COO: A Position PMs Are Well-Suited For
By Wanda Curlee | BIZVILLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT Limited
Dear Industry Colleagues and Partners,
Originally Published at PMI Blog
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Do you ever wonder where project management could take you? Believe it or not, being a project manager is excellent preparation for becoming a chief operating officer (COO).
After serving in the U.S. Navy on active duty for more than five years, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I stumbled into a project management role. I am lucky I did, because it prepared me for many different business roles. I am now on my journey from project manager to COO. The road is not simple, and there have been setbacks, but the goal remains close at hand.
To see how project management can help prepare you for a COO role, take a look at this job description. OK, finished reading? Let’s break down the large parts of the description and how they relate to project management.
Lots of similarities
- A COO has “overall strategic and operational responsibility.” As a project manager, you drive the project toward the end goal and keep it on track. But you also drive the strategy of the project and oversee its operational aspects. Granted, you are not doing these tasks at the executive level, but you are the COO for the project.
- The COO also develops, implements and manages the operational aspects of the annual budget. As a project manager you do all of this — at a project level.
- And depending on the size of the project, you may be managing a budget that is far greater than an organization’s. Think about construction of an oil rig, building a high rise, outsourcing an IT department — all of these projects could have a budget larger than an entire company.
- Chief operating officers also have to know management operations. Fortunately, this is what you do day in and day out as a project manager. A COO just does operations on a larger scale. But with practice, understanding, and leading larger projects and programs, you will excel at the same skills required to be an effective COO.
- Although the job description may not spell it out, many of the soft skills you’ve honed in project management — networking, communicating, leadership, mentorship/coaching and learning from failure — are also required to be a successful COO.
- In addition, tangible skills like planning a budget, implementing training, overseeing the project budget and reporting to leadership will serve you well in the C-suite.
A little help from your mentors
- As you prepare for a COO role, I’d also recommend finding mentors. Mentors were necessary for my advancement. I suggest finding three of them: one in your chain of command, the second in your organization but outside the chain of command, and the third outside of your organization.
- Choose your mentors carefully. Mentors — especially those outside the chain of command and the company — can help you stretch your limits. A mentor can provide suggestions on how to handle difficult situations.
- He or she can also provide insight into politics within the organization or how to handle a political situation. Finally, a mentor can provide advice on the next project or program to tackle to put you on the track to becoming a COO.
Posted by Wanda Curlee on: February 24, 2015 05:11 PM | Permalink
Culled from PMI Blog
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