Project Management

On the frontline of innovation, we more often than not find technical experts delivering and managing project work. The projects are not planned that way, they just turn out that way because we are focused on the technical nature of the innovation.

A common mistake that many project sponsors make is to focus on selecting technical experts to lead their project. This may work for small projects, but on larger projects, the ability to bring people together and to align the project with the aims of the business is a critical skill set that goes well beyond the technical aspect of the project delivery.

Ultimately, what makes a good technical expert achieve results in their technical discipline does not always make for a good project manager. That is, the business acumen to manage a project does not always stem from a technical background.

As we have found at S1 Consulting, an understanding of the scope of work is necessary, but it is managing the people and the business expectations that sets good project managers apart.

Ultimately, today’s project manager is no longer the technical expert delivering a technical solution or simply managing the basic aspects of planning, scheduling, controlling costs, and resource allocation. To undertake projects today project manages are expected to possess a mix of technical, business planning, leadership, commercial and delivery skills. Project management competencies are more about delivering best value outcomes, allowing real benefit realization and the best possible returns with the constraints of scare resources, tighter budgets and timeframes, higher expectations, higher market uncertainties, and the need to achieve more with less.

At S1 Consulting, we see project management as a key component to implementing business strategy in a top down approach to the solution. Our aim is to align projects with the broader strategic, business and operational objectives of the organization so that there is greater buy in for the solution and measures linked to key performance indicators.

Understanding project management and reflecting this in the way we set up project is what enables S1 Consulting to work across industries to great effect.