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COMMON NEEDS 127

Schuster) Rosabeth Moss Kanter identifies segmentalism as a key obstacle to
change and innovation.

What do these well-documented observations, of the way things are changing
in how we operate businesses, affect how we manage projects? What it tells us,
first of all, is that it is not necessarily the position or job title that determines one’s
role in projects. It is the role in the process that is key. Second, projects are more
than an independent function. Their effect straddles all segments of the enter-
prise, and involves a wide range of so-called functions and roles. Furthermore, as
traditional segmentalism is pushed aside, improved communication between the
segments becomes essential.

All of this points to the necessity to identify all the roles associated with the
projects environment, and to define how these roles impact upon the design and
use of the projects processes and information system.

The Management Groups

First, within the general classification of Management, we have perhaps four de-
finable subgroups. We have general senior management. This would include The
CEO and COO, or Chairman or President, and any other senior managers
charged with the overall execution of the business. I would include in this group
executives charged with the responsibility for strategic planning, Senior VPs of
major corporate divisions, and other Operations-oriented functions. Then there is
the direct functional management. This would include managers of operating
functions, such as Engineering, Marketing, Manufacturing, Software Develop-
ment, and Information Technology.

The third management classification would be project management. In a for-
mal projects environment, this would be the Chief Project Officer, or Manager of
the Central Project Office. In addition, it would include any managers of individ-
ual projects. The final group is managers of staff functions, such as the Chief Fi-
nancial Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Risk Officer.

Remember; we are not so much concerned with identifying job titles as we are
interested in identifying roles involved in managing the enterprise. We have es-
tablished these groups solely for the purpose of providing a basis to discuss the
needs of management-level people in respect to the project and resource man-
agement process.

Common Needs

What do these groups have in common? First of all, they would be interested mostly
in the large picture. While each group might need to have a different perspective of