The Effect of it All

ccording to the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, “effect” can be used both as a noun and a verb, meaning “a result” or “bring about a result.” The best way to assess the effect of project management on your organization is by monitoring key performance metrics, especially those influenced by project activities. An EPMO supports their organization’s success by creating processes effectively used to select the “right” set of projects and efficiently used in successful project delivery. As a result, organizations who instill the practice of project management will, over time, become huge believers in the value of project management, as well as see the direct correlation between the adoption and practice of project management and the organization’s success.
An organization can realize many benefits through project management: improved teamwork, more efficient project planning, better work quality, and gains in productivity. In addition, as project teams gain efficiencies, more projects come in on time, allowing project team members to be returned to their front-line jobs more quickly. Staff who participate on project teams that identify best practices will take those practices with them when they return to their respective business units. As in the process of osmosis, the business gradually assimilates many of the techniques people learned on project teams and applies them in day-to-day operations. It’s clear that the benefits associated with these small, yet effective best practices, when repeated in similar situations outside project teams, can influence enterprise success. This is particularly true in organizations that operate in a matrix environment: a setting that adds a level of complexity when the staff is asked to produce business results without functional barriers getting in the way.
Valuable business practices do not need to be complex to be effective. For organizations who are paying attention, they will be able to identify, over time, a number of effective practices, many of which originated on project teams or in support of project success. In some instances, these best practices now support overall business success.
To learn more about such best practices identified during Boston-based Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s amazing turnaround to their national acclaim today, take a look at my website, www.lisaditullio.com or take the plunge and buy a copy of Simple Solutions: How “Enterprise Project Management” Supported Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s Journey from Near Collapse to #1, available online at www.iUniverse.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and www.amazon.com.
Thanks for reading this week! Would love to hear your feedback and comments.

Lisa DiTullio