The right outside partnership can pay huge dividends, not just during a project’s active lifecycle but also long afterward in ongoing benefits to the Project Team. In fact, savvy project teams should plan to turn the lessons learned from working with an external consultancy into a competitive advantage that increases morale, attracts higher-quality candidates, and cements a better relationship with the executive group.
As your organization contemplates working with an outside expert, consider these additional rewards the team can reap down the road and put plans in place now to make the most of them.
Boost your Project Team’s hiring power. High-performing PMP®s are in demand. To attract the best candidates, your Project Team needs to stand out from the pack and hold a competitive edge over other employers. Make your project office the one everyone wants to work for by leveraging the experience offered by an outside firm. When a Project Team has time-tested techniques in place and uses a methodology that has been proven throughout multiple projects and across a varied portfolio, potential candidates can be assured they’re joining a team that is committed to success.
To maximize the Project Team’s appeal to top-level applicants, your organization’s human resources group or outside recruiting firm should be familiar with the team and its capabilities. Ensure that the skills and knowledge base within the project office are listed among the benefits potential workers can expect to enjoy. Outline opportunities for advancement and the perks associated with working on the kind of complex, high-visibility projects that successful teams like yours are asked to execute.
Improve morale. It’s difficult to maintain a positive work environment when the team is constantly in panic mode, when the same litany of problems continue to plague employees and hamper efforts, and when lackluster performance prompts sponsors to pull their support and key PMP®s to leave the group for jobs elsewhere. Unfortunately, sagging morale is often just the beginning of a cycle that can devastate the project team, with good talent opting to work for the competition and those who remain shouldering the blame for the Project Team’s decline.
Developing a relationship with an experienced external expert offers the team a chance to create good working conditions with well-planned projects and consistently strong results. This can turn festering negative situations around and enhance morale across the entire Project Team. PMP®s will remain eager for new challenges; everyone in the group can prosper through the addition of new skills with each project the team tackles, and job satisfaction will climb. Even during lean times, good morale and a sense of unity can keep a team moving forward, making this benefit among the most valuable.
Raise the visibility of the project office. Securing approval for new projects—from the necessary funding to strong executive support—is far less challenging when the leadership team understands and acknowledges the value inherent in the Project Team. And while it is possible to improve the reputation of your project office without the help of an outside consultancy, a trusted, neutral third party can offer a valuable perspective and objective viewpoint on your team’s many contributions.
Improved visibility may come from a number of corners. Using the insight gained from working with an external partner who brings strong industry expertise to the table, PMP®s may better highlight important benchmarking data. An outside expert can show your team new methods for identifying and resolving budget impacts before they have a chance to do any damage. In each case, executives and sponsors will have greater confidence in the team’s ability to execute critical-path projects and a better understanding of where your Project Team delivers value.
