Organizational Performance Suffers as Project Managers Lack Professional Development

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ring of people A new study by ESI International, the Global State of the PMO annual survey, has shown that organizations offering professional development training for project managers have a higher project success rate. The survey also found that project managers are being trained by as much as 20 percent fewer skills than in 2012. Organizations that do apply training on the job and measure its impact on performance, however, do deliver projects on time and on budget more frequently than those that have no adopted training options

“The across-the-board decrease in project management training is a disturbing trend that organizations need to reverse,” said J. LeRoy Ward, ESI Executive Vice President. “Not only is it detrimental to the professional development of project managers, it has a direct, negative effect on project execution, which impacts an organization’s bottom line and its ability to satisfy its customers.”

Key findings of the survey include:

• 62 percent of workers who report to a project management office (PMO) reported receiving training in methodology and tools. A decrease of 75 percent under 2012.

• Just 47 percent of non-PMO workers received methodology and tools training this year, down from 68 percent in 2012.

• A low 30 percent of PMO-managed workers said they received soft skills training in 2013, dropping from 68 percent in 2012.

• Only 22 percent of non-PMO managed workers received soft skills training this year compared to 35 percent in 2012.

“While these training numbers reveal a decline in project-focused training, the survey underscores the importance of training and its direct correlation to project success,” said Ward. The study found that 56% of respondents who are part of PMOs that are active in measuring training impact and learning sustainment said more than 75% of projects were delivered on time, to budget, within scope and to customer expectations. That number plummets to 39% for those who’s PMOs are not active in either.

 

By Joshua Bjerke