Event Type: PMI-SOC Webinar

Speaker: Peter Monkhouse

Topic: My Project is Failing, It is not my Fault

Overview:
As PMI’s Pulse of the Profession documents, projects fail far too frequently.  In many cases the reason for the failure has to do with the project not being aligned to the strategy of the organization or the organization not providing the necessary support to project manager and the project team.  Thus a project manager can argue that a project’s failure is not their fault.  However, I have seen that in many cases that it is the project manager’s fault.  If the project is not linked to strategy, then the Project Manager should be recommending that the project be cancelled.  If the project does not get the support, then the project manager needs to do a better job of communicating. 

PMI’s talent triangle now includes strategic business management skills, which is the focus on this session.  This presentation will provide the key reasons why projects fail and those that are typically within and outside of the project manager’s control.  The session will then go on to show on those areas that may seem to be outside the project manager’s control, the project manager can influence through effective communication.  In particular, the communication needs to be in the language of the business. 

The balance of the session will focus on two items.  The first is how to be able to identify your organization’s strategy and determine if your project is aligned to the organization’s strategy.  More importantly, what are the options for the project manager if the project is not aligned to the strategy.  Drawing on my 35 years of work experience, I will use examples of projects that were and were not linked to the organization strategy, what happened and the lessons learned. 

The second item is to briefly describe the business model canvas.  The business model canvas is a strategic tool that anyone can use to document the business model for any organization (for profit, non-profit, or public).  Through developing the business model canvas for your organization, you can see how your project is helping the organization operate.  In particular, I have found, the benefit of the business model canvas is that it provides the business context and language to talk about your project and the importance of your project to the business leaders.  I will provide examples of the business canvass model that were developed for the start-ups that I am involved with and how the business model canvas can be used to demonstrate the importance of your project to the organization using business language. 

By the end of the session, my objective is to have given project managers some more tools to communicate more effectively to the senior leadership in their organization about their project. 

Bio:
Peter Monkhouse is currently President of MonkArt, providing consulting and career transition services preparing organizations and individuals to achieve their goals.  In addition, Mr. Monkhouse teaches project management at Ryerson University and the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. 

Mr. Monkhouse’s career is built on over 35 years of project and leadership experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Monkhouse has actively led projects and project managers in the areas of education, consulting, engineering, information technology and organizational change for multinational organizations.  In a recent role, Mr. Monkhouse successfully coached, mentored and worked with project managers across six continents. 

In prior roles, Mr. Monkhouse managed portfolios of continuing education certificates with over 4,000 enrollments, co-founded ZOOMtoLearn that developed knowledge maps, and led programs of over 100 professionals and revenues over US$20 million per year implementing organizational change. 

Mr. Monkhouse, served on the PMI Board of Directors for 6 years and in 2012 he was the Chair of the PMI Board of Directors.  Mr. Monkhouse is past president of the PMI Southern Ontario Chapter; with over 4,500 members, it is one of PMI’s largest chapters and has served on numerous Member Advisory Groups.  Currently, Mr. Monkhouse is on the Board of Directors for the PMI Education Foundation and is the Interim Chair. 

Fee: (subject to HST)

PMI-SOC Members (login before registering) - $10.00
PMI Member, Non-Member & Guests - $20.00

PDUs: 1.0 (Strategic)

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