PMI is Waking Up to the Importance of Soft Skills

I spent some time exploring the new Career Framework Initiative from PMI.  The framework is intended to provide project managers, program managers, and portfolio managers with a career path or progression from one job to another.  This is likely most helpful to project managers who are wondering where their careers may go. 

I was interested to see how the PMI framework laid out so I went through the website in detail to learn all that I could.  The simple career path looks like this:

1. Project Manager Level I
2. Project Manager Level II
3. Project Manager Level III
4. Program Manager
5. Portfolio Manager

Here is a summary chart of the entire framework, showing the experience levels, education levels, qualifications and competencies by each rung on the ladder.  Download pmis_pm_career_framework.pdf

I was delighted to see that the framework does include a number of the soft skills competencies that I am focused on.  In the categories of interpersonal and leadership skills, you will find a number that are important soft skills that up to this point have not found a place in the PMBOK® Guide.  Here are some of those competencies that I have addressed in this blog and in my soft skills workshops for project managers.  These first four fell into the category of 'interpersonal' skills:

• Communicates with others
• Establishes and maintains interpersonal relationships
• Possesses good listening skills
• Resolves conflicts and negotiates with others

PMI put the remaining skills into the category of 'leadership' skills:

• Celebrates accomplishments
• Delegates work and empowers stakeholders
• Demonstrates high ethics and values
• Displays model behavior
• Displays social awareness
• Embraces diversity
• Encourages partnering
• Engages others
• Inspires others
• Possesses self-awareness
• Provides creative environment
• Recognizes contributions
• Supports team building

I am pleasantly surprised that PMI even used the emotional intelligence words like social awareness and self-awareness. 

Though not the point of the career framework, it looks through the development of the framework, PMI is starting to appreciate the importance of the soft skills to progression as a PM.  I would like to see these soft skills mapped against the career families (most have not been).