PM Network - January 2017

Whether it’s a refugee cri- sis or terror attacks in France, outside influences have shaken the confidence of project sponsors and C-suite execs: Almost two-thirds of German managers, for instance, fear Brexit could drag down their business, according to a survey by Computer Sciences Corp.

But there’s plenty of
optimism in the face of
uncertainty that likely will translate to project
opportunities. According to Eurobarometer,
86 percent of Germans are upbeat about their
national economy. And talent recruitment
remains strong. Nearly a decade after the global
financial crisis erupted, the country’s employ-
ment rate this year is projected to return to its
pre-crisis level, according to Organisation for Eco-
nomic Co-operation and Development projections.

In particular, Germany’s IT project management
environment holds promise. When the World Eco-
nomic Forum compared the IT landscape in Ger-
many to other similar economies, it found a more
robust supporting infrastructure, higher environ-
ment of IT business usage and greater benefits real-
ized from IT investments. That might explain why
more project sponsors are giving the green light to
projects—and headcount increases.

“The drive to become digital is driving IT projects
across all different industries and sectors, which
consequently spurs the need for more project man-
agers,” says Thomas Zimmermann, PMI-ACP, PMP,
project portfolio manager, Karl Storz GmbH and
Co. KG, Tuttlingen, Germany. “Both the healthcare
and the automotive industries in particular suffer
from a lack of experienced project leads, due to the
huge demand to become more digital.”
To grab a hiring manager’s eye, project talent
also must develop and show off strategy chops.
“Strategic alignment and the increasing intercon-
nection between project, programs and portfolios
is of growing interest,” says Martin Kontressowitz,
PMI-RMP, PMI-SP, PMP, project manager and
project management office lead, Operational Ser-
vices GmbH and Co. KG, Dresden, Germany. As
the profession continues to mature, he says, inter-
views are more focused on nuanced technical skills,
such as requirements analysis and contracting and
procurement. “Simple as it sounds, there’s a con-
siderable shortage of some skills—technical skills,
people skills and leadership skills.”