On the occasion of Independence Day, Manage India looks at the new work ecosystem and what organizations expect from project managers in a post-COVID world

Project managers have traditionally been agents of change, enabling an organization to translate its purpose into something tangible. A successful project manager is one who can juggle different roles and bring everyone on board to deliver a desirable outcome. Since these roles have a direct impact on value creation for an organization, the professionals who occupy them must have a wide mix of skills.

In recent years with the changing business environment and the emergence of digital technologies, the demands on project managers have grown. To adapt to the new work environment, they need to develop agility and flexibility, and be technology-savvy. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak, the importance of these capabilities has accelerated.

Governments across the world have rolled out skill enhancement programs to bring their workforces in line with the skills that are growing in demand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently reiterated his government’s commitment to ‘skill, reskill, and upskill’ Indians and prepare them for a post-COVID world.

Project management skills will get a boost as businesses launch multiple projects to transform themselves for the new normal. In July, Google announced that it was offering scholarships for three new online courses – project management, data analytics, and user experience design. The 3-6 month long courses will be taught by Google employees.

To seize opportunities in the post COVID-19 Project Economy, project managers will need to improve their Project Management Technology Quotient (PMTQ) and realign their capabilities to PMI’s Talent Triangle. The Talent Triangle recommends a balance of technical, strategic and business management, and leadership skills.

The New Work Ecosystem
Until recently, workplace cultural barriers were some of the biggest hurdles that organizations had faced in driving digital transformation. Now there is no shying away from digital technologies – whether it is for communication, collaboration, managing teams, or monitoring the progress of projects. COVID-19 has brought even the most reluctant project manager into the digital fold.

In a recent article that appeared in Business Reporter, Sunil Prashara, CEO and president, PMI, says, “Disruptive technologies can enable businesses to leapfrog competitors. But these technologies are only as smart as the people behind them. While project professionals must embrace how artificial intelligence and game-changing tools can empower them for the future, they must also have the training, processes, and talent to get the job done right.”

Naval Gupta, PMP, CSM, ITIL, corporate director, cyber lawyer, executive coach, agrees. “Future project managers must be domain, functional, and digital transformation experts, with a command over multiple project management practices. Additionally, they must develop strategic thinking, problem solving, financial acumen, and entrepreneurial skills,” he says.

Mr. Gupta’s company is investing in upskilling since in the present circumstances it is synonymous to “survival of the fittest.” He adds, “The past assumptions are invalid and the future is uncertain. We need to continue to upskill, at all levels, to stay relevant. Credentials and certifications establish knowledge baseline and ensure a common communication and operating environment.”

Organizations also expect their project managers to find agile ways of working and deliver high value to their customers. R. K. Shenoy, senior vice president, engineering – mobility, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Ltd., Bengaluru, says, “We look for program managers who are capable of delivering innovative solutions in an agile way, involving multi-cultural, cross-functional teams at a global scale. The key differentiators for a project manager are capabilities around risk management, managing fixed price projects, and end-to-end responsibility from ideation to industrialization of a complete solution covering system, hardware, software, and mechanics.”

These requirements stem from the fact that successful project delivery today means working on highly complex software systems, geographically distributed teams, and shorter timelines.

Jacob Peter, the company’s project management promoter and senior vice president, engineering – mobility, adds, “Most of our projects are around product and software engineering. Besides the ability to handle multi-functional aspects of a project, practitioners need to focus on stakeholder management. It includes managing teams that span across geographies.”

Tamizholi Rashya Uloli, PMP, senior project manager who works in a leading technology company, says upskilling has become critical since organizations are looking for leaders who have kept pace with disruptive technologies so that they can help the organization drive new business.

He recommends that project managers use PMI’s Talent Triangle to assess their own skillsets and identify gaps before deciding on a course or certification. Among the skills to consider, he says, “Think of know-how skills and reusability under technical project management, communication and cross-cultural skills under leadership, and lean concept for cost reduction and innovation to create greater value for your organization under strategic business management.”

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions recognizes the value that the Project Management Practitioner (PMP)® certification offers. “We have made PMP certification a key criterion in our project management competency roadmap. We see PMI certifications as a means to align our project managers to PMI’s A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)®,” Mr. Peter explains.

Project managers can also consider PMI’s Disciplined Agile (DA) toolkit, a hybrid approach that fits the new ways of working. It provides options to project teams that are struggling to collaborate remotely or project leaders who are looking for ways to coordinate activities at a global scale. With the DA toolkit, agile teams can now choose an agile technique or lean practice that applies to their unique way of working. It provides a template to teams who are looking for solutions to questions such as to what extent should they perform a technique or how do certain techniques fit together.

With the DA toolkit, project teams can now experiment with techniques, frameworks, and methods so as to respond quickly to change, promote collaboration and innovation in the team, manage complexity, and reduce time-to-market.

PMI’s Free Resource Hub
To help practitioners upskill themselves and prepare for a post-COVID world, PMI has made several online resources available free of cost. These short, complimentary courses and virtual events have been designed to suit the needs of project managers in the new work ecosystem.

If you are struggling to collaborate with your team remotely or want to understand how to manage risks, consider learning how to ensure business continuity while working remotely. If you want to pick up some change management techniques, there is a fun, online course in the resource hub by which you can learn how to strategically plan for change. For the first time, PMI has made the foundational course for project management for beginners free. It will help professionals who want to step into this profession and understand the basics before starting on a project.

Some of the other online resources available in Resource Hub are the Projectified! Podcast that hosts professionals from different fields, Tower Game, a fun exercise for students that is designed by PMI Educational Foundation, and SeminarsWorld ®, an interactive, instructor-led learning experience.

There are around 300 online courses in 13 languages on project and program management of different levels that anyone can take to improve their knowledge of the subject.

Practitioners now have access to a wealth of resources at their disposal to enhance their skills, and in turn, increase the value that they bring to their roles. Adding new skills to the portfolio also demonstrates one’s commitment to the profession and willingness to adapt and learn. In the Project Economy, where outcomes will matter the most, organizations will look for talent that is aligned to the new realities and deliver real value. Are you going to be that talent?

Sunil Prashara, CEO and president, PMI: “Disruptive technologies can enable businesses to leapfrog competitors. But these technologies are only as smart as the people behind them. While project professionals must embrace how artificial intelligence and game-changing tools can empower them for the future, they must also have the training, processes, and talent to get the job done right.”

Naval Gupta, PMP, CSM, ITIL, corporate director, cyber lawyer, executive coach: “Future project managers must be domain, functional, and digital transformation experts, with a command over multiple project management practices.”

Jacob Peter, project management promoter and senior vice president, engineering – mobility, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Ltd.: “We have made PMP certification a key criterion in our project management competency roadmap. We see PMI certifications as a means to align our project managers to PMI’s A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)®.”

Tamizholi Rashya Uloli, PMP, senior project manager in a leading technology company: “Think of know-how skills and reusability under technical project management, communication and cross-cultural skills under leadership, and lean concept for cost reduction and innovation to create greater value for your organization under strategic business management.”

R. K. Shenoy, senior vice president, engineering – mobility, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Ltd.: “We look for program managers who are capable of delivering innovative solutions in an agile way, involving multi-cultural, cross-functional teams at a global scale.”