PM Network - January 2010

V IE WPOIN TS
VOICES ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT
COMMON
GRO
Even with teams scattered around the world, companies still need shared
processes and practices.

BY VALERIO CROVASCE, PMP

In a business world that knows no borders, what hap- pens in Italy isn’t always what happens in Brazil or China. And that was complicating matters for Comau. Part of Italian industrial giant Fiat Group, the company has 11,000 employees working in 19 locations in 15 countries around the world. And not all of those employees were following the same project management processes—hindering our ability to carry out portfolio management and governance.

Looking to change that, Comau launched a global initiative at the beginning of 2007, targeting improvements in four areas:

Comau also launched a campaign to encourage Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, which is not so common within the industrial automation industry. We started with a single PMP® certification holder in the company in 2007, and that number has since jumped to approximately 90 around the world.

Following a global behavioral assessment of project team members, their skills were mapped and training needs were evaluated. A customized curriculum focused on people skills was then designed and implemented, together with team-building activities for the main project teams.

1. Organization

A project management office (PMO) was created at the corporate level and currently runs four regional PMOs, all working to foster knowledge transfer between locations around the world. For example, the business plan and start-up phase of a service unit in China was based on a successful model already established in Brazil.

Working with corporate human resources, the PMO has identified change agents within the company to spread the project management culture and to run specific initiatives. This has reduced the need for a highly staffed office, which also cuts the price. And considering that a PMO is usually seen as overhead, being low-cost is one of the best ways to gain acceptance and ensure its survival.

2. Skills

Of course, no company can get very far if its staff doesn’t have the right knowledge. In 2008, Comau created its Project, Program and Leadership Academy, which became a PMI Registered Education Provider. Following PMI standards but tailored to our needs, all of the courses are prepared in-house and taught by project managers within the company. The same courses are used across the world and offered to all personnel working in project teams, on both external and internal initiatives. As of the end of 2009, more than 500 people have been trained in the academy.

3. Processes

We had to make sure this wasn’t just all talk, so we created a global project management execution policy. Analyzing where

THE PLAN

Retracing our footsteps, Comau’s project management team offers some crucial lessons learned along the way:

1. Build a strong vision, aspiring at high-level objectives aligned with the company’s overall strategy.

2. Create an implementation strategy aimed at achieving that vision. To do this, companies will need to:

-Conduct a maturity assessment and gap analysis -Secure the commitment and sponsorship to proceed

-Define functions, roles and responsibilities -Identify the necessary processes and tools -Estimate the required resources and budget -Outline the priorities

3. Design a detailed roadmap aimed at attaining short-term quick wins.

4. Continuously share the vision, the strategy and the roadmap with all employees. Seek out, endorse and expose existing best practices, while broadcasting and bolstering the achievements.