Change management is very critical in project management and must be covered in this set of three articles. #2: The rest of the students are not interested in academic careers, however, you feel it is important that they receive a theoretical knowledge of the subject matter. What five essential theoretical lessons would you share with your students that you feel are the most important in assuring professional success as a project manager?

The five most important lessons I'd stress to students begin with defining a strong business case for their projects, followed by concentrating on creating effective change management strategies. I'd also focus on no matter how much technology you rely on, project management fundamentals must still be well understood to get the most out of them. I'd also concentrate on making sure students realized that project management is as much about skills as it is about continually striving to improve ones' own leadership skills as well (Varghese, 2003). Beginning with creating an effective business case for a project, I'd focus teaching hwo project management must also be anchored in financial disciplines as well, including how to complete Return on Investment (ROI) calculations on short, intermediate and long-term projects (Contino, 2004). Second, I would make it very clear that the ROI of any project is entirely predicated on how well change management programs are managed as well (Reed, 1996). Change management is essential for any long-term strategic plan and project management initiative to succeed, and quantifying this is essential for any student of this discipline to see clearly before they begin their careers. Third, concentrating on the fundamentals of project management and not relying purely on technology is an essential skill as well. The need for creating a solid foundation...

Fourth, my focus would be on showing why project management is a field moving so quickly that staying focused on lifetime learning is a must-do; there must be a continual focus on learning and improvement to excel in this profession. Students must seek a passion for project management to succeed and have the staying power of decades of hard work in this area. I would teach to that focus and orientation of finding passion in this work. Lastly I would concentrate on creating a culture of learning in my class that could easily illustrate how transformational leadership is a powerful catalyst for continued organizational change (Varghese, 2003). To accomplish this I'd bring in speakers and have them share their successes, failures, challenges and triumphs in project management over time so students could see the reality of this profession.
References

Contino, D.S. (2004). What's your projects ROI? Nursing Management, 35(2), 39-40.

Imam, M.H., & Dhillon, J.S. (1989). Project management in telecommunications - a case study. AACE International Transactions,, E.8.1-E.8.1.

Quayle, M. (1999). Project management in European aerospace plc: A case study. Industrial Management + Data Systems, 99(5), 221-226.

Reed, R.E. (1996). ROI for management. AACE International Transactions,, PRF51-PRF53.

Thomas, J., Delisle, C.L., Jugdev, K., & Buckle, P. (2002). Selling Project Management to Senior Executives: The Case for Avoiding Crisis Sales. Project Management Journal, 33(2), 19-28.

Varghese, J. (2003). ROI is not a formula, it is a responsibility. The Journal of Business Strategy,…