Irrelevance of project managers – we are not worthy

Are we what we think we are OR what others perceive us to be? This is an age old question reaching far beyond project management – but one that everyone (even PMI certified project managers) need to ponder from time to time. Are we (project managers) truly irrelevant? Are we judged to harshly? In my opinion, I think we’re not judged harshly enough. I’ve seen many instances where project managers assume the role as messenger and judge their own value by how they manage the project as opposed to the actual outcome of the project. We put processes in place without really understanding the value of them or the potential negative impact. We don’t typically separate short from long term solutions and tend to resist getting deep into either the business or technology. We need to take more responsibility for the project outcome and assume a more proactive role in process improvement….we need develop true standards for project management and not rely on groups who sell certification to do so. It would be great to have a project management network with its focus on ‘open source’ training and self-policing certification instead of finding jobs and self promotion…