The Chief Project Officer

May 14, 2024

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On this episode we talk about the role of Chief Project Officer with Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez.

Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is a distinguished author, known for his works including the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook, five other books, and the influential HBR article, “The Project Economy Has Arrived.” Celebrated by Thinkers50 for his contributions to modern management, Antonio is at the forefront of project management and strategy implementation education. He serves as a visiting professor at seven top business schools and is the founder of Projects & Company. He also co-founded the Strategy Implementation Institute and PMOtto. Antonio engages with professionals through his website, his LinkedIn newsletter “Lead Projects Successfully,” and his online course, “Project Management Reinvented for Non–Project Managers.”

Key Takeaways

  • The Chief Project Officer (CPO) role is emerging due to the increasing importance of projects vs. operations in organizations
  • The CPO drives strategy implementation, is accountable for value creation/revenue, and orchestrates cross-functional project work
  • Essential CPO traits: executive mindset, ability to align stakeholders, attention to benefits realization, innovation
  • Companies like Heineken are adopting expanded “Chief Transformation Officer” roles that resemble the CPO concept

Topics

CPO Role Rationale

  • As projects grow more prominent than operations, a C-suite role focused on projects is needed, like the COO role for operations
  • The CPO oversees all project activities and is accountable for delivering value/revenue from projects

CPO Responsibilities

  • Drive implementation of company strategy through projects
  • Accountable for value creation/revenue, not just deliverables
  • Facilitate prioritization of strategic initiatives at exec level
  • Orchestrate cross-departmental collaboration on projects

Differentiating CPO from Other Roles

  • Differs from CEO in being more internally-focused on projects vs. external stakeholders
  • Differs from PMO in driving revenue/value creation vs. just reporting
  • Overlaps with CEO on execution, but CPO is dedicated to projects specifically

Project Selection & Prioritization

  • Proposes using organizational purpose as stable criteria vs. frequently changing strategy
  • Then filter projects based on top priorities (customer-centric, quality, etc.)
  • Provides more structure than outdated methods for large project portfolios

Essential CPO Skills

  • Executive mindset – take ownership, focus on value over constraints
  • Orchestration – align stakeholders across departments
  • Attention to benefits realization and acceleration
  • Ability to zoom in/out between strategic and tactical views
  • Drive innovation in practices and use of technology

Examples & Advice

  • Some companies have expanded “Chief Transformation Officer” roles towards CPO concept
  • For PMs: Focus on benefits, speak stakeholders’ language, think strategically
  • For orgs: Urgently consider CPO role if lacking central project oversight

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