文/William G. Smillie 譯/趙克琛

作者簡介：William G. Smillie系IBM公司業(yè)務(wù)咨詢服務(wù)部門學(xué)習(xí)與知識集團(tuán)的合伙人。IBM業(yè)務(wù)咨詢服務(wù)部門的總部座落于美國紐約州阿蒙克市，是一家全球范圍的咨詢機(jī)構(gòu)，它擁有超過40000名專業(yè)咨詢?nèi)藛T。Smillie的職責(zé)主要包括思想領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和最優(yōu)方法的創(chuàng)新工作，用以改善工程與項(xiàng)目管理的績效。

現(xiàn)在，對工程與項(xiàng)目管理工作的投入正在變得越來越高。越來越多的公司已經(jīng)開始將業(yè)務(wù)變革視為工程或者項(xiàng)目，并用項(xiàng)目管理的方法來運(yùn)做。公司管理層和董事會逐漸意識到，將技術(shù)與最佳實(shí)踐流程結(jié)合會產(chǎn)生巨大而有競爭力的利益。實(shí)際上，我們在IBM業(yè)務(wù)咨詢服務(wù)部門的實(shí)踐中發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果沒有一個清楚并且強(qiáng)烈的商業(yè)目標(biāo)，我們的客戶是不會對項(xiàng)目進(jìn)行投資的。

過去，許多傳統(tǒng)的項(xiàng)目通常關(guān)注于在已有環(huán)境和運(yùn)營條件下的執(zhí)行工作。然而，業(yè)務(wù)轉(zhuǎn)型的新趨勢卻以各種新的形式挑戰(zhàn)著項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理們。所以，現(xiàn)在我們必須要引領(lǐng)具有重大意義的組織變革的過程并提出價值主張。為了迎接這些挑戰(zhàn)，項(xiàng)目經(jīng)理們必須在以下的三個重要的領(lǐng)域提高自己的才能。

首先，我們必須管理項(xiàng)目干系人的承諾。回報(bào)越高，需要改變的現(xiàn)狀就越多，或者幾乎是要重新定義從the status quo。人和組織具有一種抗拒變革的天性，所以，根據(jù)項(xiàng)目的總體管理策略來幫助設(shè)計(jì)并執(zhí)行變革的計(jì)劃就成了我們的工作，然而，這些管理層的支持者卻依靠我們來建議如何開展變革的計(jì)劃并且有效反饋進(jìn)展。在很多情況下，如果我們不把管理者變成變革執(zhí)行團(tuán)隊(duì)的組成部分的話，我們同樣無法完成這項(xiàng)工作。

其次，我們必須認(rèn)識到商業(yè)利益的重要性。需要變革的方面越多，我們在取得預(yù)期商業(yè)利益中所面臨的挑戰(zhàn)越大。商業(yè)利益較少強(qiáng)調(diào)技術(shù)特性，而通常比較重視那些產(chǎn)生和管理商業(yè)產(chǎn)出的新途徑。在解決問題和提供建議的工作中，我們必須同時成為商業(yè)領(lǐng)袖的顧問。我們必須讓項(xiàng)目本身更多的關(guān)注于能夠促使項(xiàng)目首先上馬的商業(yè)價值，并且管理項(xiàng)目的成果以支持商業(yè)目標(biāo)。

最后，我們需要在管理層和董事會進(jìn)行有效的溝通。對項(xiàng)目支持的力度必須與回報(bào)的多寡相匹配。現(xiàn)在的業(yè)務(wù)轉(zhuǎn)型項(xiàng)目的狀態(tài)報(bào)告要經(jīng)常被提到管理層的議事日程上來。至少，決策層應(yīng)該召開月度的項(xiàng)目進(jìn)展會議。我們在決策層的溝通能力會直接影響到那些影響項(xiàng)目進(jìn)展的重大決策的及時性和質(zhì)量。而且，我們傳達(dá)給項(xiàng)目支持者的并不總是好消息。我們的任務(wù)是，告訴他們必須知道的信息，而不完全是他們想要聽到的消息，同時，確保他們做出或者批準(zhǔn)某些比較艱難的決定。

接下來，一個人將如何去著手開發(fā)上述三個領(lǐng)域所提及的才能呢？IBM業(yè)務(wù)咨詢服務(wù)部門采用了一種簡單而強(qiáng)大的語言來交流這些重要的事情：“成功七要素”。它提供了一種通用的框架來幫助了解重要的工程或項(xiàng)目的健康狀況并且指導(dǎo)如何采取必要的糾正措施。

這七要素準(zhǔn)確的觸及了上述三個領(lǐng)域帶來的挑戰(zhàn)。這七要素的前兩項(xiàng)要素是：“項(xiàng)目干系人承諾”和“商業(yè)利益的認(rèn)識”直接的聚焦于這些挑戰(zhàn)。對于高層的溝通來說，這種語言對跨越公司和地域限制的管理層尤其有效。

公司正在進(jìn)行業(yè)務(wù)轉(zhuǎn)型，因此，我們作為專業(yè)項(xiàng)目管理人員也在進(jìn)行轉(zhuǎn)型。這種趨勢要求我們提高自己的管理技能并且用知識來武裝我們自己。那些精通并使用這些技能的項(xiàng)目管理者最終將會成為他們組織和行業(yè)里的領(lǐng)軍人物。

原文:
　　　　　　IBM Combines Technology With Best Practices

By WILLIAM G. SMILLIE

William G. Smillie is a partner in the Learning & Knowledge group of IBM’s Business Consulting Services, a worldwide consultancy of more than 40,000 professionals based in Armonk, N.Y., USA. Smillie’s responsibilities include thought leadership and best practice initiatives to enhance performance in program and project management.

The stakes are getting higher in program and project management. It is becoming increasingly common for companies to initiate programs or large projects designed to drive business transformation. Executives and share holder boards are realizing the combination of technology and best practice processes can generate huge competitive benefits. In fact, in IBM’s Business Consulting Services practice, we find that our clients won’t invest in projects unless there is clear and compelling business case to do so.

In the past, more traditional projects typically focused on implementations within existing circumstances and operations. However, this newer trend toward business transformation challenges project managers in new ways. We now must shepherd significant organizational change processes and deliver on the value proposition. To live up to this challenge, project managers must increase competencies in at least three significant areas.

First, we must manage stakeholder commitment. The bigger the payback, the more things need to change – almost by definition – from the status quo. People and organizations tend to resist change, so it is our job, than, to help design and execute this program of change according to the overall management strategies of our projects. We cannot do it without the leader ship of executive sponsors, but those same sponsors count on us to advise them on how to proceed and to provide feedback on progress against these plans, In many cases, we cannot do it without change management professionals as an integral part of our team.

Next, we must realize business benefits. The more things need to change, the greater our challenge to achieve the desired business performance. The business benefit often is less about technology features and more about new ways of working and managing business outcomes. In resolving issues and recommending actions, we must be consultants to the business leaders. We must keep the project’s eyes and mind on the business case that drove the project launch in the first place and manage project results that support the business objectives.

Last, We must communicate effectively at the executive and board levels. The degree of project sponsorship must accord with the extent of the payback. Status reports for today’s business transformation projects often can be the stuff of boardroom agendas. At the very least, our monthly progress meetings are likely to be held on the executive floor. Our ability to communicate at the executive level will affect the timeliness and quality of the decisions our projects need to stay on track. And it’s not always happy news that we bring to our sponsors. Our job is to tell them what they need to know, not necessarily what they want to hear, and get them to make or endorse the tough decisions.

How, then, should one go about building competencies in these areas? One important action IBM Business Consulting Services has taken is to adopt a simple but powerful language to discuss these critical issues. Called the “Seven Keys to Success,” it provides a universal framework for understanding critical program or project health issues and for taking the necessary corrective actions.

The Seven Keys gets right to the heart of these three challenges. The first two of the Seven Keys, “Stakeholders Are Committed” and “Business Benefits Will Be Realized,” immediately focus attention on these issues. For senior-level communication, this language is highly effective with business executives across a variety of companies and geographies.

Business transformation is happening to our companies, and therefore, it’s “happening” to us as professionals. This trend demands that we sharpen our skills and re-equip our personal toolkit. Those who master these skills will become leaders in their companies and leaders in their professions.

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