Case: Excellence on a Global Scale: EMC Teams with PMI to Launch World-Class Talent Development Program for Project Managers.

Background: As the world's leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions, EMC helps organizations transform the way they compete in the marketplace by employing a critical philosophy: second only to its people, information is an organization's most important asset. People, though, are an organizations number-one investment, which is the tenet that EMC lives by within its own organization. In order to help its clients design, build and manage flexible, scalable and secure information infrastructures, EMCs project managers, team members, and other employees must operate as a well-oiled machine: synchronized, systemized and speaking the same language, regardless of where on the globe theyre located. And EMC knows a thing or two about coordinating project teams across the globe. Its 40,000 employees40 per cent of whom work outside the U.S. work with organizations around the world, in every industry, in the public and private sectors, and of every size, from startups to the Fortune Global 500. Maintaining a consistent level of project and customer service excellence on such a broad scope and in such a fast-paced technological environmentis an ongoing challenge that requires a permanent commitment to training and talent development. Tim Kress, Community Effectiveness Manager in the Global Program and Project Management Practice of EMCs Global Services division, recognized the need for this commitment to the talent development of EMCs project managers. However, he also saw that the needs of EMCs clients were changing: While they once looked to EMCs project managers to apply their technical and tactical expertise to individual projects, they were now turning to EMC for strategic insight into project portfolios and organizational alignment as well. Together with partners in EMCs Education Services Division and PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) the International Institute for Learning, Kress decided to create and launch a world-class project management training program that targeted both the technical and strategic business demands on its project managers so they would be better equipped to meet evolving client needs.

Challenge: Diverse Workforce, Diverse Clients, Diverse Projects Kress knew he had his work cut out for him. Because were in the business of both hardware and software, our projects range from extremely complex in the range of tens of millions of dollars to small budget two-week installations, he said. Our project managers need to be able to successfully implement projects at the smallest and largest levels, depending on the project and the customer. The divisions globalized distribution, one of its greatest assets, also presented one of the greatest challenges when it came to training. Kress and his partners needed to create a program that emphasized consistency amid an inconsistent client base and business needs. It also had to be scalable and provide all of its project managers with a baseline of project management and professional skills training. And just as importantly, it had to actively engage its participants in a way that not only benefited EMC and its clients, but also benefitted its project managers at an individual professional level.

Solution: PMIs Global Standards Provide Framework for Ongoing Professional Development Based on PMIs standards and in close collaboration with PMIs team, Kress and his team leveraged the companys existing education services organization to create a professional development program that provided a competitive Excellence on a Global Scale: EMC Teams with PMI to Launch World-Class Talent Development Program for Project Managers advantage for EMC, aligned the companys field organizations with the rest of the company and enhanced community effectiveness. The program consisted of three tiers: Project Management Essentials, Professional Skills, and Technical Education. The team developed the project management training program relying on PMI for standards, procedures and policy expertise. Project managers participate in a combination of instructor-led classroom and virtual training, along with web-based training and podcasts. Most importantly, however, is the employee requirement. Internal resources are an absolute necessity, said Kress. A key element of this program is that our project managers are required to complete up to 40 hours of training per quarter, with no exceptions.

Q1) Discuss the importance and impact of PMI on the success of project managers and organizations as a whole as seen in this case study for EMC team.

Q2) To what extent does project managers' skills make a difference if compared to functional managers?

Q3) Based on the differences between "risks" and un-certainty" how did PMI helped EMC project managers?

Q4) How can Numeric and Non-Numeric models affect project selection?