PMINJ Chapter
February 17th Monthly Program 2015
Improving the Leadership of Complex Projects
and Programs
New Insights on the Roles of Project and Program Managers
Richard J. Heaslip, PhD
Programmatic Sciences LLC
Improving the Leadership of Complex
Projects and Programs
New Insights on the Roles of Project and Program
Managers
Richard J. Heaslip, PhD
Affiliated Faculty
Organizational Dynamics
University of Pennsylvania
Founder
Programmatic Sciences LLC
PMI-NJ
Feb 17, 2015
Content of this presentation is the proprietary intellectual property of
Richard J. Heaslip, Ph.D. and is protected under the copyright laws
of the United States of America and other countries. All rights to this
material are reserved. Unauthorized display, use, reproduction or
distribution of these materials, in whole or in part, without explicit
written permission is strictly prohibited.
The opinions expressed are those of the presenter.
“Programmatic Science” is a trademark of Programmatic Sciences
LLC.
© Richard J. Heaslip, 2008-2015 All rights reserved. www.programmaticsciences.com
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Should modern organizations hire…
Project managers who are principally trained
in traditional project management?
…or…
Project managers who are trained in the
technical (subject) matter of their projects?
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1
What is the role of a project manager?
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How do you define success?
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What skills do you need?
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A Case Study Example…

A large study testing whether a drug is effective…

Critical part of a valuable drug development program…



Study and report are
completed as expected
Study doesn’t show
effectiveness
Study must be redesigned
Was the project team successful?
Was the project manager successful?
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A Case Study Example…

An HR project to streamline performance assessment…

Requires development of software / platform…

Specifications approved

Platform developed to specs
and launched as planned

Users hate it
Was the project team successful?
Was the project manager successful?
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Reflections on Case Studies
Case Study #1:

Clinical study design requires medical training
Case Study #2:

Design a well-accepted system requires knowledge
of users, their behaviors, user testing
Should we expect PMs to have this knowledge?
What knowledge and skills are reasonable to expect?
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PM’s Traditional Credo
To deliver on time, on budget, to specifications
Time
Cost
Project
Specifications
The traditional PM “credo” focuses on
management of operations, not subject matter
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But what is a PM’s role?
The role of a PM professional is to efficiently
deliver project benefits and value.
To efficiently deliver benefits and value, a PM must
prevent or manage issues.
To prevent or manage issues, a PM must
manage the consequences of uncertainty.
To manage the consequences of uncertainty requires
navigation and resolution of complexity.
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A More Broadly Defined Credo…
To deliver on time, on budget, to specifications
Manage the uncertain; solve the complex;
deliver the value
To better understand the roles of project and
program managers we need to define how they
should contribute to solving complex problems.
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The 5 Types of Project Uncertainty & Complexity
Operational
Associated with planning (large projects)
Uncertainty that plan will be completed as expected
Outcome
From unknowable or unpredictable results
Uncertainty of achieving expected or desired results
Stakeholder
From reliance on interpretations/opinions of people
Uncertainty that individuals will support a strategy/plan
Organizational From having many governing/review groups
Uncertainty from unpredictable committee behavior
Environmental From shifts in environmental conditions
Uncertainty that is external, not controlled by project
What kinds of complexity should PMs be responsible for?
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Who should be responsible for managing each
type of complexity (issue)?
Operational
The key question!
Outcome
Stakeholder
Organizational
Environmental
Everyone. Project and program managers,
team members, governance committees, and
influential stakeholders
Governance committees (primarily)
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Who should be responsible for managing each
type of complexity (issue)?
Operational
Outcome
Stakeholder
Organizational
Environmental
Project managers
Project/program managers, governance
committees, or another key stakeholder?
Everyone. Project and program managers,
team members, governance committees, and
influential stakeholders
Governance committees (primarily)
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Should modern organizations hire…
Project managers who are principally trained
in traditional project management?
…or…
Project managers who are trained in the
technical (subject) matter of their projects?
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Case Studies – Revisited
Should project or program
managers be responsible for
operations and outcomes in
these examples?
What knowledge or skills
should a project or program
manager be expected to have?
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Case Studies – Revisited
Output
Outcome
Output
Outcome
High quality study report
What the report says
Functional system
User experience
Can both be managed by one PM?
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Managing Operational & Outcome Complexity
Operational
Complexity
OutcomeBased
Complexity
Managing operations requires traditional
PM skills:
PMBOK knowledge
Command-and-control leadership style
Managing outcomes requires technical
skills:
Technical/subject matter knowledge
A learn-and-adapt leadership style
Complex projects require both skill sets.
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The Ideal Complex Project/Program Manager?
An operational savant
&
An outcome sage
A very rare creature!
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The Ideal Complex Project/Program Manager?
An operational savant
&
An outcome sage
A very rare creature!
A centaur, of sorts
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Who fills these roles in modern organizations?
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Common Conceptions of Project Oversight
Governance
Committee
Program /
Project
Roles & responsibilities of governance:
 Defines the organization’s strategic direction
 Authorizes and prioritizes projects / programs
 “Enables” projects and programs to do work
 Endorses project / program strategies
 Approves resource allocations
 Delegates responsibility and accountability
 Integrates learning from outcomes
 Authorizes changes
Roles & responsibilities of project management:
 Oversees the completion of work
 Ensures efficiency, collaboration, communication
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Key Questions
Governance
Committee
Who fills the operational savant role best?
Who fills the outcome sage role best?
Which role should a project manager fill?
Program /
Project
What if there aren’t enough centaurs?
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Weakness of the “Two-Party” Model
Governance
Committee
Requires the governance committee to completely
understand operational and strategic elements of
the entire portfolio of programs / projects
(or be reminded before every decision)
That is difficult when:
Program /
Project

Committee members manage large groups

They sponsor many initiatives

Those initiatives are complex

Governance committees are not SMEs
Often, organizations respond by creating more governance
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Secondary Review and Governance Committees
To help manage…
Large
Functional
groups
Large
Portfolios
Complex
Subjects

Discipline-based review committees

Operations review committees

Technology-based review committees

Portfolio prioritization committees

Resource management committees

Customer-focused review committees

Partner-based oversight committees

Subject-based oversight systems

Externally-focused committees
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One Organization’s “Two Party” Model
Governance
Committee
Program /
Project
A management system… “mess”
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The Conundrum…

Modern organizations seek to solve very complex
problems

To effectively manage the complexity of those
problems, they build very complex management
systems

They create organizational complexity in their attempts
to manage operational and outcome complexity
Project and program managers must manage the mess!
It often requires they have skills in managing both
operations and outcomes.
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How Secondary Governance Affects PM’s Role
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
LineFunction
02-17-2015
Portfolio
Review
Therapy
Area
What is the
impact on
project
oversight, and
the
management
of operations
and
outcomes?
Governance
Committee
Project
Technology
Review
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How Secondary Governance Affects PM’s Role
A Pharmaceutical Company Example
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
Leadership Focus
Oversight
Portfolio
Review
Outcomes
Operations
Secondary committees may
have responsibilities for:
LineFunction
02-17-2015
Therapy
Area

Oversight

Managing outcomes

Managing operations
Technology
Review
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How Secondary Governance Affects PM’s Role
A Pharmaceutical Company Example
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
Portfolio
Review
Governance integrates
oversight
knowledge and
perspectives
Governance
Committee
Operational savant
project managers
integrate operational
knowledge and
Program /
perspectives
Project
LineFunction
02-17-2015
Therapy
Area
Technology
Review
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How Secondary Governance Affects PM’s Role
A Pharmaceutical Company Example
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
Portfolio
Review
Governance
Committee
But who is
responsible
for managing
outcomes?
?
LineFunction
02-17-2015
Therapy
Area
Technology
Review
…for integrating
Program / outcome-based
Project
knowledge and
perspectives?
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Who should serve the outcome sage role?
Who has responsibility for integrating outcome
knowledge and perspectives, and for recommending
outcome-based adaptations to project strategy and
plans?
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Organizational Approaches
Programmatic Systems:
“First generation”
Traditional PM
A system where the PM
is expected only to
manage operations
“Second generation”
Adaptive PM
Agile PM
Lean PM
Complex PM
Extreme PM…
Systems where the PM is
expected to manage
project outcomes
…but only for specific
kinds of projects and
outcomes, and within
explicit constraints
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Is there an even better approach?
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Introduction of a “Three-Party” Oversight System

Introduce a second “project management”
function
The Project Leader, Team Leader, or Program
Leader/Manager

A role that is focused on…
Outcomes (versus outputs)
Technical (versus operational) leadership
Learn-and-adapt (versus command-and-control)
approaches
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The Third-Generation Leadership System
Support
Operational
Governance
Committee
Project
Manager



Strategic
Authorization
Governing Leadership
Outcome-Focused Leadership
Operational Leadership
Introduces outcome-focused leadership function
Enables definition of three unique leadership skill sets and roles
Creates a framework for developing a “Shared Leadership System”
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The Third-Generation Leadership System

Support
Operational
Governance
Committee
Project
Manager
Strategic
Authorization


Governance committee establishes
organizational goals (strategy and
priorities) and manages balance
between the operational and
outcome-focused functions
Operational savant (project
manager) ensures operational
efficiency in completing project
plans
Outcome sage ensures that project
strategies, priorities, and outcomes
support the organizational goals,
and that they are operationally
feasible
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A “Third-Generation” Approach
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
The three-party, system assigns
responsibility for integrating
outcome-based perspectives.
Portfolio
Review
Governance
Committee
Project
Manager
LineFunction
02-17-2015
Therapy
Area
Technology
Review
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Intersection of the Third-Generation Approach with
Shared Leadership Principles
Team
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Team
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Team
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Governance
Committee
Member
Team
Member
ProjectManager
Team
Member
Team
Member
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A “Third-Generation” Approach
Support
Operational
Governance
Committee
Project
Manager
Strategic
Authorization
Three-party system pairs
operations and outcomefocused PMs (an operational
savant and an outcome sage).
Joined at the hip, they
become a centaur of
excellence.
But who is this outcome-focused manager?
We may already know the answer.
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Program or Project?

Cleaning the basement
(My latest _______)

Planting a garden
(A springtime _______)

Loosing weight
(A weight loss _______)

Getting an education
(An educational _______)

Building a shed
(A home improvement _______)

Breaking a drug habit
(A rehabilitation _______)

Improving in sports
(An athletic _______)

Doing an assignment
(Finishing an art ______ for school)

Defending the country
(Our defense _______)

Taking care of children
(An after-school childcare _______)
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Program or Project?

Cleaning the basement
(My latest project)

Planting a garden
(A springtime project)

Loosing weight
(A weight loss program)

Getting an education
(An educational program)

Building a shed
(A home improvement project)

Breaking a drug habit
(A rehabilitation program)

Improving in sports
(An athletic program)

Doing an assignment
(Finishing an art project for school)

Defending the country
(Our defense program)

Taking care of children
(An after-school childcare program)
Projects deliver outputs; programs rely on outcomes.
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Projects and Programs - Redefined
Project

A temporary endeavor that seeks to deliver unique value and
benefit via activities that are thought to have predictable outputs
and/or outcomes.
Projects are managed in a manner that seeks to ensure efficient
delivery of work products with precisely prescribed specifications, on
time and on budget.
Program

An endeavor that seeks to deliver benefits via activities that by
their nature have uncertain outcomes.
The uncertainty associated with programs dictates that they need to be
managed adaptively, so that their strategies and plans can be modified
in response to emergent outcomes. The outcomes required by
programs are pursued via projects, sub-programs, and other activities.
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Project and Program Management – Redefined
Project Management

A profession in the programmatic sciences that focuses on the
design and completion of work plans, to ensure the delivery of
specified work outputs on time and within budget.
Project management is practiced by project managers who ensure the
effective management of operational uncertainty and the resolution of
operational complexity.
Program Management

A profession in the programmatic sciences that ensures the
optimal delivery of benefits by adaptively managing program
strategies and plans.
Program management is practiced by program managers who work
together with project managers and sub-program managers to ensure
the completion of required program activities and the delivery of
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Alignment of Roles / Responsibilities
Secondary Governance
And Review Committees
Alliance
Management
Portfolio
Review
The three-party system pairs
project and program
managers to pursue
outcome-based
goals
Governance
Committee
Program
Management
Project
Management
LineFunction
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Therapy
Area
Technology
Review
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In practice (of course) there is overlap…

Individuals have capabilities for contributing in
more than one domain
 Within a given organizational
Governance
Program
Management
Project
Management
environment, individuals may fill
more than one role, or share roles
 It is valuable to understand all three
roles

Understanding your own leadership role’s
competencies enables your to choose how to
further develop your leadership capabilities
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Managing Complexity
Gov.
Domain
Organizations that use the “threeparty oversight system” usually
have:

PM
Domain
PMs focus on managing
operational issues
PgM
Domain

PgMs focus on managing
outcome issues

Governance focus on
environmental issues*
They collaboratively manage
stakeholder and organizational
complexity
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Managing Complexity
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Applications of the Third-Generation Approach
Enables flexible use of two and tree-party systems
(Including those with “centaur PMs”)
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The Third-Generation Approach
Projects and sub-Programs Sponsored by Programs
Equally applicable to projects and sub-programs
sponsored by programs
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Benefits of a Third-Generation Leadership System
for Managing Complex Projects and Programs

Formalizes expectations of the “outcome sage” role

Eliminates leadership ambiguity:
PMs are operational savants; PgMs are outcome sages

Enables the establishment of better PM and PgM
professional ladders and competency models

Increases empowerment of PMs, PgMs, and teams

Fosters a more agile, empowered, innovative team
environment
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Key Messages

The principle responsibility of modern project & program
managers is to manage complex issues (complexity)

We need to more clearly define how we do that

We should accept that the skills required for managing
different kinds of complexity are different, and improve our
message about the skills we should have

We can do that by adopting a different perspective on what
projects and programs are, and by assuming a leadership
role in teaching our organizations how to manage them
better
Be better recognized as experts in “programmatic science”
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Further interest?
For more information on
programmatic science and the
application of third-generation
approaches to project and program
management, see:
Managing Complex Projects and
Programs
How to Improve Leadership of
Complex Initiatives Using a ThirdGeneration Approach
John Wiley and Sons
September 2, 2014
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Further discussion? Please contact…
Richard J. Heaslip, Ph.D.
Affiliated Faculty, Program Leadership
Organizational Dynamics
University of Pennsylvania
Founder, Programmatic Sciences
rick@programmaticsciences.com
215-208-7800
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Content of this presentation is the proprietary intellectual property of
Richard J. Heaslip, Ph.D. and is protected under the copyright laws
of the United States of America and other countries. All rights to this
material are reserved. Unauthorized display, use, reproduction or
distribution of these materials, in whole or in part, without explicit
written permission is strictly prohibited.
The opinions expressed are those of the presenter.
“Programmatic Science” is a trademark of Programmatic Sciences
LLC.
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