PMBoK7 Perspectives: Apply Expertise

Today, we’ll explore how project managers contribute benefits with their expertise, one of the new elements of project delivery in the Project Management Institute’s seventh version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK7.) Here are a few significant ways to apply your expertise in managing projects:

• Complete project tasks. Most project managers have technical and industry expertise relevant to their projects. Completing technical tasks can be an appropriate and helpful contribution to the projects we manage (although it isn’t the project managers primary role.) But you shouldn’t take opportunities away from other team members, which they might perceive as restricting their growth.  
• Coach your team members. The best project managers increase the capabilities of their team members who work on their projects. They provide technical guidance without dictating how to complete tasks. They also help others understand the practice of project management, so they can contribute to building work breakdown structures, verifying estimates, and confirming schedules. Because projects often have wide-ranging business implications, they coach people on business elements as well, such as communication, presentation skills, and managing risk.
• Improve the practice of project management. Project managers are known for getting things done. They bring confidence to their management team that envisioned changes will come to fruition via the application of sound project management tools and perspectives. Applying your project management expertise can help improve your organization’s project management practices. Spreading the word about project management practices is an effective way to support your business. Guiding managers as they work with you to deliver projects is another impactful way to apply expertise and increase your business’ project delivery capability.
• Provide perspectives for management. Respected project managers can help management understand which approaches to facilitating organizational change will be supported by line managers and which ones won’t be! Project work provides project managers with a view to how operational management handles the pressures of increased workload created by supporting projects. Project managers know who responds well, who doesn’t, and which competing workloads might interfere with project progress.

Have you contributed your expertise to your projects in other ways? If so, tell us about it in the comments section.

For more about project management, check out the Become a Project Manager learning path.