The Significance of Project Management in the Government Sector
Project Management practices have a very high success rate when implemented in Government sectors.
And the reasons are?
The volume and scale of Government projects when streamlined, translate into impressive results.
1. Introduction of legislation
In this context, The National Academy of Public Administration supported the passage of a resolution HR 2144-The Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act of 2015- that directed:
Creating a formal job series and career path for Program Managers in Federal Government
Development of a standard based model for program management
Designating a senior executive in each agency for overall management
Establishment of an inter agency council to align approaches across government bodies.
The NAPA in its findings have also stated that institutionalizing Program Management in the Federal Government was a priority.
2. Project Management - the crux
Mega projects have components that need to be integrated together. While each component may be on schedule, planning the overall or high level integration is vital to the project. Project Managers will be the lynch pins that hold the projects together.
3. Monitoring project health
Projects funded by taxpayers are under scrutiny and pressure to improve performance. Infusing proven practices of Project Management, monitoring and assessing the status of projects at various life cycles has proved vital for project implementation, empowering managers to steer the projects out of cost overruns and delayed schedules, while meeting the objectives.
4. PM in NASA
The fact that NASA has embraced Project Management should not come as a surprise. With mission critical goals and projects involving technology that make news headlines, PM must have a role in the success of all projects. NASA manages projects on a four point basis - project formulation, approval, implementation and evaluation. NASA has partnered with private enterprise to push the envelope on new projects and has implemented PM practices. With many projects, hiring at NASA will involve seeking out high quality project management skills.
5. Government initiatives at PM
Project management in government projects involves prevailing practices like leveraging, setting standards and establishing performance markers for all stake holders to achieve. Two instances of US government projects that were managed successfully are:
The U.S. Department of Defense initiated reforms in buying, through effective project management, resulting in savings of close to 300 million USD for the US Navy.
The US Department of Homeland Security restructured the management of all large acquisitions increasing awareness at higher hierarchy and lending credibility to the program.
6. Benefits of Project Management Credentials
Project Management Certification significantly improves the chances of being hired by the Federal Government with the passage of the legislation and implementation of Project Management practices.
A Project Management Professional with credentials is likely to receive 10% more salary in the private sector than a Project Manager without credentials.
7. A PMP certified candidate attracts the attention of a recruiter- How?
1. Recruiter Checks for the skills and commitment acquired by the candidate
2. PMP certification is proof of honing excellent project management skills that job recruiters covet in potential prospects.
3. Having invested time and money in certification the probability of a candidate switching jobs is minimal- recruiters prefer candidates with longer tenures with a particular firm
4. The role of a PM in a government agency is considered as crucial in the successful completion of a project. Recruiters mostly prefer a PMP compared to a PM.
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