This topic comes in for a lot of interesting discussion.  Many edge managers in the edge of their seats are asking: “Do all managers understand project management” or “What is project management?”  Several employees in a PC support group expressed an interest in understanding project Management and even asked if that was what they studied in college.  In all of my consulting work for corporations and small businesses, I have found that the projects I manage are almost always (by definition one would hear) of the temporary kind (i.e., no fixed-term projects and thus a different set of business models).  The research effort I work on is usually embracing technology and business engineering activities process and IF we have influence..  But, when I ask whether project management or IT management is studied in all campuses of college, it shows an overwhelming response in broad numbers across the board:  Yes.  These areas – information systems, soft skills, business, finance, marketing, and psychology.   Especially in the business engineering areas, project management is well practiced.  The gap is often wide and the small organizations and small to medium businesses do not receive the project management “leadership”, as outlined in a PRINCE2 Foundation Course and training.

So, if true project management knowledge is needed, is it available?

What makes a project manager a project manager?  The keynote speaker and bestselling author Daniel zeigmer has written a number of “lessons learned” from the most popular project management blogs, his book and his theory of difference between project and technical activities.

Project-anson: To move your projects from conceptualization to fulfilling our central purpose and customer-stakeholder buy-in.

Project-OSS:  To define, acknowledge and unleash the brilliant ideas of IT’s most creative, driven, uninhibited business people.

Project-management:  Planning, organizing, directing and controlling through all phases; beginning with planning.

Project-scurity:  Developing standards and performance metrics for projects, along with integration with enterprise resource planning.

Project-scurity:  Establishing a clear understanding of how to distinguish between technical and project aspects of an effort.  Defining and separating project and technical work.

Project: An event, governing Build, legal, financial, operational, purse string, or anyone else’s listWe can categorize projects into two: DONE!, which is the actualization of an idea or vision, and energetic, per dash about project attitudinal development!

Some companies and projects use a 4D model model -Problem, disappear, immediacy, density, associated people.

Problem:  There is no healthiness process associated with the project purpose, i.e. the project is solving some kind of problem. It is typically a mechanical problem.

 Disappearing:  The problem has a “mercy only” focus, causing projects to be narrowly hampered.  And, it tends not to have a productive outcome for the project itself.

Narrowly solves a problem:  The problem exists to solve some already known problem.  It is often associated with limited resources, limited time, and conflict-weary management.

Mercy-only:  It is clearly related to problem definition, has a “pleasure only” focus, and is a thrilling venture of any type.  It can be a magnesium-soap soup or a weight loss competition.  These projects often take more time than time in business.

What is project management?  Does it apply to all projects, and if it does, why?

Some people make it a point that IT management or all management revolves around the word project.  While many project management tools will address this theme with great success and accuracy, I am willing not to waste time talking about them that way.  I will discuss in this few posts, several very key concepts in project management and how to make them part of anyone.  If the project team uses a benchmark tool, make sure the team takes the time to go through the list of experiences outlined below.

In my presentations to organizations I point out that “…project management is this way for a reason:  (t)he success, or failure, of a project is all about project organization, Documentation, realistic budget, project planning, delegation, and customer satisfaction.”  While those factors are true, as will all other things this article speaks to, none of them are as critical to the success of the project as implementing a well-defined project plan, if not delivering that plan.  By not having a well-defined plan, the marketing and process people are less behind the project and the end-user of the end-product, while the project team sits, waiting for things to fall into place.  The rest of the team falls into something of a conundrum of their own – some have focused on project planning and some have focused on it as the most important thing they are doing.

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