualified.

These aren’t jobs anyone can just walk into, and the professionals involved commit to lifelong learning to keep up to date with the latest technology, or medical research, and remain effective at what they do. They are taking accountability for their personal development and are employed on this premise. So why not project professionals?

The challenges that project professionals face today, as highlighted in a previous article, include the need for effective project sponsorship, more consistent use of best practice methods, clarity about business cases, the growth of AI, and the need for better literacy across all change disciplines. Therefore, I’d expect project professionals to stay up to date with the latest best practice and thinking, and to invest in continuous learning for a mix of approaches. The certifications are written by professionals for professionals, with decades of experience embedded at the heart of the syllabus. You will always learn something new, helping you keep your skills relevant and develop your career.

Take a holistic view of learning and certification

It’s useful to take a step back when considering which project management method or body of knowledge to pursue, both for companies looking to adopt a standard approach and individuals wanting to boost their career prospects.

I like to refer to the IKEA analogy when looking at complementary methods. To successfully build a BILLY bookcase, you’ll need the step-by-step instructions and some tools, probably an Allen key and potentially a hammer. It’s not a choice - you need both a manual and the tools.

PRINCE2 Project Management therefore represents an excellent step-by-step guide for companies that want to standardize their project management approach. It provides the principles, processes, practices and templates to follow, with room to tailor them to each project or organization. A skilled practitioner will know when to adapt and call upon other tools, like those bodies of knowledge available from the Association of Project Management (APM) or the Project Management Institute (PMI). It’s my view that these are essential to have in the toolkit where there’s already an established lifecycle process.

Returning to the BILLY bookcase analogy, if all you had was the manual (PRINCE2 Project Management) then you would know what you need to do and how to do it. But there would be a point when you would benefit from access to more tools (APM/PMI). For instance, how do you nail the backboard on the bookcase with only an Allen key? You need a hammer.

Conversely, if all you had was a “toolbox” (APM/PMI) then you would have what you need for the job, but no “manual” (PRINCE2 Project Management) to guide you through the steps.

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there, thinking we know better than to use the instructions when trying to put the flatpack together. I’d wager that, on those occasions, it didn’t go as planned, making the point that to be efficient and effective you need both.

Back to my original point, there’s clearly room for all. Projects need management, where the manual and tools are selected to efficiently deliver the right outcomes and benefits. Equally, professionals working across different industries, regions and projects may select one or several approaches to managing change.

It’s more important than ever to build the knowledge bank

It’s critical that the collective knowledge in an organization stays current. To my mind, there is always room to validate knowledge and check that best practice still prevails. It’s how individuals stay credible, projects get delivered on time, within budget and to scope, and it’s how we future-proof the profession.

It couldn’t be a more important time to broaden the methods you understand, check your competency and ensure your skills keep you accountable for delivering successful projects.

And that’s the crux of the matter for me: personal accountability. We all have a responsibility to deliver projects efficiently and effectively, and to do this we have to remain current and relevant.

According to The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority, some £718 billion of private and public sector investment will be made in projects over the next decade, with a workforce of between 629,000 and 706,000 needed to deliver them over the next five years. Project professionals are key to successful delivery.

So, it’s clear that change - and the need to manage it effectively - isn’t going away. If ever there was a time to take a complementary view, it’s now.