Questioning the value of project management

A while back, we learned from a global project-based IT company that they had decided to actively reduce the number of project managers they employed through natural wastage and, if necessary, redundancy. This is not a reflection of any downturn in workload, in fact the contrary; but it is a reflection of the value they perceive in the ‘dedicated’ project manager role. Their approach going forward is for systems architects to assume the project management responsibilities as part of a dual role. This decision appears contradictory in a world where there is an overt drive to promote project management as a profession and to espouse the value that project management can bring to an organisation.