Home » Blog » For International PM Day A Look Back ... and Forward
 

"The Times, They Are A-Changin’"

November 1, 2016 | by Deborah Bigelow Crawford

Project management will touch most careers... and that is a good thing!

When I look back over my last 25 years in project management, I just sigh.  When I first entered this profession as Executive Director (now titled CEO) of PMI, I struggled with explaining what project management actually was to my family and friends.  They wanted to understand, but unless they were in the defense or construction industries, they really didn’t have a clue. My children told their teachers, “Mom types” …  and since I didn’t feel like they would get it, I didn’t even try to explain what I really did or what project management entailed.

Well, fast forward 25 years and everyone (or at least the majority of people) have a much clearer understanding of project management –and more importantly, its value.  Project management has become so much more than it was back then.  Project managers can no longer hide beneath layers of bureaucracy – the flattening of organizations and the ever-advancing technologies has certainly impacted that.  As a result of this visibility, project managers are being seen more as leaders of organizations, executing their strategies one project at a time.

With the expanding role of leadership come more responsibilities: responsibility to look at projects from an overall corporate perspective-not just from the time, scope, and budget perspective.  To take a business perspective when executing projects, and not being afraid to push back, if the project doesn’t align with the corporate strategy.

I am also amazed at how many people are being touched by this ever-evolving profession.  My daughters; one in pharma, one in marketing, are both working towards their PMPs –even though they proclaimed in younger years that they never wanted to do what I did!  I guess there’s no getting around it any more.  Project management will touch most careers... and that is a good thing!  I guess that’s why I sigh … who would have thought!

[Editor's note: Also in the vein of "who would have thought?" ... Debbie wrote this post weeks before Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. I guess her choice of titles was just as prescient as her choice of careers! <wink>]

About the Author

Deborah Bigelow Crawford

Deborah Bigelow Crawford has more than 20 years of experience in business management and handles the operational and administrative functions of PM Solutions. Ms. Bigelow Crawford also serves as President of the PM College®, PM Solutions' training division, where she is responsible for the fiscal management and quality assurance of all training and professional development programs. Prior to joining PM Solutions, she served as the Executive Director of the Project Management Institute (PMI), and was instrumental in providing the foundation and infrastructure for the exponential growth that the Institute has maintained over the last 10 years. In addition, she served as the Executive Director of the PMI Educational Foundation. Over the last decade, she has authored numerous articles in PM Network, Chief Project Officer, and Optimize magazines. Ms. Bigelow Crawford is also co-author of the book Project Management Essentials. She has presented a variety of papers as a speaker at international symposia and conferences, and is a member of the National Association of Female Executives and the Project Management Institute.

View Posts by Deborah Bigelow Crawford

Deborah Bigelow Crawford

Tags:
54321

(1 votes. Average: 5.0 out of 5)

Rating:

Share this page:

Popular Posts

Popular Categories

search blog: