Why Projects Succeed: Measuring Commitment Management

Why Projects Succeed is a blog series in which Slalom Business Architect Roger Kastner sheds light on key factors behind the art and science of successful project management and invites readers to discuss how they apply across different environments.

Roger Kastner is a Business Architect with Slalom Consulting who is passionate about raising the caliber of project leadership within organizations to maximize the value of projects

Recently I wrote about Commitment Management, a process for setting, managing, and delivering on expectations which I believe to be the most important of a Project Manager’s many responsibilities. In that same post I wrote that a lot of organizations measure Project Managers by “on-time and on-budget,” but by focusing on these two metrics the well-intentioned organization may drive the wrong behaviors.

As an alternative, I suggested measuring Project Managers on their mastery of the Commitment Management process in order to identify the individual contribution the Project Manager makes towards the success of the project and to drive the right behaviors instead of unintended ones.

In response, I received a couple of requests for clarification. One reader asked, “OK, besides height, how else would you measure a Project Manager?” while another asked “How do you measure Commitment Management?” Great questions!

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Why Projects Succeed: Commitment Management

Why Projects Succeed is a blog series in which Slalom Business Architect Roger Kastner sheds light on key factors behind the art and science of successful project management and invites readers to discuss how they apply across different environments.

Roger Kastner is a Business Architect with Slalom Consulting who is passionate about raising the caliber of project leadership within organizations to maximize the value of projects

“You get the behaviors you measure and reward.”
– Jack Welch

I often get asked by clients and colleagues, “What is the most effective way to measure PMs?” Too frequently I respond with a quote borrowed from Chevy Chase in Caddyshack: “By height.”

PMs are often measured by whether their projects are on-time and on-budget. Sure, the PM manages the analysis and extraction process for estimates, the sequencing of tasks, resource planning, etc. But the PM can’t guarantee the quality of the inputs to estimates. I personally never want to be measured by whether a project is “on-time and on-budget” because I don’t actually control either. So, as the PM, what do I control? I control the commitment management process of setting, managing, and delivering on expectations.

Throughout the life of the project, the successful PM will be engaging stakeholders in the commitment management process to proactively maintain alignment of scope, time, and costs commitments.

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