In Episode 210 of The Executive Edge podcast, I interview Professor Adam Boddison, CEO of the Association for Project Management. Together we explore how effective project management is essential for business success, discussing everything from strategic execution to adapting to workforce changes and future-proofing organizations.
Key Highlights
- Adam’s diverse career journey from secondary school math teacher to university roles and eventually becoming CEO of the Association of Project Management, all connected by education
- The transition from working in a large institution (university) to the charity sector seeking more risk and reward, where decisions had significant impact
- Project management’s image problem: often viewed as technical (Gantt charts and templates) when it’s equally about strategic execution – what C-suite leaders are most interested in
- The emergence of Chief Transformation Officers and Chief Project Officers who focus on delivery and change, connecting daily operations with future planning
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Key areas of focus for transformation leaders: digital transformation, AI implementation, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and product development
- The value of learning from past projects – both successes and failures – to avoid repeating mistakes and make informed choices about project scope, timeline, and budget
- The distinction between project management as a life skill versus a profession: “Everybody can dance, but not everybody is a dancer”
- How businesses toggle between present-day operations and future planning, often underestimating the impact of changes on organizational culture
- The contrast between “windscreen” data (forward-looking, predictive) versus “rear-view” data (backward-looking, descriptive) and how organizations should focus more on using data to inform future actions
- Post-COVID impacts on business operations, particularly regarding hybrid working models, with larger corporations often pushing for office returns while smaller businesses take more flexible approaches
- The changing workforce dynamics with Gen Z valuing flexibility and organizational values, approaching jobs more like projects with defined beginnings and ends
Practical Takeaways
- Organizations should benchmark their project management capabilities by assessing individual competencies against the chartered standard available on the APM website
- Successful change implementation depends more on people than processes
- Leaders should evaluate their team’s capabilities and identify gaps to develop a plan for growing organizational maturity over time
Resources Mentioned
– Association for Project Management website:
– Connect with Adam Boddison on LinkedIn
Final Thoughts
Future-proofing your business requires anticipating variables, starting meaningful dialogues about practical implementation, and developing competencies that prepare your organization for constant change. As Adam quoted (attributed to Justin Trudeau): “Never before has the pace of change been so fast, but never again will it be as slow as it is today.”