The value of projectification in effective leadership

APM Chief Executive Professor Adam Boddison discusses change at the top.

Forty years ago, it could be argued that leadership was primarily about delivering BAU (business‑as‑usual) with relatively limited expectations in relation to organisational change and development. In the present day, the prioritisation of the past is arguably reversed, with almost every leader focused on delivering change effectively. Some leaders describe this situation by saying: ‘Change is the only constant.’

The effective delivery of change with a focus on benefits realisation is what project management is all about. In practical terms, this means that leaders who understand the principles of project management are well equipped to deliver change.

Despite this, the reality is that project management does not yet have an equivalent status to other professions that support effective leadership, such as finance, HR and marketing. For example, the standard model for core content in MBA programmes is still primarily about finance, HR and marketing, with project management typically featuring as an optional component, if at all. More recently, some progressive MBA programmes have started to include project management as a fourth pillar of effective leadership, but this is not yet the typical approach.

To be clear, it is not necessary for leaders to be qualified project professionals, much like they do not need to be qualified accountants, marketers or HR professionals. But developing a thorough understanding of the principles of effective project management does make a contribution to effective leadership.

The project profession is at a T‑junction. Down one road it becomes a strategic profession like finance, marketing and HR. Down the other road it becomes an operational profession like IT, health and safety and legal. Both routes make a contribution to leadership, but project management can be much more impactful as a leadership profession that directly drives strategic decision‑making.

The projectification of leadership is already occurring. In executive teams, the CPO (Chief Project Officer, or equivalents such as Chief Transformation Officer) is an emerging role. This can create conflict with more traditional roles, such as the COO (Chief Operating Officer), because if change is the only constant, should this be the remit of the CPO or the COO? This is an indication that there is a broader transition occurring in response to the projectification of leadership roles.

An added benefit of leaders having an understanding of effective project management as standard is that they are better equipped to recruit high‑quality project professionals within their workforce. Currently, too few leaders know what to look for when recruiting a project professional. Some look for dated qualifications rather than competence, while others cannot distinguish between an effective project professional and somebody who happens to have the title of ‘project manager’.

An essential requirement in providing both effective project professionals and the leaders of the future is a strong talent pipeline. APM has a central role to play in the development of project talent, not least through ChPP (Chartered Project Professional), its corporate partnership programme and its membership community. Together, these APM strands can combine project capability with corporate leadership through a community of practice to deliver meaningful projectification across the public, private and third sectors.

APM is already recognising emerging talent such as Bel French, who made history by becoming the youngest Chartered Project Professional at age 22. This is important because ChPP is on track to become the recognised standard of competence within the project profession, and Bel has demonstrated how this inclusive standard has wide applicability. So what are the next steps if the value of projectification in effective leadership is to be realised?

1. Organisational leaders should identify emerging talent within their community of project professionals. In addition to offering project management qualifications, leaders should nurture this talent through establishing ChPP as the expected standard. Both external recruitment processes and internal promotion processes should prioritise candidates with ChPP.
2. Aspiring leaders should seek to develop a projectification approach into their role to maximise their effectiveness in delivering change. When looking for new roles, they may also wish to seek out organisations that have a demonstrable recognition of and commitment to projectification. This could be apparent through the existence of roles such as a CPO or through other explicit reference to project competency within leadership roles.
3. MBA leaders should act rapidly to embed project management as the standard fourth pillar of their leadership programmes. This involves ensuring it has an equivalent status to finance, marketing and HR. Where appropriate, it would be useful to consider offering a project management variant of the MBA that allows for further specialisation of this important aspect of leadership.

THIS ARTICLE IS BROUGHT TO YOU FROM THE AUTUMN 2022 ISSUE OF PROJECT JOURNAL, WHICH IS FREE FOR APM MEMBERS.