Critical Behavioral Competencies for IT Project Managers

2012 ◽  
pp. 165-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Taylor ◽  
Jill Palzkill Woelfer
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
It Project ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
And Training ◽  
Critical Situations ◽  
Behavioral Competencies

What behavioral competencies do experienced IT project managers apply when facing critical situations in their projects, and how have they developed those competencies? In this paper, the authors answer these questions. The authors interviewed 23 experienced IT project managers from 11 organizations, focusing on critical situations that they now managed differently from their earlier, novice, practices, and on how they had learned to develop these different approaches. The authors discuss a variety of management development and training interventions. They use a thematic analysis to identify the key competencies being applied and learning methods experienced by this set of managers. Results suggest that IT project managers are drawing on a different set of competencies from those required for project management in other industries. Additionally, this paper reveals the importance of informal learning channels, often involving project experiences, for the development of IT project management competencies.

Critical Behavioral Competencies for IT Project Managers

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazel Taylor ◽  
Jill Palzkill Woelfer
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
It Project ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
And Training ◽  
Critical Situations ◽  
Behavioral Competencies

What behavioral competencies do experienced IT project managers apply when facing critical situations in their projects, and how have they developed those competencies? In this paper, the authors answer these questions. The authors interviewed 23 experienced IT project managers from 11 organizations, focusing on critical situations that they now managed differently from their earlier, novice, practices, and on how they had learned to develop these different approaches. The authors discuss a variety of management development and training interventions. They use a thematic analysis to identify the key competencies being applied and learning methods experienced by this set of managers. Results suggest that IT project managers are drawing on a different set of competencies from those required for project management in other industries. Additionally, this paper reveals the importance of informal learning channels, often involving project experiences, for the development of IT project management competencies.

The Progression Towards Project Management Competence

2011 ◽  
pp. 37-57
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Skulmoski ◽  
Francis T. Hartman
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Job Roles ◽  
It Project ◽  
Key Competencies ◽  
Job Role

The purpose of this research was to investigate the soft competencies by project phase that IT project managers, hybrid and technical team members require for project success. The authors conducted qualitative interviews to collect data from a sample of 22 IT project managers and business leaders located in Calgary, Canada. They identified the key competencies for the three types of job roles. The research participants offered their opinions of what are the most important competencies from the following competence categories: Personal Attributes (e.g. eye for details), Communication (e.g. effective questioning), Leadership (e.g. create an effective project environment), Negotiations (e.g. consensus building), Professionalism (e.g. life long learning), Social Skills (e.g. charisma) and Project Management Competencies (e.g. manage expectations). The authors discuss the progression of competence through these job roles. They identified and discuss the interplay between a change in job role and the required competencies necessary for IT project success from a neuro-science perspective.

Educating Project Managers to Deal With Project Risks

2018 ◽  
pp. 1606-1632
Author(s):  
Radu-Ioan Mogos ◽  
Constanta-Nicoleta Bodea ◽  
Stelian Stancu ◽  
Augustin Purnus ◽  
Maria-Iuliana Dascalu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Risk Management ◽  
Curriculum Management ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Project Risk ◽  
Project Risks ◽  
And Training

During the last years, the development of the project risk management competencies became a ubiquitous objective for education and training in project management due to the increasing constraints which companies face on the implementation of their projects. Alignment to the professional standards and usage of innovative methods in designing and delivery of instruction represent common requirements that education and training providers should consider and fulfill. The authors examine the main challenges in addressing project risk management subject in the education programmes and identify how these challenges could be dealt by using curriculum management systems. In order to implement the identified improvements, the authors propose an innovative architecture for a curriculum management system, which can be adopted by those universities interested in developing competencies-based programmes in project management. Some preliminary results are presented and discussed.

scholarly journals Using a Case Method Approach in an IT Project Management Curriculum: A Long Look over the Shoulder of a Practitioner at Work

10.28945/2655 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Jewels ◽  
Christine Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Case Method ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
It Project ◽  
Management Curriculum ◽  
Role Demands ◽  
Method Approach

Modern IT project managers require a range of multi-disciplinary skill-sets in order to increase the likelihood of project success. Delivery of a single course unit, which attempts to prepare students for the rigours demanded from this role, demands a delicate blend of topics from curricula administrators and a pedagogy that best suits its environmental constraints. The Faculty of Information Technology of one university is using an integrated case method approach in an attempt to link theoretical constructs of IT project management (ITPM) with a real-world, practical implementation example. An analysis of student post-unit feedback indicates a variation in understanding of what had been learnt, providing an opportunity to advance the teaching model.

scholarly journals Shared Leadership In IT Project Management: A Practice Survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 223
Author(s):  
Chet Stagnaro ◽  
Chris Piotrowski
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Actual Usage ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
It Project ◽  
Industry Certification ◽  
Managerial Level

In the management field today, shared leadership (SL) is considered a form of distributed leadership, conceptualized largely as working or functioning within a team framework. Yet, there seems to be sparse research on the application of shared leadership principles in the IT field, particularly project management practices. To address this void in the literature, the current study was designed to determine the actual usage and assess the views of managerial-level practitioners toward SL. To that end, a 12-item Likert-type instrument was developed that reflected attitudes, intent, and actual usage. An E-mail response form was forwarded to a target sample of 250 IT project managers in the U.S. Of these, 102 responded with completed survey data. The independent variables in this study were gender, years in IT practice, and industry certification. These project managers expressed overwhelmingly positive attitudes and confirmed wide usage of SL in work-based projects. No significant differences, based on gender, years of experience, and certification were noted. Overall, these findings support the efficacy of the SL model and team-based leadership styles.

scholarly journals Core competencies required of project managers

2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Birkhead ◽  
Margaret Sutherland ◽  
Tudor Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Project Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
And Training

Project management is internationally recognised as a management tool that is critical for success in the current work environment. In South Africa, initiatives are under way to produce internationally acceptable education and certification standards for the profession. The aim of this study is to identify the competencies and training needs required of project managers operating in South Africa's unique context. A questionnaire based on both previous international studies and personal interviews was administered by e-mail to members of the Project Management Institute of South Africa. Data was received from 128 respondents operating primarily in information technology, construction and engineering fields across the country. The results of the survey establish a rank ordered list of the competencies and training needs of South African project managers, and confirm that project management competencies are generic in nature. The findings are unique to South Africa, and proffer a set of core competencies which has important implications for the certification and training of South African project managers.

Educating Project Managers to Deal with Project Risks

2016 ◽  
pp. 231-257
Author(s):  
Radu-Ioan Mogos ◽  
Constanta-Nicoleta Bodea ◽  
Stelian Stancu ◽  
Augustin Purnus ◽  
Maria-Iuliana Dascalu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Risk Management ◽  
Curriculum Management ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Project Risk ◽  
Project Risks ◽  
And Training

During the last years, the development of the project risk management competencies became a ubiquitous objective for education and training in project management due to the increasing constraints which companies face on the implementation of their projects. Alignment to the professional standards and usage of innovative methods in designing and delivery of instruction represent common requirements that education and training providers should consider and fulfill. The authors examine the main challenges in addressing project risk management subject in the education programmes and identify how these challenges could be dealt by using curriculum management systems. In order to implement the identified improvements, the authors propose an innovative architecture for a curriculum management system, which can be adopted by those universities interested in developing competencies-based programmes in project management. Some preliminary results are presented and discussed.

IT project management capabilities enhancement impacts of contingent employment policy in Hong Kong organisations

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chui-Ha Ng ◽  
Derek H.T. Walker ◽  
Ginger Levin
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Contingent Workers ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Doctoral Thesis ◽  
Contingent Employment ◽  
It Project ◽  
The Way

Purpose – This paper aims to present a summary of findings of a doctoral thesis on the impacts of contingent employment on IT project management (PM) practices in three large representative Hong Kong organisations. It also presents the candidate's experience of the doctoral process in successfully completing the thesis as a mature and experience PM practitioner. Design/methodology/approach – This is a thesis research note reporting on the thesis that was undertaken as a series of case studies and includes reflections on the doctoral experience by the candidate and one of the two supervisors. Findings – The doctoral research findings are summarised and the URL link to the thesis is provided http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/view/rmit:160254. Important findings about the way that the case study organisations managed the attraction, retention and career development of contingent workers are summarised. The nature of the doctoral journey is presented as findings through reflection. Practical implications – The thesis addresses a poorly researched area, contingent employment and the relationship between project managers and the organisations that hire them. The way that contingent workers develop their skills and how they may effectively engage in knowledge transfer is vital to organisational learning. Originality/value – The paper places its discussion in a Hong Kong context. There are few if any such studies in the PM literature in this region and consideration of HR issues for project managers are also an emerging area of research. The doctoral thesis reported upon and the link to it as provided allows readers access to a highly current source of literature and empirical work.

Excellence in IT Project Management

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-84
Author(s):  
Michael Elliott ◽  
Ray Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Career Paths ◽  
Step Change ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
Technology Learning ◽  
Agile Methodology ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
It Project ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
Silver Bullet

With almost thirty years since the start of our quest to find Fred Brooks' magical “Silver Bullet” to slay our productivity horrors, and twenty years since the first Standish report on IT project success and failures, are we getting closer? This paper discusses and challenges current thinking on process improvement initiates to provide answers of how we can significantly improve IT project productivity and consider that to achieve a step change in improvement requires a different approach. Recent Standish research has highlighted the Agile Methodology as being particularly successful for the smaller IT project. However, what specifically is creating this improvement? Is it the process itself or is there something that the process enables? The hypothesis presented is that in order to create the step change improvement in IT project management delivery, we need to significantly improve the inter-personal skills of the whole IT project management team. The revolution for improved productivity will stem from challenging the typical career paths of technology learning to provide a much greater focus on the softer skills.

Global IT Project Management: An Agile Planning Assistance

2020 ◽  
pp. 575-582
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ghaouth Belkasmi ◽  
Zineb Bougroun ◽  
Ilhame El Farissi ◽  
Mohamed Emharraf ◽  
Saida Belouali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
It Project Management ◽  
It Project
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