Most of my career, I have worked in the for-profit sector of
the economy and is mainly the reason I believe in capitalism. Even in a
capitalistic system, you have non-profit organizations that are in need of
project managers, maybe not so much in IT, but definitely in the business side
of an organization. Which brings up the question; is project management (PM) so
different in the non-profit sector?
Budget, Schedule and
Scope
The triple constraint is still a for PM, even in the
non-profit sector. And if the non-profit is a charitable organization, maybe
more of a constraint on the budget. But let’s speak about government as a
non-profit organization. Even state or local governments have strict contract
restrictions, for the most part, for any project work. They may not have a full
Project Management Office (PMO) and contract the PM work out, but even
government agencies have strict budgetary constraints. I know on the federal
level, especially for defense work, their contracts are under great
restrictions. I live not so far from a military base, and have spoken to many
government contractors and the $500 hammer in the budget is a myth. So if
budget is strictly reviewed, so is schedule and scope. This is not to say that
changes don’t occur in government projects. As in the for-profit sector,
regulations or even something as un-thought of as weather can change a project.
More Political?
Sure, in any political election season things may be more
political, but office politics are basically the same in non-profit as they are
in for-profit. And you have to navigate these waters as close as you do in the
for-profit sector. For example, in the educational sector, individuals are very
concerned about being tenured. So a project cannot disrupt that career path,
especially an over budget project. In state government offices, schedule is
strictly followed and reviewed as is scope. That’s because it ties into the
budget. You have longer projects, so change happens more easily and must be
strictly regulated. However, that is the same for for-profit in many ways. When
was the last time you as a PM were given a blank check? Correct, never. So it
is with non-profits.
Difference in
Managing?
You must manage your project reports, peers and managers in
the same fashion in the non-profit sector as you would for the for-profit
sector. The only difference I have seen as the layers of management. Where
for-profit concerns are becoming flatter in organizational areas, the non-profit
is still hung on titles and levels of management. That may mean more management
for the PM, but the PM has to navigate these waters in the same manner as the
PM would in the for-profit sector.
I am interested in hearing from PMs in the non-profit sectors.
Please connect with me and weigh in on the discussion.
I am open to discussion at any time on these blogs or anything else related to project management you would like to explore. If you would like to comment about this blog, please do so by posting on this blog or by responding in an email at benny@bennythepm.com. You may inspire a blog article. I look forward to your comments.
