Why Business Acumen Matters for Project Managers

Business Acumen

Steven Haines

Founder & Author

Business Acumen Institute

About the Presentation

It’s no secret that project managers must deliver projects that fulfill the triple constraint of budget, schedule, and scope. Yet, without a solid context for the project’s impact on the strategic intent of the organization, projects are just projects. To be truly effective, project managers must also be equipped with an understanding of business acumen. In fact, according to the Project Management Institute (PMI), one of the three elements that comprise the Talent Triangle® is business acumen. In this talk, Steven Haines, founder of Business Acumen Institute and author of the book Business Acumen for Project Managers will facilitate a lively conversation, along with some fun activities, to enhance your understanding of business acumen and how you can focus your professional development efforts that help you build business acumen to excel in your career.

Learning Objectives:

·         Learn a simple definition of business acumen and its importance in project management.

·         Learn why external perspectives (customers, market) can help you relate more effectively to your projects.

·         How to align your work with the strategic intent of the organization where you work.

·         Learn about the core competencies that comprise business acumen, including leading and influencing, processes effectiveness, products and markets, strategy, finance, problem solving, and decision-making.

About Steven Haines

Steven Haines is a world-renowned author, speaker, and thought leader in the areas of product management and business acumen.  As the founder of Sequent Learning Networks (sequentlearning.com) and the Business Acumen Institute (business-acumen.com), he has trained tens of thousands of people work as emerging leaders and managers in business product management. His industry-defining work has contributed to the transformation of mindsets, methods, and corporate competitiveness. Steven's books include The Product Manager's Desk Reference (1st – 3rd editions), The Product Manager's Survival Guide (2nd edition), The Business Acumen Handbook and Business Acumen for Project Managers.