Project Manager Role during a transition Period

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Project Manager Role during a transition Period

Roy Amitzur May 2003
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General information about Comverse

• About 3,500 employees in over 40 locations
• About 400 customers
• We are spread around the globe in all continents
• 3 main Hubs Israel, Boston Hong Kong
• About 200 open deliveries / projects at any given
  moment
• About 80 Project Managers

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The last 18 months

• We went through 3 reductions in force went down
  from about 6,000 employees to about 3,500
• We went through 2-3 organizational changes
• We started with independent divisions which
  included most of the functions internally
• We moved to - RD, Professional Services, Sales
  group structure
• We ended up with Back front structure

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The overall affect of the changes

• It forced us to focus. We had to decide what to
  do what not to do
• In many cases the decision had to be to do, but
  differently
• We have left with less people to serve the same
  number of customers, so we had to become more
  efficient
• It forced us to redefine a few of the
  methodologies, processes professional
  definitions within our organization
• Many people had to learn new skills got to know
  new customers

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What happened to the different functions?

• All different functions in the organization had
  to change adapted to new environment become
  better
• The cost factor got major amplification in the
  decision making processes
• But in terms of the job description -
• RD - Remained RD
• Customer Support (or Service) Remained Service
• Sales Remained Sales
• Back Office functions Remained the same
• The only major function that had to go through a
  few major transitions was the function of the
  Project Manager

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Traditional role of the PM in Comverse

• The Project manager is 1 of the main interface
  between the company the customer
• He spends more time working together with the
  customer then anyone else in the organization
• He needs to represent the customer within the
  company the company with the customer
• He needs to work in a matrix manner with many
  internal organizations
• He needs to know the products, understand the
  customer needs he needs to make things happen
• He participates in the Pre-sale Post-sale
  activities

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What happen to the PM during this period?

• The internal organizations, which the Project
  Managers worked with, kept changing it became
  much more difficult to make things happen
• Many people had either to leave or to change
  their jobs The unofficial knowledge turned to
  be in a very high risk
• Many project managers had to shift from their
  original customers to take responsibility over
  additional different customers
• The role of the PM kept shifting with every
  change, from very technical one, to more sales
  oriented from very delivery focused to more
  customer focused also somewhere in the middle

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How did we handle it?

• It was a great managerial challenge
• It required full commitment of everyone,
  managers employees
• It required a close monitoring of every
  transition, both internally with the customers
• It required establishing of much more formal job
  descriptions, interfaces between the different
  internal groups activities with the customers
• It required many people to learn adopt to the
  changing requirements, new activities skills

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What can managers learn from this experience?

• The PM role is very sensitive to organizational
  changes
• The PM role is can be changed as a result of
  the following -
• The specific market conditions
• The product portfolio sold by the company
• The internal organizational structure
  demarcation lines between the different internal
  organizations
• Head Count related issues
• The PM role has a major effect on how the company
  is being perceived by the customers. This is
  usually very important but get even a higher
  level of significance during a period of change
• Formal methodology, interfaces job descriptions
  become much more significant during this time
• High level management must be very well aware of
  it be willing ready to invest time effort
  to manage this situation or else find itself in a
  big problem

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What can the PMs learn from it?

• The PM job is sensitive to changes a PM must be
  ready to adopt to those changes
• PM must be willing to learn execute different
  roles in different periods
• A good PM need to be flexible, adoptive expect
  certain periods of uncertainty
• A good PM that will survive all the changes needs
  to have -
• Good technical knowledge
• Good interface with the customers
• High level of responsibility
• Patients
• Good sense of humor !!!

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Thank You !

• Based on the experience we have gained in the
  last couple of years, I hope you will not have to
  experience too many organizational changes
  reduction in force
• since I assume that many of us will have to
  experience it during the next coming years, I
  hope you would remember a few of the items I
  presented today the lessons learned we gained
• may god be with you.