Politics, Sex and .... Project Management?
There's an old saying. "Never discuss politics, sex or religion in polite company."
On the other hand, we all agree on many things. The earth is round (well, slightly spherical, actually), the sun rises in the east and sets in the west (actually the earth revolves around the sun), and the sky is blue (it really only appears blue to us).
Well... you get the idea.
Many aspects of project management do not seem to fit into the 'earth is round' category.
What is the evidence? Here's just a few casual observations:
1. A PM on a popular professional networking site recently asked the question,
"Does anyone really know what project management actually is?"Simple question, right? Nope! This has been the most popular 'discussion' (read: debate) on that networking site since it was launched about a month ago. This discussion/debate has more than 3x the comments then the #2 debate. And to add to the point, the #2 discussion is "There are no IT Projects".
This is a networking site for professionals in the industry, and it seems we're not sure if the earth is round or flat at this point.
2. A best selling author, and one of Microsoft's leading PM's, Scott Burkun, in his book said...
"Few people agree on how to plan projects...It's not surprising then that the planning-related books in the corner of my office disagree heavily with each other...But more distressing than their disagreements is that these books fail to acknowledge the the other approaches even exist."
I'm adding project management to my list of things you shouldn't bring up in polite conversation. Seems it's a sure way to start an argument, at least if you're talking to a PM.
So, for me, this drives the question, just how mature is the art/discipline of project management? Most would agree that being a PM is at least as much 'art' as it is 'science', but all of this disagreement reminds me of the Christmas rush over the Tickle me Elmo doll, or Wii video game -- everyone is pushing and shoving, and there's not a lot of cooperation going on.
What do you think?
Until next time...
Okay...I know a lot of project driven companies that excell at project management. I know a lot more non-project driven companies that do project management poorly for the reasons stated above -Robert and Linda. Broadly speaking, project management, regardless of maturity or project management skill set, is disruptive to non-project driven organizations, again for the reasons stated above. I think in non-project driven organizations, project management as is practiced today is a temporary fix, a transitory lean towards a much needed evolution in corporate structure and culture to handle change -much different compared to project driven organizations.
ReplyDelete- Victor Clough (from LinkedIn PMI Link group)
Project management is as old as mankind. It is just the formalization of the principles of leadership. If you can lead your way out of a paper bag, you're a PM. If you can command a platoon, you're a PM. If you can run a business successfully, you're a PM. Having studied Project Management for over twenty years, I can state that if you need a certificate to prove you're a PM, then you are not. The PMBOK reminds you of what to do, not how to do it. It doesn't tell how to lead your team, doesn't tell you how to sweet talk that stubborn colleague, doesn't tell you how to run a triage, and it sure doesn't tell you what the customer is thinking on any given day. You can measure your PM value by the recommendations you have received from non-relatives on LinkedIn.
ReplyDelete-William McCarey (From LinkedIn group)
Not sure what you mean by "mature." Usually, it refers to the expected ratio of what's currently known and understood to everything there is in the field to know and understand.
ReplyDeleteBy that definition, I'd consider the field to be well into its adulthood. Most of the issues that come up in projects have nothing to do with gaps in what's been published and available on the subject of project management. They have to do with practitioner and stakeholder failures to master their roles in the process; poorly chosen analysis and design methodologies; insufficient budget ... issues that are very real, but that don't reflect on the question of what is known.
A lot of this discussion seems to have centered on the ratio of "art" (I'd call it "street-smarts") to "science" (I'd call this part "book-learning"). Because there are all those pesky human beings involved whenever there's a project to manage, I'd say this is a stable 50/50 or thereabouts and isn't going to change. So if more science = more mature, the field will never progress beyond its adolescence.
-Robert Lewis (from LinkedIn Group)
Being a creative person to the true craft of Art and raised a leader, I can agree with a few of you on the person it takes to be a successful PM. I have not yet found a project that fits any particular methodology and find myself using common sense, lessons learned, and analytical skills to bend/shape the path my project processes flow. No, I do not have a PMP. Does that make me less of a success? Well, my record shows that when given the reins and the right team, my projects have succeed beyond the protocol.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the paper bag comment, but I do not base my hiring on PMP certification. I hire people for their experience and skills in learning, adapting, leading, negotiating, flexibility, and using common sense. Yes, there is some helpful information in PMOB, but agree it is a baseline and does not teach or build us into better PMs. It is something you are born with, taught though-out the years, requiring people and analytical skills, and the ability to lead/coordinate to a successful end results.
PM processes have and always will be evolving. It is the people and their knowledge to think up better processes and procedures, as each project comes into play, that that will make it a success.
What is success? A well thought out project or program that runs smoothly, prepared with appropriate steps to account or any hiccups that may be encountered, and requiring little improvement as time moves forward that will keep it on track not just in time and budget, but in team effort. Because with out a good team, PM, and process......you have chaos!
Mature? No, I think that we can always learn for the young, as they have fresh clean minds and tools that will help them constantly improve on what we have accomplished in and ever change environment.
-Connie Futrell (from LinkedIn group)
If you look at the place where project management priciples got started. Departement of Defense. If you have any experience in DOD, you see it is very mature and is made to be flexible for software and hardware. You would see that is has been around since the 1950's. Maybe a little earlier.
ReplyDeleteNow, if you refer to the dynamically changing software and IT development methodologies, honestly, the basic methodologis have been modified to fit business policy and goals. From the claisic waterfal to Agile to Scrum, and other variations, they all use the basic PjM methodologies, but with iterations, modified gates, focus on feature delivery. But most of these are reflections of the plan that reflects the business goals of the organization.
-Jeff MacQueen (from LinkedIn group)
Some PMs even think that PMs built the Pyramids.
ReplyDeleteHow mature is PM. In fact there have been zero tools developed specifically for project management. All of the tools that you use as a PM were from architecture, engineering, Industrial engieering, accoutinng, and business. Can you name one tool specific to PM? EVM is cost accounting.
I did virtual projects and collocation is of great importance, but it can be overcome with massive meetings and trust. I have more problems understanding people that speak a dialect of broken english and spend the meeting correcting what was actually said, mumbling, and overcoming the language barrier. Communication is the number one skill in PM and if you can't speak the language you are doomed, no matter the cost.
-Mark Parrish (from LinkedIn group)