Project Management Services
Projects come and go within any organization. Each project requires a different assortment of services, from product development R&D to staff training and so on. But there are certain activities common to all projects. Few companies employ a full-time staff with expertise in pure project management functions, so most firms turn to outside contractors who provide project management services.
Project management services encompass the project management functions of planning and design, execution, and monitoring and control. These functions can become quite complex in the case of a large project such as constructing a housing subdivision, revamping a company's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, or developing, producing, and selling a complex product. Project management services offer a professional, disciplined approach to these vital functions that helps to ensure the successful completion of a project on time and within budget.
When a firm seeks a project management services contractor, it often turns to a large management consulting firm with which it has an existing relationship. These "department stores" of management consulting services have numerous specialty departments, often including a project management services group.
A large firm's familiarity with a client's business can be advantageous, but one should look carefully at the consultants who will actually work on one's project. Don't just take your account representative's word for it that they're as good as the temporary CFO he sold you last year.
Ask about the certifications of the consultant(s) who will actually work on your project. They should have Project Management Professional (PMP) certifications issued by the Project Management Institute, at the least. It's important that their PMP certifications be current; ask about the recent PDUs (Professional Development Units -- continuing education) accrued by the prospective consultants. Advanced PMI training in specialties such as construction, information systems, and other types of major projects are assurances that you are getting consultants who know the stuff you need done.
Every project management services firm should be able to provide references. Ideally, you will find some of your competitors among the references offered, or at least firms in the same general industry as yours. Related references are a sign that the project management services firm has experienced not only with software projects but also with retail apparel software projects, for instance.
Reading local and national business journals and newspapers, one will often find announcements or case studies of projects that other firms have undertaken. The names of project management services firms used in these cases are usually mentioned, and the client's opinion of the project management services firm may be in there, too.