15 Putting It All Together
The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.
—Theodore Rubin,
American psychiatrist and author
Objectives
After reading this lesson, you will be able to
- List some new practices for project management based on the first fourteen lessons in this book
- Discuss James March’s ideas on thinking like a poet to become a better project manager
- Explain the difference between event-driven and intention-driven project management
- Get started creating your own professional development plan
The Big Ideas In this Lesson
- As you look to the future, keep in mind that a living order approach to personal development focuses on lifelong learning, rather than understanding only what you need to know to master the current situation.
- After formulating an interpretation of events, project managers must come up with a solution, circling back to revise their interpretation of the situation as necessary.
- The event-driven nature of project management, which can pull your attention in a dozen different directions at once, can leave little time and energy for planning and acting on your long-term career goals. It’s essential to take time to plan your professional development.
15.1 Reassess and Plan for the Future
This last lesson is an opportunity for you to look back at your understanding of project management at the beginning of this book; assess how your abilities align with your new, expanded conception of project management; and develop a plan for incorporating these new ideas and practices into your work. In other words, this is an opportunity to plan for change. A short list of new practices for readers of this book might include
- Recognize when a geometric order approach is useful in a project, and when a more flexible, living order approach is best
- Look for opportunities to incorporate Lean or Agile principles into your projects
- Make decisions about new projects in relation to your organization’s overall project portfolio
- Identify what makes a particular project successful, with a focus on the customer’s definition of value, and communicate that to all stakeholders.
- Limit the amount of detail in a project plan and schedule to the amount required to effectively guide the project team
- Be prepared to adapt and improvise in fast-changing situations, rather than attempting to stick to a plan that is no longer relevant
- Employ monitoring and control strategies that provide the right amount of information, targeted to the people who need that information to make on-going decisions about the project
- Regularly conduct project-review and project-closure activities, so as to keep current projects on track and retain vital information for future projects
- Take advantage of learning opportunities wherever they arise throughout your career
As you have read throughout this book, these are all important and effective ways of keeping projects on-trac