Drummond’s call for significant savings and reduction in government spending makes it essential to ensure value and efficiency. These key watch words will determine where to focus efforts. Project initiatives have notoriously been an area where significant improvements can be made quickly.

As a consulting company it is always worthwhile to look back and see what has happened over the past year.  What trends did we experience and what did we learn?  Taking it one step further is to consider what we learned that needs further application or attention in 2012. 

We took time as a team to consider a whole host of lessons learned that need further work in 2012.  With a critical eye we have honed it down to a magic five things.  In an increasing complex and volatile environment knowing where to put focus will be fundamental for the coming year.   

Developing leaders who can anticipate, and then execute on changes when they appear has been receiving increasing attention.  "Lead change" and "ability to execute" are top leadership capabilities in today's volatile market. We have started to see...

READ ALL FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED >>>

Going to the PMI conference in Sao Paul (August 15-17) and travelling in Brazil taught me two key lessons:

 Kevin Pashuk asked that question after taking on the CIO role at a large college.  What he discovered was disconnected and meant facing hard facts - and change.

 Who does Kevin turn to for strong project management professionals?  Find out at http://turningtechinvisible.blogspot.com/2011/08/310-crucial-survival-skills-for-21st.html

The Globe and Mail recently reported that the OPG generated a profit of $151-million during the first quarter of the fiscal year.  “This is made possible by focusing on cost reduction initiatives and on completing projects on time and on budget.” said President and CEO Tom Mitchell. (“OPG profit climbs on cost cutting”, Friday, May 20, 2011)

In addition, successful U.S. Federal Government programs found that government agencies could reduce costs 20-30 percent by implementing project and program management best practices according to a study by the Project Management Institute (PMI ®). 

What better time than now to ensure best practices are being applied to your strategic undertakings? Effective program management creates a dynamic environment that enables you to respond swiftly to change, manage risk, optimize resources, and improve the performance of your program delivery.

Learn how the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines & Forestry realized the benefits of project management by reading the attached case study “Ministry Act Modernization".

Recently I was teaching one of our human dimension skills seminars and the question about who was on the core project team was posed to the participants. Someone said the project sponsor was always part of their project team. When questioned further they indicated that in fact the sponsor was also responsible for activities and deliverables in the project plan. This surprised me since we always position the sponsor on the project organization chart above the project manager and team in the overall hierarchy.

It made me wonder how projects are using their sponsor and what level of active involvement do they play.

Click HERE to read more  
 

Study after study, executive after executive indicates that no matter what the corporate strategy is (good or bad) there is an overwhelming lack of success in actually executing the intended strategy and realizing its expected benefits competitive advantage or business transformation, today there is no room for any margin of error. With the recent major economic shift of the marketplace and an increasingly complex world, overcoming the hurdles of execution is essential to survive and indeed thrive.

As organizations emerge from one of the worst economic crises in recent history, they are focused on recovery and adjusting to a dramatically changed landscape. The impact has been felt by all organizations big or small, public or private. The magnitude of change contemplated spans a wide spectrum from minor tweaking of business strategy to full scale business transformation. One fact is certain - given the  experience during the economic downturn, it is critical for organizations to ensure these transformations are successful and deliver targeted benefits.

SPM Learning Ltd. was awarded the prestigious Project Management Institute (PMI®) Continuing Professional Education Provider of the Year Award 2010 in the Corporate/Government/Association Category for exceptional skills in the delivery and implementation of a professional development program in project management.  Lindsay McMurray accepted the Award during the PMI Awards Ceremony at PMI® Global Congress 2010 - North America in Washington, D.C on October 9, 2010.

The full press release is available for view and download in PDF below.

View/Download Press Release: PMI CPEP Award 2010