The podcast for Project Managers by Project Managers. As organizations are going through transformation, there’s plenty of internal and external pressure to adapt, PMI’s Stephen Townsend talks about the changes and challenges for project managers, future trends in the marketplace, and how the role is evolving.

Table of

Contents

00:26 … Meet Stephen 02:02 … Cooks vs Chefs 08:53 … Enhancing your Toolkit 10:41 … Conflict and Adaptation 13:14 … Future Trend: Soft Skills to Accelerate Innovation 21:12 … Building New Skills and Capabilities 25:31 … Global Executive Council Talent Management Survey 29:56 … How Organizations can Help PMs Increase Value 35:54 … Challenges as Opportunities to Change your Perspective 42:13 … A Revolution of Project Management 44:48 … Connect with Stephen 46:02 … Closing

STEPHEN TOWNSEND:

...one of the key things I would say to individuals is, if you’re completing

PDUs just to tick the box, you’re wasting an opportunity.  You’re wasting your opportunity, and you’re wasting

your organization’s opportunity because this is really your investment in

ensuring that you remain competitive in today’s environment, not only within

your organization, but also competitive with your peers who are project

leaders.

NICK WALKER:  Welcome

to Manage This, the podcast by project managers for project managers.  This is our opportunity to meet with you and

talk about what real life is like in the shoes of a professional project

manager.  I’m your host, Nick Walker, and

with me is the guy who is always on the lookout for interesting and talented

people we can bring on our program.  And

Bill, it looks like your talent scout eyes have snagged another big fish.

Meet Stephen

BILL YATES:  Yeah, I’m

delighted that Stephen Townsend is going to give us the time on the

podcast.  He is a very busy man.  I’ve known him, goes pretty far back,

probably 2011 when I served on the Advisory Group for the PMI REP communities,

when I really got to know Stephen.  And

then had the opportunity to sit in on one of his talks, a couple of his talks

actually, at the fall Global Conference back in fall of 2019 and just was

reminded of the depth of his knowledge and the experience that he has.  Stephen’s out there in the marketplace.  He meets with so many companies to talk with

them about their project management practices and where they’re going, what

trends they see.  So great to have him on

with us today.

NICK WALKER:  Well,

before we meet him, let’s learn a little bit more about him.  Stephen Townsend has worked with PMI since 1999, and currently he is PMI’s

Director for Network Programs.  In this

capacity he leads special program initiatives for the Institute.  One of those is serving on the U.K.’s Project X Research

Consortium Steering Committee, supporting the benefits realization management

research stream.  He’s also involved in

exploring how organizations are enhancing and reinventing their value delivery

capabilities.  For U.S. federal

government agencies he produces materials to help them implement requirements

associated with the Program

Management Improvement Accountability Act. 

He also leads the PMBOK Guide’s Seventh Edition transformation work

stream.  Stephen, welcome to Manage This.

STEPHEN TOWNSEND:  Thank

you.  Good to be with you all today.

Cooks vs. Chefs

NICK WALKER:  We want

to talk with you about some of the changes and challenges you see coming down

the pike for future project managers. 

But first, I’d like for us to talk about an analogy that Bill says you

made at the PMI Global Congress last fall. 

And any listeners with a background in the restaurant industry are going

to get this right away.  You said that

some project managers are cooks, and others are chefs, and also that we need

both.  So could you explain that analogy?

STEPHEN TOWNSEND:  Yeah.  So just to put it in the context of the

conversation that we had at the PMI Global Conference, we presented a slide