In a projectized organization, such as a startup, work is organized into project teams that form and disband when work is finished. Each VUCAN evolves into a project professional responsible for getting work done on time, on budget while satisfying stakeholders. Think of this as the essence of self management. Often, there are no permanent job titles or permanent job assignments. There are few bosses and job titles. VUCAN teams and individuals self manage their work.
We’ve been discussing self management in Working It because most work will projectized. Why?
- Customers want faster, cheaper, and better.
- Work is core-processed and projectized.
- Product life cycles are halved and are shrinking further.
- VUCAN managers must do more with less.
- Cross-functional, virtual project teams do more work.
- Project manager replaces middle manager.
- Workis chunked into projects and sub-projects.
The project work environment is not for everyone. Responsibility for work may not come with authority. Project atmosphere is intense with tight deadlines. Flat project hierarchy places a premium on VUCANs with ideas who can execute quickly. Status and salary are earned and based on real value-added contributions.
Work Lesson Earned: Projects are your VUCAN learning laboratory. Projects offer special benefits. Special projects are critical for your professional development. They offer you the opportunity to learn new things. They offer you access to higher management where you can reveal your value proposition or help you develop a higher value proposition. It’s a great learning platform for yourself and for future work.
There are few really good books on project work. But, join the Project Management Institute (PMI) to learn project work tools. Get certified as a Project Management Professional® (PMP) or as a Certified Enterprise Risk Manager® (CERM).